From Start to Finish: What to Expect When Running a Blue Sea P2P Campaign For the First Time

So you’re thinking about hosting a Blue Sea P2P fundraising campaign—amazing! We’re so glad you’re here.

Whether it’s the Ride for Refuge, Coldest Night of the Year, or The Grand Parade, a Blue Sea peer-to-peer (P2P) fundraising campaign and “nationaLocal” event gives you the power to bring people together, raise essential funds, and amp up awareness in your community (and beyond!). The best part? Our fundraising events are designed for charities just like yours! 

We’ve partnered with thousands of EDs, fundraisers, board members, and passionate volunteers to host super-successful, signature P2P fundraising events. One thing all our Charity Partners have in common? The first year they have to trust us and dive in to “the Blue Sea Way”.  Whether you’re a fundraising pro or an absolute newbie, this guide breaks down what a Blue Sea P2P campaign is all about. It’s a long read, but outlines what to expect, how to prepare, and provides a few helpful tips from those who’ve been there before.

Interested in what it looks like to be a Blue Sea Charity Partner? Read on!

Step 1: Let’s Connect

Start strong with a conversation that sets the stage for success. 

Our first conversation is all about getting to know you! We’ll be looking to learn more about your:

• Mission and programs
• Current fundraising efforts and experiences
• Goals, staff team, and community

We’ll do a bit of housekeeping in this meeting too:

• Charitable Standing: We’ll confirm that you’re a registered charity in good standing (with the CRA or IRS)
• Campaign Alignment: Every Blue Sea campaign, culminating in a family-friendly event, focuses on a specific social services cause area. We’ll discuss which event is best suited for your charity and answer any questions you may have.
  • The Grand Parade: Supporting and celebrating seniors
  • Ride for Refuge: Hope, safety, and freedom for vulnerable people
  • Coldest Night of the Year: Helping those experiencing hurt, hunger, or homelessness

Our goal is to help you choose the right campaign for your mission—and set you up for success from the start.

➡️ Good to Know ⬅️
Blue Sea P2P campaigns are all about working in partnership. Whether it’s the cause area, event date, time commitment, or another factor, sometimes our campaigns just aren’t the right fit for every charity. That’s okay! We’ll ensure there’s time for all parties to ask questions and get a good feel for whether or not this is a good fit. 

Step 2: Welcome Aboard

 

Hop aboard and meet your Blue Sea guides

Once you’ve decided to move forward, we will host an onboarding call. We recommend the following people from your charity attend: 

• Event Director 
• Key leaders in your organization
• Staff or volunteers who will be directly involved with the campaign
• A board member who will play a critical role in your campaign

On this call, we’ll:

• Share a bit about who we are, how we work, and the benefits of partnering with us for a signature Blue Sea event
• Talk through the path to a successful fundraising campaign and event
• Discuss roles and responsibilities
• Explain the financials and next steps
• Introduce our support teams and resources, including:
  • Campaign Success team
  • Event team
  • WAVES platform

You’ll leave this call knowing:
You’re not on your own. You’ve got a team behind you and a clear path forward.

Step 3: Time to Apply

  

Complete your agreement to get your campaign started.

After your onboarding call, we’ll invite you to complete a quick and easy online agreement. You’ll be required to submit basic details like:

• Your charity’s logo and branding
• Event Director’s contact info
• Shipping address 
• Banking information for grant payout
• A short description of how your charity will use the funds

To complete the application, a signatory is required to sign.

Our team will review your submission to ensure everything is complete and finalize your approval. Once approved, you’ll get full access to WAVES to begin planning your campaign.

Step 4: Dive into WAVES

Explore your campaign hub to get started on the right foot.

Once you’re in, we recommend you take some time to look around! WAVES is your campaign headquarters—designed to keep everything organized and on track.

To get started you can:

• Read through the Guide to get familiar with our detailed, step-by-step processes
• Start planning with your team 
• Assign key tasks so everyone knows their role
• Explore the full array of BSF resources

You’ll find everything from campaign marketing materials to event day checklists—all in one place.

💡 Helpful Insight 💡
We’ve designed WAVES to give you just what you need, when you need it—so don’t feel like you have to complete everything at once. Each week you’ll receive timely guidance from our Campaign Success team to help you focus on the right things at the most opportune times. Our goal is never to overwhelm you, but set you up for success. 

Step 5: Plan Your Perfect Route

 

Map out your event route and get the green light to go live.

One of your first campaign priorities will be to sort out your event day details. Amongst your first tasks will be to:

• Plan your route, including start-and-finish locations
• Start looking into local permits (Don’t worry, we’ll guide you—our route team are expert in all things municipal)
• Map your route in WAVES for approval

Our team will check your route for accessibility, simplicity, and safety. We want your event to be easy to follow for every participant—from kids to seniors, to walkers, rollers, and strollers.

Once your event route is approved, your campaign will go live! “Going live” means your customized location page will be added to the event website where team captains and participants can begin to register and fundraise.  

➡️ Good to Know ⬅️
For Blue Sea events, we never close roads or ignore permits or local permissions. Routes always use sidewalks and pathways—we’ll give you clear guidance on how to plan a simple, effective route.

Step 6: Equipped to Succeed  

 

Get daily support, helpful training, and a plan that works.

We want you to feel confident and prepared every step of your journey! Some of the most successful events we’ve seen have one thing in common: regular, open communication with our Campaign Success team.

