Going for the Gold at the Peer-to-Peer Professional Forum
Peer-to-peer fundraising takes elite teamwork and trusted technology behind the scenes.
The theme at this year’s Peer-to-Peer Professional Forum, held in Baltimore, Feb. 24-26, 2026, was, “Peer-to-Peer is a team sport,” and it truly delivered the gold! It was great to be back at the Peer-to-Peer Forum after missing last year, and I was reminded why I love this conference so much!
With the Olympics just ending, many of the keynotes were sports-related, coaches, or Olympic athletes themselves. They reminded us of how important teamwork is, and how all the little things behind the scenes – like understanding metrics, continuing to practice, even when it feels tough or like progress is too slow – all that helps lead to success.
Peer-to-Peer fundraising is a true team effort: while the hundreds or thousands of volunteers make event days possible, the incredible staff who lead these efforts are essential to getting the events off the ground.
The attendees who come to the Peer-to-Peer Forum are rockstars and raise millions of dollars to support their organizations. They put on global events like marathons and bike rides, supporting their causes and bringing awareness to the organizations they serve.
I am reminded also about the work I do and how important technology is for peer-to-peer fundraising efforts. If the technology doesn’t work, if communication is down, or if registration links fail, chaos ensues.
The team at Canvas Cloud is there behind the scenes to ensure that the technology works and can be trusted on game day, or for these organizations their Olympic-like event! Nonprofit organizations work tirelessly year round, and we’re proud to support the back-end technology that runs their fundraising efforts.
The other part of P2P that I love and want to bring to light is the efforts these organizations are working towards. Finding cures for rare diseases, cancers, or helping in times of disaster. These are the organizations that show up when tragedy strikes, or when life is on the line. I said it a lot at the conference and I will say it again, “Thank you for all the work you do! It is life-changing, and so critical!”
Alissa Arford, our Director of Marketing, is local to Baltimore, so she was also able to join me for a couple happy hours, and then we were able to take in a local crab cake restaurant that also delivered gold medal flavors!
Ultimately, everyone’s work revolves around people, and the people around peer-to-peer fundraising are truly some of the best people in the world! I’m glad I get to be a small part of this effort, and can't wait for next year's Peer-to-Peer Forum, in my neck of the woods, Chicago, on Feb. 22-24, 2027.
About the Author
Daniel Dibble is President and CRO of Canvas Cloud, a Salesforce Consulting Partner. Connect with Daniel on LinkedIn. If you’d like to meet with Daniel to discuss your nonprofit’s Salesforce strategy, fill out our Contact Us form.
