wear blue: run to remember Grows Peer-to-Peer Fundraising by 21% YoY

Mission

wear blue: run to remember honors the service and sacrifice of the American military through active remembrance

Challenge

Gain individual donations with a thoughtful approach to expand its community

Solution

Classy’s peer-to-peer fundraising allowed wear blue: run to remember to reach more donors

“Peer-to-peer fundraising was a way of empowering the community. It invigorates them and keeps the support accessible to everyone.”

– Melynda Weaver, Director of Development

The Results of Using Peer-to-Peer:

92%

YoY decrease in administrative costs

21%

YoY growth in peer-to-peer fundraising donations

2 million

individuals have experienced a tribute mile

A Cause With a Personal Connection

wear blue: run to remember is a running community that honors the service of the American military as well as those directly impacted by military loss. All donations go directly to those who have served or fallen, and their families. The organization’s team operates six robust programs to bring the mission to life.

Melynda Weaver’s journey to Director of Development at wear blue: run to remember was a personal one. Her husband, a 14-year army veteran, struggled with the emotional toll of multiple deployments. So Melynda sought an outlet for him through the Saturday run community and saw not only a radical transformation in him but also in their family function.

In seeing his transformation, I wanted to ensure that everybody who was impacted by military loss, grief, and trauma, had that same opportunity. That’s when I knew I wanted to work with wear blue: run to remember because its mission matched my own.
Melynda Weaver
Director of Development

Creating a Mission-Driven Community

wear blue: run to remember doesn’t run to raise money, they raise money to run. According to Melynda, “In that intersection of running for wellness in a supportive, informed community, that’s where the magic happens.” wear blue: run to remember puts on runs weekly across the country as well as supports races like the Marine Corps Marathon throughout the year.

12 years after its inception, wear blue: run to remember has a global footprint and national awareness, having been recognized by the White House and Veterans Administration for the work it’s doing.

When a service member goes to serve, it’s not just their close family and friends that are impacted. It’s also those working at the grocery store, the mailman, and others in the community. They celebrate when we come home, and they grieve if we don’t.
Melynda Weaver
Director of Development

To support their mission and help them expand their peer-to-peer fundraising efforts—what had previously been a secondary strategy—wear blue: run to remember needed an easy-to-use, all-in-one solution.

Boosting Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Opportunities to Meet Supporter Preferences

With Classy’s giving platform, wear blue: run to remember shifted its focus to peer-to-peer fundraising in 2020. No matter the size of the donation, the generosity opens up accessibility to grieve, remember, and heal for anyone who needs it around the country.

To expand its fundraising efforts even further, wear blue: run to remember is also expanding the scope of its peer-to-peer community events.

The team has noticed that supporters are looking for less formal events where they can get to know each other on a more personal level. With a small investment, community members can put on events at a smaller scale, with stronger than ever results.

Last year, a community member in Chicago hosted a fundraising dinner. With an initial investment of $5,000, $55,000 was netted in donations. This year, with the same initial investment, they’re already on track to hit their $75,000 goal.

More Miles to Run, More Dollars to Raise

Since its inception, more than 2 million people have experienced a wear blue: run to remember tribute mile.

If you find like-minded people with similar values, that tends to be where your supporters are.
Melynda Weaver
Director of Development

As the organization continues to span the nation with runners and volunteers who impact countless lives, Classy is proud to provide the technology to support that scale.