How to Plan a Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Event: An 8-Week Checklist for Australian Charities

Decide who you expect to participate before choosing the format. A demanding physical challenge attracts a different group from a flexible month-long activity supporters can complete around work, family or school. Likely participants include:

• Previous event participants, regular donors and volunteers
• Members, staff and board members
• Corporate partners and community ambassadors
• People with a personal connection to the cause

Choose a format your team can realistically deliver and a supporter can explain in one or two sentences.

The amount raised matters, but it should not be the only measure. You may also track:

• Registered fundraisers and completed fundraising pages
• Active teams and fundraisers who receive a first donation
• New supporter records and average amount raised per active page
• Email and SMS engagement and participant feedback

Base targets on your supporter base, previous campaigns, promotional reach and team capacity rather than a number that looks impressive.

Decide who will handle each area. One person may manage several areas, but nobody should be guessing who is responsible when a participant needs help.

• Campaign setup and fundraiser recruitment
• Email, social media and website updates
• Participant enquiries and payment questions
• Event logistics, reporting and donor follow-up

Fundraising in Australia is regulated by states and territories rather than directly by the ACNC. Requirements may depend on where funds are raised, not only where the charity is based. Depending on the campaign, check:

• Fundraising registration, permits or licences
• Terms and conditions and how supporter-led activities will be approved
• Use of the charity’s name and branding
• Privacy, personal information and public liability insurance
• Health and safety, participation by children and donation receipting
• Activities supporters cannot conduct in the charity’s name

The charity’s Responsible People retain oversight of fundraising conducted in the charity’s name. Check the ACNC Fundraising Hub and your state or territory regulator before launching. This guide provides general information, not legal advice.

The page should help an interested supporter understand the campaign and register without hunting for essential information. Include:

• A clear campaign name and short explanation of the cause
• Campaign dates and fundraising target
• What participation involves and examples of suitable activities
• Images or a short video and contact details for help
• Links to terms and policies and a clear registration button

A donor arriving on a participant’s page is responding to that person’s story as well as the charity’s cause. Each page should explain:

• Who is fundraising and why they are taking part
• What they are doing and what their target is
• What donations are intended to support
• How to donate and how to share the page

SupporterHub allows supporters to create personalised individual or team pages, set goals, share their campaigns and collect donations directly into the charity’s account.

Ask someone who did not build the campaign to work through these steps in order:

• Register as a fundraiser and create or join a team
• Complete a fundraising page and share it
• Make a test donation and check the confirmation and receipt
• Review the whole experience on mobile
• Confirm the expected records appear in the CRM

People who built the campaign overlook what confuses a newcomer.

For a team-based campaign, invite captains before opening registration more widely. A captain may create the team page, invite participants, share updates, answer basic questions and encourage members. Give captains a short written explanation of the role rather than assuming they know what you expect.

Use early feedback to improve the campaign. Ask whether registration was straightforward, whether they understood the next step, whether they knew what to write, and whether anything felt confusing. When several participants ask the same question, update the campaign instructions instead of answering it one by one.

• Why I am taking part — their personal connection to the cause, in their own words.
• What I am doing — the activity, challenge or event.
• My fundraising target — the amount they hope to raise.
• Why donations matter — what the funds are intended to support.
• How you can help — an invitation to donate or share the page.

Example social media caption

Example fundraiser email

• Start time, location, parking and transport
• Registration process and what participants should bring
• Accessibility information and weather arrangements
• Emergency contact details

• The campaign closing time and how activities should be recorded
• Where participants can share updates and how to contact the team
• What happens after fundraising closes

Leaderboards create friendly competition, but fundraising totals are not the only contribution worth acknowledging. You can also recognise:

• First donation received or first team registered
• Personal target reached or a creative fundraising activity
• Consistent campaign updates and strong team participation

SupporterHub includes individual and team pages, leaderboards, fundraising thermometers and supporter comments.

The receipt should be issued in the charity or DGR’s name, not the participant’s personal name. When a DGR issues a receipt, the ATO requires it to include the name of the fund, authority or institution, its ABN where applicable, and confirmation that the receipt is for a gift.

Payments for raffle tickets, merchandise or event entry should not automatically be treated as donations, because the payer receives an item, benefit or chance to win in return. Separate donations from other payments, and make sure your campaign and receipt wording match your DGR status.

This section provides general information, not tax advice. Charities and donors should check current ATO guidance or seek professional advice for their circumstances.

