Does the idea of a dance marathon make you think of sock-hopping teens in a high school gym from the 1950’s, swaying together to that new sound of rock and roll for hours? Well dance marathons are popular around the country, and they are an excellent way for schools to raise money and for students to show school pride while being involved in a high-energy fundraiser. TopSchoolFundraisers.com is fortunate to have two schools, the Washington University of St. Louis and Indiana University to share their tips on what makes a dance marathon successful.
The Washington University at St. Louis Dance Marathon, called St. Louis Area Dance Marathon has been running for nine years. “In the first year, the dance marathon consisted of about 100 dancers who each raised approximately $100 each. Last year more than 600 dancers took part in the event to raise a total over $123,000,” said Meredith Pierce, Director of Communications.
The Indiana University Dance Marathon was established in 1991 — 2007 will be their 17th year. Jill Stewart, a former Indiana University student established the marathon in honor of her close friend Ryan White, a Riley Hospital for Children patient who contracted HIV during a blood transfusion. “Ryan helped raise the level of consciousness of an entire nation towards the plight of those suffering from the AIDS virus and other infectious disease and our marathon and the center were started in his honor,” said Carly Dachis, Director of Public Relations for Indiana University.
A Dance Marathon Needs Volunteers In Many Different Roles
The dance marathon executive board has 23 full-time students that volunteer their time year-round to plan and execute all dance marathon-related activities. “We need about 100 volunteers on the day-of to help us run our dance-a-thon. They help us with check-in processes, security (of belongings and of participants), set-up and tear-down,and food service, as well as other smaller tasks for which we need a few extra hands during the day,” said Greg Perlstein, Executive Director for the Washington University at St. Louis Dance Marathon.
Interviews are conducted for new Executive Board Members during the end of November. “We start meeting as a board in January. A lot of people do not realize that Dance Marathon is a year long event. During the spring semester we are busy not only goal setting, bonding and planning for the fall and the event, but also fundraising. We try to get most everything planned before Fall semester starts. When Fall semester comes around we do not have to worry about administrative or planning details, we can simply execute our plans,” said Pierce.
The Indiana University Dance Marathon has a hierarchy and everyone involved has a different role and a position that is important. “The first is the Riley Kids. The Riley families will attend our marathon and share their stories throughout the weekend and all our efforts and goals relate directly for them. Second is our dancers. Our marathon will expect to have 1,000 dancers (2006 exceeded that number). Our dancers stand and are awake for 36 hours and are the foundation of our event. Without them, our efforts would not be as strong and successful as they are. Dancers must raise at least $400 to dance however most raise much more. Third is our Committee Members- Indiana University Dance Marathon has 375 hardworking committee members divided throughout 15 different committees. Most members have danced before however it is not required to be on a committee. Fourth is our Directors. There are 15 directors who lead each of the committees; we are divided into 4 focus groups, each led by a VP on the Board of Managers. Fifth is our Board of Managers- includes: VP of: Communication, Internal, External and Finance. Sixth is our President which is a student-held position,” said Dachis. “Separate from the dancers and committee members we have two other new positions: Ryan’s Angles and Security. R.A.’s are short-term dancers intended to motivate our dancers and help out and participate throughout the time they are on the floor. Security is committee members and other volunteers ensuring the safety and structure of our students during the 36 hours.” said Dachis of Indiana University. continue reading
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