We’re here for you—not just at the start, but all the way through your campaign. Call us, email us, check in often. Honestly, we love hearing from you. Whether you have a quick question or need to talk something through, we’re always glad to connect.

In addition to this individual support, we offer both optional and mandatory group training sessions. These Zoom-based sessions cover topics like:

• How to manage your campaign efficiently with the WAVES platform
• Team captain recruitment 
• Building buzz through great communications, community engagement and sponsorships

All sessions are recorded, so you can watch live or catch up later. As event day approaches, we’ll run special training sessions for key volunteer roles. You don’t have to learn everything all at once. We’ll guide you step by step, with the right tools and training at the right time—so you can focus, stay confident, and keep moving forward.

“Follow the guides, follow the guides, follow the guides! Don’t worry about extras in your first year—just stick to the plan, and you’ll be set up for success.”

Pat McKenna, Naomi Society, after first CNOY event

Step 7: Build Your Dream Teams

Recruit team captains and start spreading the word.

Your main focus for most of your 90 day campaign will be to recruit 12–15 team captains. This number is your sweet spot for first-year success and hitting your fundraising goal of $20,000 (or more!). 

We try to make focusing on recruitment easy by providing you with everything you need to spread the word:

• A full Campaign Kit with printed posters, fun swag, and more! 
• Digital assets and social media templates
• A promotional calendar to guide your outreach
• Customizable sponsorship materials to connect with local businesses

Here’s what else is true: There is always more available. If you use up the materials provided, just ask and we’ll send more. It’s not out of the ordinary for charities to experience doubled goals in their first year, so don’t hesitate to ask! 

🌟 Partnership in Action 🌟
You’re responsible for outreach, but we give you everything you need to raise $20,000+ in 90 days. If you get stuck, just reach out—our team monitors your progress and will check in with support. Chances are we will notice something is up before you do! 

Step 8: Get Event-Ready

Put final plans in place and watch momentum build.

As event month approaches, we’ll help you get the final details in place:

• You’ll receive your full Event Kit (signage, safety gear, check-in supplies, t-shirts or toques, etc.) all tailored to your location and route
• We will host final training sessions to ensure everyone knows what to expect and what to do

As event day approaches, you will be nice and busy—but not overwhelmed—with final details and set-up for the big day

➡️ Good to Know ⬅️
You won’t need to produce anything “new” yourself—we send you everything you need, in a manner that’s either easy to customize or ready to go.

Step 9: Event Week Magic (Or Plain Ol’Good Planning!) 

Add local flair and rally your community.

In the final week of your campaign, you should be feeling in control and excited for the event. Some charities add in a bit of local flair with the addition of music, games, warm-ups, or local guests to their event day lineup. If you’re feeling especially spacious in this final push, you may want to spend some time finding the perfect playlist, printing out colouring pages, or planning for a facepainting station.

BUT (big but here!) think of these items as “nice to haves” and don’t let them distract you from the task at hand–hitting that fundraising goal! The best investment you can make in these final days is thanking and encouraging your folks in order to create a surge of excitement and fundraising.

💡 Helpful Insight 💡
WAVES gives you an easy-to-follow event preparation checklist, so you’ll always know what’s next. And don’t worry about going-for-broke your first year, just follow the guides, and all will be well! 

Step 10: Event Day Delight 

Meet, move, munch, and mosey your way to an unforgettable day.

Finally, your big day is here!

Our goal is that you’ll have time and space to really enjoy the event. That’s because you’ll be prepared and ready to go with waivers, participant lists, well-trained volunteers, and an organized swag distribution system. 

All of our events (and now YOUR event!) follow a simple, four-part flow:

• Meet: Welcome participants, hand out swag, and build energy.
• Move: Hit the route and enjoy the community spirit!
• Munch: Offer a light meal and connect with participants.
• Mosey: Pack up your materials and save extras for next year (they make great swag and promos as you get started!)

And that’s the day! We’ll send you everything from signs to safety vests, plus extras for your check-in station. Your event will look professional and feel organized in a way that builds trust and confidence for participants and sponsors.

“Once we got through the initial planning, the rest was easy—it turned into an easy, fun, and calm day. And honestly, it doubled our expectations in every way: more walkers, more donors, more teams, more money, more sponsorship. It all came together.”

Pat McKenna, Naomi Society 

Step 11: Celebrate and Wrap-Up 

Tally your totals, thank your teams, and collect your grant.

Your fundraising portal stays open for 30 days after the event. If you’re almost at your goal but not quite there, we can coach you on strategies to boost your numbers in these last 30 days.

After that, we’ll continue to support your team as we wrap up the year’s campaign. You will receive your grant payout via EFT, usually within 60 days of the event. You’ll also receive insight-rich participant and donor data to help you better understand the event’s success and develop new strategies for turning this buzz into

➡️ Good to Know ⬅️
From start to finish, a Blue Sea P2P campaign is around a 6-month process. You’ll have access to our team from first phone call to final payout. All disbursed funds are unrestricted funds, giving your charity freedom and flexibility to continue serving your community well. 

You’re Never on Your Own

Blue Sea P2P campaigns are full of opportunities for your charity to shine. We’ll bring the program, processes, and platform. You bring your people and passion (and a bit of elbow grease). We’ll come together for good to deliver a signature fundraising event that builds buzz, finds new donors, and raises cash!

Ready to get started? Let’s connect.

Reach out at sales@bluesea.org. We’d love to hear from you.