Sometimes it feels like about the time you figure out a new fundraising strategy, everyone else has moved on. Maybe that’s how you feel about peer-to-peer fundraising. Is it really something to worry about, or is it more the domain of young people with little or no disposable income, or family members feeling obligated to help out a relative?

DonorDrive published a report late last year, The State of Peer-to-Peer Fundraising. The report readily acknowledges that crowdfunding is literally so yesterday. “In 2014 every nonprofit was buzzing about that trendy, new, crowdfunding stuff. But today…crickets.” But the report continues to tell us what we need to know about now: DIY or third-party fundraising.

The report points out three things that you may be experiencing at your nonprofit. First, donors want to seize control and turn that into money for your organization. They are not necessarily going to go along with your traditional fundraising programs. Secondly, social media has changed fundraising because it puts the power in the hands of the individual, not the organization. And thirdly, donors are demanding proof. As the report explains it, “Everything is so graphic and personal. For organization to connect on a personal level you must show what impact you’re having on someone’s life or on society as a whole.”

This is challenging for a lot of nonprofits. We jealously guard our mission, our brand, our logo – in short, almost everything. DIY fundraising smacks of giving up control to get money in the door – but at what cost?

There are no easy answers, any more than there is a “one size fits all” fundraising program. Some will love the DIY aspect of a fundraising campaign. Others just want to write a check. That’s not something new, really; several decades ago, this Baby Boomer parent, and perhaps even yourself has done this, wrote a check to the school or Boy Scout troop and stuck dozens of boxes of chocolates or cookies or whatever, into the freezer rather than take the time to walk my child door-to-door to sell them or worse bring them to the office to push on colleagues!

The challenge for fundraisers today is simple: If you think you can reach everyone, you have to do almost everything from direct mail to providing support for DIY fundraising. Should you try DIY fundraising? A good place to begin to find answers is to read this report.