Season 4 Episode 1: Creating Synergy Across A Growing P2P Portfolio with Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation’s Steve Merker

In our Season 4 premiere, Steve Merker of The Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation shares how his team expanded their peer-to-peer portfolio while staying aligned on strategy, brand and teamwork.

In the early days of the P2P industry, most nonprofits concentrated on one tentpole P2P event—typically a walk or cycling program—which allowed them to align staffing, branding, and resources around a single, large-scale initiative, focusing on broad market appeal. However, as the industry has evolved, so too has the need to diversify offerings—both to engage new audiences and to meet the changing expectations of existing supporters.

Expanding into new events definitely comes with its own set of challenges—especially without a clear plan—but it also opens the door to exciting opportunities. With strong internal alignment, consistent branding, and a collaborative approach, building out a mix of P2P campaigns can spark innovation, boost engagement, and drive real growth.

In this episode, P2PPF’s Marcie Maxwell is joined by Steve Merker, VP of Corporate and Community Partnerships at the Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation, Canada’s leading cancer fundraising organization, which was recently recognized as the 2025 Peer-to-Peer Professional Forum Organization Of The Year. They explore how Princess Margaret expanded its peer-to-peer portfolio from two events to eight, the growing pains and opportunities that come with that kind of scale, and how collaboration, brand clarity and a strategic mindset have fueled their success.

In this episode, we’ll also explore:
– Smart strategies for expanding your P2P event lineup without cannibalizing your audience
– How to foster internal alignment and reduce “turf wars” as your portfolio grows
– Ways to create synergy across events while keeping each program’s identity strong

Mentioned Links

https://ride2conquer.ca/
https://walk2conquer.ca/
https://roadhockeytoconquercancer.ca/
https://journey2conquer.ca/
https://northernpass.ca/
https://cricket2conquer.ca/

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Podcast Guest

Steve Merker is the VP of Corporate and Community Partnerships at the Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation, Canada’s leading cancer fundraising organization. Steve is co-founder of both The Ride and Road Hockey to Conquer Cancer. As Canada’s single largest athletic fundraising event, the ‘Ride’ recently celebrated 17 years and over $300 million raised. Steve helps lead a diverse Peer-to-Peer portfolio, including Ride, Road Hockey, Walk, Journey, Northern Pass and now Cricket to Conquer Cancer. Combined with a robust community events portfolio, our events team raised over $37 million annually. The success of these events is a direct result of our team’s hard work and dedication to our mission.

Podcast Host

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.