Successful A-Thon Fundraising: How To Boost Engagement

Include a blurb that explains the cause the fundraiser benefits, information about your charity, the event’s start and end dates, and the overall fundraising goal. This information will not only give your participants a clear understanding of the event but also equip them to accurately communicate the cause to potential donors.

Equip a-thoners with ready-to-use content for their individual fundraising pages. These could include photos showing your organization’s work in action, compelling header images they can use to personalize their pages, and organization-approved logos and branding elements.

Complement these visuals with sample text templates that participants can customize—including an “About Our Organization” paragraph, key statistics about your cause, and storytelling prompts that help them articulate their personal connection to the mission. This resources package makes setting up thier pages much easier and saves your a-thoners time, all while helping to ensure your messaging remains consistent.

A strong motivator for everyone involved is the visibility of progress toward a shared goal. Use real-time progress tracking tools, such as a fundraising thermometer. Seeing it rise closer and closer to the donation goal will motivate participants to continue their fundraising efforts.

To further boost engagement, try breaking down your overall goal into smaller milestones and celebrate each milestone as it’s reached. A shout-out on social media or a small prize like a t-shirt or tote can be a simple way to celebrate. By using this approach, you can maintain momentum and create more opportunities for interaction with your participants.

Gamification of your a-thon can drive even more active participation and donor generosity. Encourage participants to form teams and track their progress against each other by utilizing your fundraising platform. Recognize the top fundraising teams with awards or tokens of appreciation to make the competition even more engaging.

Then, keep everyone invested by regularly updating participants and social media followers on team rankings through newsletters or social media posts.

Peer-to-peer fundraising amplifies your a-thon’s reach by empowering participants to engage their personal networks. Provide each a-thoner with their own fundraising page where they can share their personal connection to the cause, track progress toward individual goals, and directly collect donations.

When friends, family, and coworkers see a familiar face passionately advocating for a cause, they’re more likely to contribute. This personalized approach not only increases the money raised but also fosters a deeper connection between participants, their networks, and your cause.

Support your participants with sample storytelling prompts and messaging templates that help them effectively communicate why they’re involved in the fundraiser and why it matters. This guidance removes the burden of creating content from scratch while ensuring your organization’s key messages remain consistent.

For more about maximizing peer-to-peer fundraising, check out our article, Peer-to-peer fundraising: everything you need to know.

The key to sustained a-thon engagement is to keep your fundraiser and its purpose fresh in participants’ minds. Regular updates are crucial to fostering a sense of community and maintaining momentum. Deliver these updates through email newsletters, social media posts, or even text messages.

Communication should always be upbeat, encouraging, and appreciative. This not only helps to motivate participants but also builds a positive atmosphere around your event.

Visuals that translate donation or pledge amounts into tangible outcomes such as trees planted, kids tutored, or research into a cure help donors understand exactly what their contribution accomplishes. Create digital milestone badges or graphics that automatically get sent to participants when they reach certain fundraising thresholds. These can be delivered via email or through your fundraising platform, allowing participants to immediately download and share them on social media. For example, badges for “$100 Raised!” or “5 Miles Completed!” give participants a reason to celebrate their progress publicly, naturally encouraging their networks to join in.

Before and after imagery showing real-world change is powerful evidence of your organization’s impact. Whether it’s a restored natural area, a renovated community space, or the journey of someone your organization has helped, these transformational visuals motivate giving. Share these impact stories through your organization’s social media accounts, in email newsletter updates, and as downloadable content that fundraisers can include in their personal appeals. You could also consider creating a dedicated gallery on your event page where supporters can browse these powerful visual narratives throughout the campaign.

Create a small collection of eye-catching, branded images specific to your campaign that a-thoners  can share across their social networks. Include your organization’s handle, event hashtag, and a clear call to action on each image. These shareable campaign graphics extend your reach beyond fundraising pages to social platforms where your cause can find new supporters.