Episode 194: How to Automate Thank-You Campaigns for Peer-to-Peer Fundraisers (and Keep Them Coming Back)

When a supporter hosts a fundraiser for your nonprofit—whether it’s a birthday campaign, 5K, or classroom challenge—who usually gets thanked? The donors. But the person who did all the work—the one who rallied their friends, shared your mission, and raised the money—often gets little more than a quick “Thanks for hosting” email.

In this episode of The Million Dollar Nonprofit, Tom Kelly reveals how to automate thank-you campaigns for peer-to-peer fundraisers so every supporter feels like a hero without you manually sending 200 emails. Using the Recognize. Reward. Repeat. framework, you’ll learn how to keep your most passionate fundraisers engaged—and coming back year after year.

Tom breaks it down step-by-step:

• Recognize: Build an automated thank-you flow that celebrates fundraisers both personally and publicly with email sequences, shoutouts, and tags.
• Reward: Send low-cost but high-impact tokens of appreciation—certificates, swag, or shoutouts—to make fundraisers feel truly valued.
• Repeat: Close every thank-you sequence with an invitation to return next year, turning one-time hosts into long-term advocates.

You’ll hear how one cancer nonprofit automated a 3-part thank-you campaign—immediate gratitude, recap with totals, and next-year invite—and saw 67% of fundraisers sign up again.