Board Challenge: Fuel the Mission Together
Empower your board to lead with purpose! The Board Challenge template leverages board member networks in a fun, peer-to-peer fundraising drive, creating lasting impact for your mission.
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Overview
This P2P campaign encourages nonprofit board members to use their networks to advocate for the organization’s mission by sharing their personal connection to the cause. By leveraging their leadership, passion, and networks, board members invite their connections to support the nonprofit’s goals through donations, with a focus on recurring contributions. The campaign centers around personal storytelling, the power of peer influence, and fostering community engagement year-round.
Why this works: Board members are trusted advocates within their networks, and their personal appeals carry authenticity and impact. By combining personal relationships with compelling stories, nonprofits can increase donor engagement and contributions while cultivating stronger relationships with their supporters.
Key Tactics:
- Personalized outreach via email and LinkedIn
- Social media storytelling focused on impact and community
- Direct appeals in professional and personal networks
- Engaging, evergreen content to drive donations year-round
Channels:
- Website: Dedicated campaign pages for donation and storytelling.
- LinkedIn: Professional appeals leveraging board members’ leadership roles.
- Social Media (Facebook, Instagram): Share stories and milestones to encourage engagement.
- Email Marketing: Drive donations with personalized, targeted messaging.
Primary Goal
Engage 70% of board members in active fundraising and secure donations from their personal and professional networks.
Objectives
- Activate all board members to share personal stories about their connection to the cause by the end of the campaign.
- Drive a 20% increase in new donors from board member networks.
- Increase the visibility of the nonprofit on LinkedIn by 30% through board member engagement.
Campaign Metrics to Track
- Board Activation Rate: Track how many board members actively engage in P2P fundraising.
- Conversion Rate: Monitor the total donations raised from board member campaigns.
- Recurring Revenue Tracking: Track the conversion rate of one-time donations to recurring gifts.
- Engagement Metrics: Measure social media interactions (shares, comments, likes) on board member posts.
Donor Segments
- First-time donors
- Potential recurring donors
- High-net-worth individuals
- Lapsed donors
- Existing supporters
Donor Engagement Journey
Awareness Stage
Introduce donors to board members’ personal connections to the nonprofit’s mission through authentic stories.
Consideration Stage
Use social proof such as impact stories, matching gifts, or donor milestones to build trust and urgency.
Decision Stage
Emphasize the ease of giving, particularly recurring donations, and their lasting benefits for the nonprofit and donors.
Post-Donation Engagement
Strengthen donor relationships with personalized thank-you messages, impact updates, and opportunities to stay connected.
Website
Create dedicated P2P landing pages where donors can easily find board member appeals, read their stories, and donate.
- Key assets: create a dedicated P2P landing page that features personalized donation pages for each board member, showcasing their profiles and personal stories to engage donors. Include a campaign progress tracker to display milestones and encourage participation. Ensure the page has clear CTAs that are easy to find, with options for recurring gifts prominently highlighted to drive sustained giving.
Email Marketing
Equip board members with targeted email templates for personal outreach and updates.
- Key assets: provide custom email templates for personal stories that your board members will share, links to the donation page and clear CTAs highlighting mission and impact. Simplify engagement with automated email follow-ups for thank you messages, reminders about the campaign, and any perks for recurring giving.
Social Media
Use social media to amplify board member stories and drive donations through emotionally compelling content.
- Key assets: amplify board member stories using pre-designed templates from platforms like Canva or Figma for consistency and professionalism. Encourage board members to create personalized videos sharing why they support the cause, and use engaging visuals to highlight the campaign’s progress. Incorporate evergreen hashtags like #JoinTheMission or #FuelTheImpact to expand reach and track engagement.
LinkedIn
Encourage board members’ to use their professional networks for authentic appeals.
- Key assets: leverage board members’ professional networks by providing LinkedIn post templates that include branded graphics and suggested copy. Encourage the use of short video testimonials from board members, where they share their connection to the mission and inspire trust among their peers. Use branded hashtags to increase visibility and track the campaign’s progress.
These are the core requirements for launching your Fuel the Mission campaign with Donately. For more detailed instructions and resources, download the full peer-to-peer board engagement campaign guide.
Steps to Launch and Track Your Campaign
To launch this campaign, follow these simple steps to plan, launch, and track the campaign progress.
Define Fundraising Goals & Collective Impact Goal
Set individual fundraising targets for each board member and a collective campaign goal. Share these goals with the board, emphasizing how each member’s efforts contribute to the organization’s holiday mission. This goal can be tracked on a central landing page showing individual and group progress.
Provide a Campaign Toolkit for Board Members
Develop a toolkit with email templates, social media posts, and talking points for board members to share with their networks. Include holiday-themed graphics, impact stories, and a FAQ sheet that addresses common questions donors might have about supporting the campaign.
Launch with a Kickoff Meeting
Host a virtual or in-person campaign kickoff meeting to build excitement among board members. Walk them through their personalized pages, the toolkit, and how to use Donately’s tools to track their progress. Encourage them to set up early social posts and initial asks to friends, family, and colleagues.
Encourage Consistent Updates & Network Engagement
Recommend that fundraisers post weekly updates on their pages, share progress toward their personal goals, and publicly thank their supporters. Remind them to use email, LinkedIn, and social platforms to update their networks on the campaign’s progress.
Final Push & Countdown
As the campaign nears its end, encourage board members to make a final push with their networks by sharing urgent CTAs, using countdown graphics, and re-emphasizing the importance of every donation. Send a reminder email to fundraisers with tips on how to engage last-minute donors.
Thank You & Post-Campaign Follow-Up
Send personalized thank-you emails to all fundraisers, acknowledging their effort and impact. Encourage everyone to follow up with their supporters personally and share the final campaign results with their network. Share stories about how the funds raised will support the organization’s work.
Tips to Succeed
Leverage Personal Networks of Your Board
Create Friendly Competition
Highlight Impact
Engage Donors on Social Media
Join thousands using Donately to manage fundraising.
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