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P2P trends to adopt in 2026

Turning intention into action

Why the charities that win in 2026 with P2P fundraising won’t just ask for support—they’ll engineer it. Charities are entering 2026 facing a paradox: public support for causes has never been higher, yet participation and fundraising growth remain stubbornly uneven. Canadians say they care. They intend to give. But intention does not automatically translate into action. Two major 2025 research efforts—the 2025 Canadian P2P Fundraising Study and IMI International’s 2025 NextWave / “Turning Intention into Action” research—point to a clear conclusion: The next era of growth belongs to charities that remove friction, personalize engagement, and design participation—not just campaigns. Here are the 7 most important trends charities should adopt in 2026, grounded in what the data tells us—not hype.
  1. Design for the “Say–Do Gap,” Not Awareness IMI’s 2025 research confirms what many fundraisers feel intuitively: 9 in 10 Canadians believe it’s important to support charities, but only about half take action in a given year.What changes in 2026 Charities must stop treating awareness as the primary problem. The real challenge is conversion.Winning organizations will:
    • Replace broad “support us” messaging with clear, immediate next steps
    • Engineer moments of action (vote, share, challenge, match, micro-task)
    • Design participation pathways that require less time, less money, and less explanation
    Trend signal: Fundraising teams will increasingly be measured on activation rates, not just reach or impressions.
  2. Peer-to-Peer Becomes a Portfolio, Not a Single Event The Canadian P2P Fundraising Study shows that no single event format works for everyone—but collectively, diversified P2P programs dramatically expand reach and lifetime value.What changes in 2026 Top charities are shifting from “our flagship event” to P2P ecosystems, including:
    • Signature events (walks, rides, challenges)
    • DIY and passion-based fundraising
    • Corporate team programs
    • Seasonal micro-campaigns
    Each is treated as a distinct product with its own audience, KPI set, and engagement goal. Trend signal: Events are no longer judged solely on net revenue—they are evaluated as donor acquisition, stewardship, and brand-building engines.
  3. Corporate Participation Moves from corporate social responsibility (CSR) to Employee Experience IMI data shows that employees feel significantly better about their employer when it partners meaningfully with a charity—often more than through traditional CSR donations.What changes in 2026 Charities that win corporate dollars will:
    • Design programs employees actively participate in, not just sponsor
    • Integrate wellness, skills-based volunteering, and team challenges
    • Provide recognition, progress tracking, and internal storytelling assets
    This aligns directly with what the Canadian P2P study identifies as a growth lever: workplace-driven participation unlocks both scale and repeatability. Trend signal: Corporate fundraising pitches will increasingly look like employee engagement proposals, not donation decks.
  4. Simplicity Beats Innovation (Most of the Time) One of IMI’s clearest findings: Donating remains the easiest—and most common—form of engagement, across every demographic.What changes in 2026 Innovation will matter—but only when it:
    • Reduces friction
    • Clarifies impact
    • Makes participation feel effortless
    Winning charities will:
    • Simplify pages and ask arrays to make it easier for supporters to ask their network for a donation
    • Re-run proven campaigns instead of chasing novelty
    • Focus on message clarity (“who you help” and “how”) over cleverness
    Trend signal: “Less, but better” becomes a strategic principle across fundraising, communications, and digital.
  5. Personal Relevance Outperforms Personal Stories Alone IMI’s research shows that knowing someone personally affected by a cause increases likelihood to give—but clarity of impact performs just as well.What changes in 2026 Charities will move beyond storytelling for empathy toward storytelling for relevance, by:
    • Localizing impact (“your community,” “your workplace,” “your peers”)
    • Segmenting messages by life stage, not just demographics
    • Showing contributors exactly what their action unlocked
    Trend signal: Expect a rise in hyper-local, participant-led, and peer-validated impact stories.
  6. Fundraisers Are the New Growth Channel The Canadian P2P study reinforces a critical insight: fundraisers don’t just raise money—they create momentum, reach, and credibility.What changes in 2026 High-performing charities will:
    • Treat fundraisers as a distinct audience segment
    • Invest in onboarding, coaching, and recognition
    • Design programs that reward effort, not just dollars raised
    This aligns with IMI’s finding that people who volunteer or fundraise are significantly more likely to donate, advocate, and engage again. Trend signal: Stewardship strategies will increasingly prioritize fundraisers—not just donors.
  7. Metrics Shift from Dollars Raised to Momentum Created Both research reports point toward a future where engagement breadth fuels revenue depth.What changes in 2026 Charities will expand how they define success:
    • Activation rate of non-fundraisers
    • Percentage of participants who take a second action
    • Corporate employee participation levels
    • Conversion from P2P to donor or volunteer
    Trend signal: Boards and executives will increasingly ask, “What did this campaign unlock next?”
Final Thought: 2026 Belongs to Charities That Engineer Action The takeaway from both research bodies is unmistakable: People want to help—but charities must make helping obvious, easy, and meaningful. The organizations that grow in 2026 won’t out-shout others. They’ll out-design them—by closing the gap between intention and action, one participant at a time. Intrigued by what you read? Contact Bryan Tenenhouse at bryant@stephenthomas.ca to find out how ST can help you elevate your P2P efforts.