Fundraisers did more than collect money. They gave their time, shared personal relationships and publicly represented your charity. Where practical, personalise the message using their activity, team or result.

Donors should receive clear confirmation that their payment was received. When a deductible-gift receipt applies, make sure it includes the correct charity information. When a payment is not a deductible gift, avoid wording that suggests otherwise.

Share the total raised, the number of active fundraisers and teams, the number of donations, what the funds are intended to support and what happens next. Distinguish what the charity plans to fund from an impact already delivered.

Peer-to-peer campaigns introduce people who have never dealt directly with your charity. They donated because they trust a friend, colleague or family member. Record their communication preferences and follow your privacy practices before adding them to ongoing email or SMS campaigns. A donation through a friend’s page is not permission to receive every future campaign. SupporterHub provides unique flags to these donors making it easy for you to decide how to engage with them.

Discuss what worked, where fundraisers became stuck, which messages received engagement, which pages performed strongly, what questions appeared repeatedly and what participants said afterwards. SupporterHub provides reporting on donations, campaign performance, supporter activity and donor acquisition. Document the lessons — your next campaign should begin with what the team learned, not from an empty page.

The timeframe depends on the campaign format. A straightforward online challenge may take several weeks to prepare. A larger physical event may need several months once venue bookings, insurance, safety planning, permits, suppliers and participant communications are considered. The eight-week schedule in this guide is a working example rather than a fixed rule. Begin with the event date and work backwards, giving extra time to tasks involving approvals, suppliers or technical setup.

Start with people who already have a relationship with the charity — previous participants, regular donors, volunteers, members, staff, board members, community ambassadors and corporate partners. Approach a small group before the public launch and explain exactly what participation involves. This early group can test the registration process and provide feedback, and their completed pages give future participants genuine examples to follow when the wider campaign launches.

A toolkit should remove the uncertainty of creating and sharing a fundraising page. Include a short campaign explanation, approved images, key messages, page-writing prompts, example emails, social media captions, sharing instructions, suggested activities, campaign dates, FAQs and a named contact for help. Keep the resources short enough to use immediately. The toolkit should support the fundraiser’s own voice rather than replace it.

Both approaches work, and many peer-to-peer campaigns offer both. Individual pages suit birthdays, tribute campaigns, personal challenges and activities where one supporter has a clear personal story or goal. Team pages suit workplaces, schools, sporting clubs, families and community groups. For team fundraising, recruit captains before the public launch and explain their responsibilities. SupporterHub supports individual and team pages, including personalised team campaigns and shared goals.

A donation may be tax deductible when it goes to an eligible DGR, is genuinely given as a gift and the donor receives no material benefit in return. The 2026 amendments removed the previous $2 minimum threshold and apply to eligible gifts and contributions made on or after 1 July 2024. Other conditions still need to be satisfied. Payments for event entry, raffle tickets or merchandise may be treated differently. Check current ATO guidance or seek professional tax advice when circumstances are unclear.

The receipt should be issued in the name of the charity or eligible DGR receiving the donation. The participant raises money on the charity’s behalf but does not issue the deductible-gift receipt. When a DGR issues a receipt, it must include the relevant fund or charity name, the ABN where applicable and confirmation that the payment was a gift. With SupporterHub, donations flow directly into the charity’s account and automated receipts can be sent to donors.

Requirements depend on where and how the charity raises funds. Fundraising is regulated at the state and territory level rather than directly by the ACNC. A national online campaign may involve requirements in more than one state or territory. Physical events may also involve venue conditions, insurance, safety obligations and local permits. Use the ACNC Fundraising Hub as a starting point, then check with the relevant regulator.

Support fundraisers according to where they are in the campaign. Someone who registered but did not create a page needs practical instructions. A participant with a live page but no donations may need help writing or sharing their first message. Someone who reached their target may be ready to thank donors or support the wider campaign. Provide fresh content throughout and recognise different kinds of progress, not only the people who raise the highest totals.

SupporterHub supports one-off peer-to-peer events and ongoing fundraising campaigns. Supporters create personalised individual or team pages, set targets and share their campaigns. Donations are processed securely into the charity’s account, and automated receipts can be sent to donors. The platform also includes leaderboards, fundraising thermometers, gamification, supporter comments, email and SMS, donor segmentation, CRM-connected supporter profiles and campaign reporting — all within the wider SupporterHub platform.