A Project By Christopher Hixon

ENC4354

DM DEFINED

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.

Getting
Started

THE CAUSE

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.

Getting
Started

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