Dance Marathon 101
Fundraising Fun
Think. Act. Celebrate!
Everyone thinks that fundraising is a scary and difficult task, when in fact it is fairly simple. Let’s break it down into three ideas:
Think. Act. Celebrate.
THINK.
Why are you doing Dance Marathon? Find your passion for fundraising and advertise it! The most important thing to remember about fundraising is: Make it personal! The more personal you make your fundraising efforts; the more likely people are to donate to you.
ACT.
Here’s the key part of fundraising: knowing what to do. You don’t need to go over the top and throw together a big event in order to make a lot of money. Some of our most successful fundraisers have followed these simple ideas, featured on the next page.
CELEBRATE.
Once you get a donation, it’s time to celebrate!
Dance Marathon should be seen as a celebration of all your hard work during these next few months. You get to dance, play games, take photos, eat, and meet some of the remarkable kids that are helped by the very dollars you donated.
Make sure to send a thank you letter to your donor and give them an update of how the event went after DM. Sending a donor pictures from the photo booth or videos of the line dance will not only make your donor happy, but it will increase the chance of them donating in the future.
Tips & Tricks to Fundraising
What Can You Do?
- Write a personalized letter to family and friends!
- Take photos of your DM training! Hit that music!
- Make a short Facebook video to tell your friends what you are doing and how they can help!
- Keep your friends and family updated on your fundraising progress. Go for your goal!
- Use your social media skills to your advantage and spread the word!
Sample Fundraising Letter
Dear <PERSON RECEIVING THIS LETTER>,
<START OFF WITH A PERSONAL GREETING TO WHOMEVER YOU ARE WRITING THE LETTER TO>. I'm writing to share with you information about an exciting fundraising group that I am participating in this upcoming year called Dance Marathon! Dance Marathon is a nation-wide youth-led philanthropy for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. Seattle University’s Dance Marathon raises money throughout the year for Seattle Children’s Hospital’s Uncompensated Care Fund. Members’ fundraising efforts culminate in a 16-hour dance marathon celebration. I will be dancing for 16 hours on February 22nd, 2014 to show my support for Seattle Children’s Hospital’s patients.
This year, I would love to personally raise <XXX> to put towards this fund, and I would greatly appreciate your contribution to aid me in reaching my goal. Donating is easy, as I have a personal donation page, and all donations are tax deductible. My personal donation page is <PUT IN PERSONAL URL LINK TO FUNDRAISING PAGE>
<STATE WHY YOU ARE DOING DANCE MARATHON. THE MORE PERSONAL THE BETTER> While not everyone can participate in this fundraising effort with me, everyone can donate at least $1 to show their support for children with pediatric diseases and injuries.
If you have any questions or would like more information, feel free to contact me at <ENTER PLACE TO CONTACT, EITHER PHONE OR EMAIL>. I thank you for your support in this event!
Sincerely,
<YOUR NAME>
Connect with DM!
Email: dancemarathon@seattleu.edu
Website: http://www.seattleudancemarathon.org/
Location: 901 12th Ave, Seattle, WA, United States
Phone: (206) 296-6465
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SeattleUDanceMarathon
Twitter: @SeattleuDM