Peer-to-Peer Professional Forum

Peer-to-Peer Fundraising

Covenant House International’s Meghan Coan and Colleen Veldt join the podcast to discuss how to evaluate if our fundraising practices are really consistent with our mission and values

Have you ever stopped to question if your fundraising messaging is ethical? Despite our best intentions as professional fundraisers, it is crucial for us to recognize that certain traditional fundraising methods no longer hold up under scrutiny in 2023.
 
In our efforts to showcase the serious need for donations with often sad, evocative imagery, we run the risk of contributing to a negative stereotype or, even worse, retraumatizing those we are trying to help. Or we paint a picture of perfect success stories, only to discount the very real challenges our organizations are trying to solve.  
 
While facing financial targets, it can indeed be tempting to prioritize the preferences and desires of donors. However, it is crucial for us to pause and reflect on whether such prioritization is being done at the expense of our mission and the well-being of our community.
 
In this episode, P2PPF’s Marcie Maxwell sits down with Covenant House International’s Associate Vice President of Site Development, Meghan Coan, and Associate Vice President of Peer-to-Peer Fundraising.  Meghan and Colleen share a passion for ethical storytelling, which informs their work with their signature Sleep Out program. We sat down with them to discuss pivotal moments that triggered transformative change within their team and how they are reevaluating messaging and event experiences to ensure alignment with their mission of providing housing for youth facing homelessness.
 
In today’s episode, we’ll explore:

      – How Covenant House is continuously evaluating and evolving its fundraising events to ensure mission alignment
      – How they are reframing their messaging and responding to feedback from supporters
      – The importance of respecting personal boundaries in storytelling

Podcast Guests

Meghan Coan

Associate Vice President of Site Development, Covenant House International

Meghan Coan is the Associate Vice President of Site Development at Covenant House International, supporting fundraising growth at Covenant House locations across the federation with a focus on their signature Sleep Out series and other peer-to-peer initiatives. She has 10 years of experience in the nonprofit sector, both in the field and as a consultant, specializing in peer-to-peer event fundraising and recruitment.

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Colleen Veldt

ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENT OF Peer-to-Peer Fundraising, COVENANT HOUSE INTERNATIONAL

Colleen Veldt is an Associate Vice President of Peer-to-Peer Fundraising at Covenant House International, the largest privately-funded organization caring for youth overcoming homelessness in the Americas. Colleen was instrumental in the expansion of Sleep Out, Covenant House’s largest P2P fundraiser, into a mass-market program and continues to support the growth of innovative fundraising strategies.

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Podcast Host

Marcie

Marcie Maxwell

Managing Director, Peer-to-Peer Professional Forum

Marcie Maxwell is the Managing Director of the Peer-to-Peer Professional Forum. Marcie joined the P2PPF team in 2021 after 15+ years as a front-line fundraiser, national events & campaign director and fundraising consultant. In her role, Marcie serves as a primary thought leader and community builder for the peer-to-peer fundraising industry. She started her career in fundraising with 10+ years at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, where she ran local fundraising events, managed national volunteer partnerships and launched their national walk program. She then spent 5+ years as the Director of Chapter Fundraising Events with Make-A-Wish America, where she provided strategy, support & training to 60 chapters on the full event portfolio – walks, school fundraising, an endurance hiking program and galas & social events. In her most recent role at Charity Dynamics, she partnered with clients to provide strategic guidance and analysis to help them optimize and grow their peer-to-peer fundraising events & campaigns. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Mass Communication from Louisiana State University and a master’s degree in Ethical Leadership from Christian Brothers University. She resides in Memphis, TN.

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