A Project By Christopher Hixon ENC4354

Getting Started

Dance Marathon is a nationwide movement involving college and high school students at more than 250 schools across the country, all raising money for the Childrens Miracle Network Hospital in their community.

DM DEFINED

THE CAUSE

Getting Started

Dance Marathon is a fundraising effort benefitting Childrens Miracle Network Hospitals. This is a network of 170 nonprofit hospitals nationwide. All money raised local stays local and impacts the hospital in the community where funds were generated.

HOW TO GET STARTED

Get a group together Register the program at your university or in

the community. Designate advisor Contact your hospital Contact Dance Marathon staff

Getting Started

SOLIDIFYING A VISION

Create a mission statement that reflects what your program aims to accomplish. The mission statement should include how you plan to engage your campus/community and connect them to Childrens Miracle Network hospitals.

Create a vision statement that reflects how you see the program expanding in the future.

Getting Started

WHAT MAKES A SUCCESSFUL DM

Fundraising Participant Relations Childrens Miracle Network Hospitals Relations Marketing Special Events The Big Event Management

Getting Started

Fundraising

Participant Relations

CMN Hospitals Relations

Marketing

Special Events

The Big Event Management

SETTING A REALISTIC GOAL

Nationally, dance marathons see a 20% increase from the previous year. New dance marathons have raised anywhere from $5000 to over $100,000. When setting a goal, you assess where the money is going to come from.

Fundraising

SETTING A MINIMUM FUNDRAISING REQUIREMENT Dancers should raise at least $100 since DM

ranges from a 12 to 40 hour event where food, shirts, and entertainment are provided.

Fundraising

WHERE DO THE FUNDS GO?

Every hospital has different needs, so its important to see where the CMN funds have gone in the past. National statistics are a great way to start. 62 children a minute and 1 in 10 kids a year will enter a CMN hospital. Funds go toward uncompensated care, research, and treatment for cancer, diabetes, trauma, and surgeries.

Fundraising

PARTNERSHIPS

Create a packet where potential partners can see where the funds go, how your dance marathon raises funds, and what incentives the business can get by sponsoring your dance marathon. Its important to create different fundraising levels specific to your program. These levels can include recognition at the event, their logo on a t-shirt, or company theme hours.

Fundraising

MONEY VERSUS STUFF

Some companies will not give money, but instead provide goods in the form of in-kind donations. These goods can be raffled off or used as incentives for dancers. Its important to always aim for donations, but in-kind donations can also raise a good amount of money and lower operations costs for the Big Event.

Fundraising

STEWARDSHIP

Once you have partnerships secured, its important to retain these donors so that they continue to contribute to your program in the future. After the Big Event, meet with each partner. Share details about the event. Work on what new incentives the company can benefit from in the future. Most importantly, do not lose any partners. The goal should always be to increase the amount they donate, but you should at least retain the same sponsorship level.

Fundraising

SET A PARTICIPANT

Set a participant goal. If youre a new dance marathon, start at $100. Slowly

increase over the years depending on event capacity. When setting a participant goal, give them tips on

how to raise that money. For example, asking 10 friends for $10 can get you

to your goal easily.

Participant Relations

DANCER RECRUITMENT

If youre a new dance marathon, start at $100. Slowly increase over the years depending on event capacity.

When setting a participant goal, give them tips on how to raise that money. For example, asking 10 friends for $10 can get you to

your goal easily.

Participant Relations

YEAR-ROUND FUNDRAISING

Fundraising should not just be completed in the months leading up to DM. Create benchmarks throughout the year.

Fundraising campaigns are a great way to keep the cause relevant. May is for Miracles, Giving Tuesday, Zero-Zeroes

campaign

Participant Relations

HOW TO FUNDRAISE

Create an individual fundraising guide for participants. See resources for Individual Fundraising Guide

Participant Relations

INCENTIVES FOR DANCERS

If dancers raise ____ amount in a week, they will be entered in a raffle to win an iPhone, concert tickets, spa package, etc. This is where the in-kind donations come into play.

At the Big Event, have different passes for dancers who have fundraised a significant amount of money. Some examples include a puppy pass, sit down pass, skip the food line pass, foot spa pass, etc. Sit Down Meals at the Big Event are a HUGE incentive.

Participant Relations

CONNECT FAMILIES WITH PARTICIPANTS

Compile a list of miracle families from your local CMN Office. Familiarize yourself with each kids personal story and use these stories to motivate dancers throughout the year.

Assign each participating organization a miracle child to meet at the Big Event. This creates a personal connection.

CMN Hospitals Relations

CONNECTING THE CAUSE WITH THE DANCE

Create a campaign on your campus/community about what CMN Hospitals does.

