The next great campaign idea may not come from watching what other organizations are doing. It may come from paying closer attention to the people who already support your mission.
In this episode, Marcie Maxwell talks with Laura Rusche, Strategic Fundraising Priorities Manager at DAV (Disabled American Veterans). Laura shares the story behind Field of Flags, a program that began outside of peer-to-peer fundraising and grew into a powerful community-driven campaign that continues to expand its reach and impact.
Laura discusses how DAV identified the early signs of potential within the program, what it took to transform an organic idea into a scalable fundraising initiative and why understanding supporter motivations became the foundation for its growth. She also explores the importance of cross-functional collaboration, internal alignment and staying connected to the community when evaluating future campaign opportunities.
Together, we'll explore:
- Identifying untapped campaign opportunities by listening to supporters and recognizing organic momentum
- Scaling a grassroots fundraising concept into a sustainable DIY program across diverse communities
- Building internal buy-in and long-term vision to support program growth and innovation
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- (00:00) - Welcome to The P2P Soap Box
- (01:12) - Introducing Laura Rusche and Disabled American Veterans
- (08:27) - Field of Flags
- (25:04) - Finding Alignment
- (36:00) - Get Involved
What is The P2P Soapbox?
As peer-to-peer fundraising professionals, we are inherently passionate people. Passionate about our missions, our fundraisers, our events, and our campaigns. We barely shy away from sharing our opinions. Whether it's the debate between back-to-basics, or searching for the next big idea, the battle of retention versus recruitment, or even our very strong feelings about T-shirts and registration fees.
Welcome to The P2P box, a brand new podcast that amplifies the voices of our peer-to-peer fundraising community and gives us a platform — a box, if you will — to discuss the hot topics facing our industry.
Join your host and P2P BFF, Marcie Maxwell, the Managing Director of the Peer-to-Peer Professional Forum, as she sits down with industry peers and leaders, delving deep into their box issues, sharing best practices, and celebrating success stories.