Storytelling\nfor medical nonprofits<\/a> is hard! <\/em>There are so many things to\nconsider, not the least of which is HIPAA compliance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But peer-to-peer fundraising gives fundraising participants\nthe opportunity to tell their own stories. You don\u2019t have to do it! And, let\u2019s\nface it, your supporters\u2019 stories will be more compelling to their networks\nthan your marketing campaigns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We always recommend that nonprofit staff recruit a handful of loyal supporters to jumpstart a peer-to-peer event and start recruiting additional participants. When you do this, look to your former patients, your staff, and your volunteers who are willing to share why your organization is special to them. Instead of maneuvering around HIPAA laws to tell a story, you\u2019ll have a base of people sharing powerful stories of their own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A hospital in my hometown hosts a peer-to-peer fundraiser\nand 5k every year, but it never really occurred to me that they were a\nnonprofit organization. The hospital had an entire charitable arm I didn\u2019t know\nexisted until I started working at Qgiv and saw their account.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Unfortunately, there are lots of people like me out there.\nWorking in the nonprofit industry illuminated a lot for me, including how many\ninstitutions are actually nonprofits when I thought they were for-profit.\nHospices, hospitals, clinics, and other medically focused organizations all\nrely on donations to provide desperately needed services. People just don\u2019t\nknow about it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Peer-to-peer fundraising is a way to spread the word about your organization, the services you provide, the people you help, and why your community should donate to your cause.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A great example of a peer-to-peer event hosted by a hospital is Lakeland Regional Health\u2019s Hollis Cancer Center Promise Run<\/a>. This annual event celebrates the lives of loved ones touched by cancer while raising funds to fight it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Peer-to-peer fundraising is a powerful way to raise money,\nyes. But it\u2019s also a great way to bring attention to a cause or issue that had\npreviously flown under the radar. <\/p>\n\n\n\n By recruiting participants who have worked with (or\nbenefitted from) your organization and encouraging them to tell their stories,\nyou can raise awareness about needs or illnesses that aren\u2019t top-of-mind for\nmost people. If you\u2019re working to cure a disease, help patients and their\nfamilies, or provide medical care to those who need it, peer-to-peer\nfundraising could be a good fit for you! <\/p>\n\n\n\n Take, for example, the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. That campaign was a type of peer-to-peer fundraiser, and it had a huge cultural and financial impact. Your next event probably won\u2019t go viral like the Ice Bucket Challenge did. But that event is <\/em>indicative that people are ready to support medical nonprofits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation also understands the value of peer-to-peer events as a way of bringing awareness to their cause. They give individuals the power to create their own peer-to-peer fundraisers<\/a> and offer the option to book a Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation Ambassador for their events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n How many GoFundMe campaigns have you seen set up to help\npeople pay medical bills? How many news articles or think pieces have you read\nabout the state of the American healthcare industry? Healthcare is a big topic\nright now, and it\u2019s usually for all the wrong reasons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The upside to that sorry state of affairs is that people want change. If you can offer change or hope to a community that\u2019s jaded and overwhelmed about healthcare\u2019s cost and limitations, you can make a compelling reason for support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For instance, funds raised during Lakeland Volunteers In Medicine\u2019s Swan Derby<\/a> help provide free, high-quality medical and dental care to the working uninsured of Polk County. This unique event does more than raise funds, though. It also brings awareness to their cause and empowers the community to make a difference in the lives of their friends, families, and neighbors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Do you have patients who avoided medical debt because of your organization? Have you helped families or individuals get the care they need? Are you working on medical research or educating the public about a disease or syndrome? Ask your participants to share stories about how supporting you will make a difference. People are willing to listen!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Want proof that people are ready and willing to support\nmedical nonprofits? The National Philanthropic Trust reported that the medical\nsector was one of the 5 most popular nonprofit sectors. 9% of all charitable\ndollars given in 2018 were given to medical organizations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2019s great news! That also means there\u2019s lots of room to\ngrow. That report indicates that donors are looking for medical nonprofits who\nserve their communities. Capitalize on that trend! Give your community a way to\nsupport you by recruiting participants to share your story and raise money for\nyour cause.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We can help! We\u2019ve seen our medical nonprofit clients run\noutstanding peer-to-peer fundraisers, and we\u2019d love to show you how you can do\nthe same. Contact us\nfor a personal demo<\/a> of our tools; we\u2019ll show you how they work, how you can\nuse them, and how you can raise money and awareness for your cause.<\/p>\n\n\n\nMany people forget that medical organizations are nonprofits (or have nonprofit arms)<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.qgiv.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/LRH-Promise-Run-2020-Image-1024x707.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nYou can raise awareness about an important disease, syndrome, or need<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.qgiv.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Pulmonary_jpg_cK_LT-dC-815x1024.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nMedical issues are already at the top of peoples\u2019 minds<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.qgiv.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/SwanDerby17_jpg_45fNb-Kc.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nYou\u2019re one of the most popular sectors in the nonprofit industry <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Want to Learn More about Peer-to-Peer Fundraising?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n