Creatively publicize how the funds help local kids in the community.

CMN Hospitals Relations

LOCAL HOSPITALS

Each CMN Hospital has a specialty and where funds go. Get in contact with your hospital and meet with doctors, staff, etc. about where the funds have gone in the past.

CMN Hospitals Relations

CONNECT FAMILIES WITH PARTICIPANTS

Compile a list of miracle families from your local CMN Office. Familiarize yourself with each kids personal story and use these stories to motivate dancers throughout the year.

Assign each participating organization a miracle child to meet at the Big Event. This creates a personal connection.

CMN Hospitals Relations

MARKETING GOALS

Establish what your biggest marketing need is. Examples include awareness of what a dance marathon is, what their fundraising goal is, or even about where funds go and how CMN functions.

Marketing

AWARENESS

Raising awareness is just as important as raising funds. You should work with your college or community to find a way to best to execute a marketing campaign.

Marketing

SOCIAL MEDIA

Social media is essential to any Dance Marathon. Having an active Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram presence is imperative. You should actively engage the community by sharing why the cause is important and what your DM program is doing to reach that fundraising goal.

Marketing

APPAREL

Shirts, hats, and other apparel are a great way to fundraise money and spread awareness for your cause. There are endless creative ideas for shirts, but if you find yourself unsure, look at shirts that other DMs have made. Use other programs for inspiration.

Marketing

WEBSITE

Your DMs website should constantly be updated. It doesnt have to be the fanciest, but it MUST be functional.

Every website should include About CMN & DM How to register How to donate Contact page Links to social media pages

Other things to include on your website could be partners, miracle childrens stories, and videos from CMN hospitals or from your own program.

Marketing

VIDEOS

Videos are a great way to communicate your cause. Whether they are humorous or just pull at the heartstrings, they are important to raising awareness, which then raises funds.

Marketing

CAMPAIGNS

Throughout the year, you should have campaigns that have a different focus that alternate between fundraising and awareness.

Some examples include: #TeachMeHowToDM #MiracleMonday #FTKFriday

Marketing

COMMUNITY IMPACT

Special events are a great way to engage the community of people, especially those who arent participating in Dance Marathon. They are often an untapped resource.

Special Events

EVENT DIVERSITY

Every event should target a different demographic. 5ks are great for athletes, Dinners & Galas are perfect for alumni, and Carnivals are great for younger kids and families.

Special Events

MINI DANCE MARATHONS

Mini DMs are a great asset for your Dance Marathon program. Hosting a 6-10 hour dance marathon at local high schools is a great way to fundraise. Then, these high schools can be invited to your Big Event and reveal their total to participants in your program. See High School Dance Marathon Workbook

Special Events

OPERATIONS & LOGISTICS

Secure a Venue. Use one that is free or at a very reduced cost. Most universities have some space on campus that they allow students to use for events. As your program grows, you can move to a bigger venue.

Secure a stage, as well as a sound system and lights. Try your best to get most of this donated and know that you arent putting on a music festival. As long as theres music playing and amplified sound, youre set.

The Big Event Management

STAFF

Staffers are volunteers responsible for the set-up, breakdown, and maintenance of the Big Event.

There will be people who wont commit to dancing for 12+ hours, but will offer their help. Staffers are great for serving food at meal times, manning different activity booths, and serving as security for dancers.

The Big Event Management

MORALE

Creating a team of people who will work as motivators throughout the year and the event.

This morale dance will unify all the dancers to come together to signify coming together for a common cause.

This team will perform the dance every hour with all the dancers in an effort to keep their energy alive.

The Big Event Management

ENTERTAINMENT

Know that you probably wont be getting Taylor Swift to come to your DM. However, your community is bustling with new talent just waiting to be discovered. Go to local concert venues and contact some opening acts. Since its for a good cause, these performers are usually happy to donate their time and will be satisfied with the exposure.

Having floor games like four-square, twister, and other inexpensive games are a great way to pass the time.

Different theme hours are a great way for dancers to change clothes and stay motivated to keep dancing. Some popular theme hours are USA, Rave Hour, Under the Sea, Disney, Around the World, CMN, and School Spirit.

The Big Event Management

HOSPITALITY

Each DM needs about 3-4 big meals. This is a great way for restaurants who cant donate funds to make an impact. Approaching local restaurants is the way to go, since working with corporate offices can take months.

Hospitality packets are a great way for restaurants to see how much food they need to give to receive different levels of recognition. It also connects these businesses to the cause and makes them feel a part of your event.

The Big Event Management

RESOURCES

Individual Fundraising Guide High School Mini Dance Marathon Workbook Partnership Packet Hospitality Partnership Packet

Dance Marathon