Great Stories Are Hard to Come By—The Power of Peer-to-Peer

Great stories are hard to come by. Here are a few you can hear Nov. 12 and 13 at the P2P 201: Redefining Peer-to-Peer Conference.

• Steve Nardizzi, former CEO of the Wounded Warrior Project, will recount the rapid rise of Wounded Warrior, what makes the organization so special, the public relations kerfuffle (to the legal limit allowed) and how his experiences have shaped his future.
• Courtney Bugler, director Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, will describe the monumental task of changing the program from a highly transactional model to a fundraising model. She will share some good news that we’ve all waited a long time for with regards to Race For The Cure’s performance and the strategies she used to accomplish the turning of the corner.
• Lissa Greenlee, senior national director of Leukemia & Lymphoma Team in Training, will describe the rapid rise of Team in Training, the devastating decline and key actions that help the program… well, I’m going to let her share the good news. Trust me, it will be a harbinger of joy for peer-to-peer peeps across the country, all-rooting for Team in Training.
• Tina Zeff, National ALS EVP of development, will describe how she uses data to target, for example, the optimal time value to move a peer-to-peer fundraiser into other revenue channels in order to maximize lifetime value. The ALS Association’s sophisticated use of data and the organizational changes imposed by the Ice Bucket Challenge make for fascinating listening.
• John Vranas, chief marketing and development officer at the Humane Society of the U.S., along with Barry Patterson, senior product manager Blackbaud Labs, will expose their inner gamers as they discuss the future of online gaming and peer to peer fundraising. John, or JV, has had tours of duty with Make-A-Wish USA and International, JDRF, St. Jude, Cystic Fibrosis, March of Dimes and MDA. Barry is a deeply experience senior product manager with Blackbaud. Listening to the two of them talk is like listening to two teenagers huddled over joy sticks, plotting to cure the world of all its evil, sipping Monsters and throwing back Cheetos.
• Michael Kinney, digital fundraising managing director for the Children’s Miracle Network Extra Life extends the online fundraising/gaming fun with his story of the rise of Extra Life. Also loves Monsters and Cheetos.
• Brian Gawor of Ruffalo Noel Levitz, and David Jakielo, assistant director annual giving at Duquesne University, will tell the story of how they combined peer-to-peer fundraising with Giving Day to create a huge success.
• Chris Rae, strategic partnership leader at UNICEF New Zealand, will describe in our closing session how he collaborated with a willing partner, Tim Burgess, head of communications and special projects at Les Mills International, to execute a peer-to-peer fundraising program inside gyms across Europe, using content like Body Pump to get trainers and exercisers stoked to fundraise in their Workout For Water program.
• Vickie LoBello will talk about the rise of the American Cancer Society Relay For Life, as seen from her chair in the California Division which went from $0 to $33 million under her direction. You’ll hear about source of the Relay magic that transformed peer to peer fundraising in America.

These are just a few of the stories you’ll hear from the lectern. You’ll hear more in direct interface with other attendees. The structure of the conference is built on storytelling, and not just from the stage. You’ll be in facilitated conversations with your peers where you’ll tell your own stories and hear about experiences others have had which can help you.

Turnkey was recruited to curate content for this conference due our 29 years serving the peer-to-peer industry and our experience at facilitating peer experience sharing gatherings. I believe the exact words were, “You know where all the bodies are buried, and you’re good at getting people to talk to each other.” Thus, the partnership was born. In reality, simply from being part of these programs over many years, we know a lot about what was successful and what wasn’t, about the drama of growing programs and the trauma of watching them decline. We’ve used those connections and that knowledge to help build the best story time ever. We hope you’ll join us and share your own.

Katrina VanHuss and Otis Fulton have written a book, Dollar Dash, on the psychology of peer-to-peer fundraising. Click here to download the first chapter, courtesy of NonProfit PRO!