How DAV turned a decade-old digital campaign into a thriving peer-to-peer program, and what it taught us about looking inward
We'd love for you to take a listen to this episode of the P2P Soapbox, where our valued clients at Disabled American Veterans (DAV) share the story behind the remarkable growth of their peer-to-peer program, Field of Flags. The idea had been ruminating within their organization for some time. Through an opportunity assessment with Streetlight Digital, we were able to help bring it to life. And what a life it's taken on! In just four years, registrations have grown 473% and net revenue has climbed more than 2,000%.
On the season six finale of the P2P Soapbox, host Marcie Maxwell sat down with Laura Rusche, Strategic Fundraising Priorities Manager at DAV, to talk about how Field of Flags began as a digital fundraiser nearly a decade ago and evolved into one of DAV's signature peer-to-peer campaigns. What began as flags flown at DAV's national headquarters became a community-driven, DIY program with fields planted in all 50 states, an outward, public expression of gratitude to veterans.
What we love most about this story is that the vision was DAV's own. They paid close attention to their supporters, recognized organic momentum where it was already building, and had the instinct to imagine something bigger. That direction was theirs.
Where we were proud to help was in bringing it to life. Through an opportunity assessment, Streetlight worked alongside DAV to refine the vision, understand what teams across the organization saw as opportunities, align stakeholders around a shared plan, and map out a phased, achievable path to growth. The result was a clear business case and a step-by-step roadmap. It had the foundation that turned a promising idea into a funded, scalable program.
If you're sitting on a program with untapped potential, or wondering how to make the case for it internally, Laura's story is a great reminder that the best place to start is often by looking inward.
[Listen to the full episode of the P2P Soapbox with Laura Rusche.]
Curious how an opportunity assessment could help bring your next idea to life? [Get in touch with the Streetlight Digital team.]
