Dance Marathon

Fundraising Tips

Fundraising Ideas
Just a few proactive concepts to get the wheels turning…

*Please note that these are just suggestions – please feel free to use your own ideas!

I. Letter Writing Campaign: This is a very easy and effective way to raise money for Dance Marathon. We will give you extensive information on this method.

II. Benefit Dinners: Have your organization host a charity dinner and charge friends per plate! Some other creative options including food are:

A. Miss-a-Meal—skip a meal and donate the amount you would normally spend on lunch in one day.

B. Theme Food Festivals—have your organization sponsor a spaghetti dinner, chili cook-off, pancake breakfast, barbecue, or ice cream social. Sell tickets in advance and donate the proceeds to Children’s Miracle Network.

C. Dime-a-Dip Dinner—Serve food buffet style. Each item has a collection can and charge 10 cents per “dip” of each item.

D. Taco Cabana Nights—On designated nights, from 5-9 pm, eat at Taco C and tell your friends to eat there too. You can designate with the receipt to whom you want the proceeds to go. Dance Marathon will have several of these over the course of the year.

III. Car Washes: In order to do this, your organization must reserve a spot IN ADVANCE at parking lots like McDonalds on MLK, Jack-in-the-Box on Guadalupe, or Walmart. Create posters, flyers, and spread the word. Work on DONATION-ONLY basis.

IV. Sporting Events: Your organization can sponsor any type of sporting event and use ticket sales to profit Dance Marathon. Possible ideas include:

A. Airplane Toss—participants purchase or create paper airplanes to toss on a court or field with opportunity to win prizes by landing their plane in one of the prize squares.

B. 5K Run—Like Race-for-the-Cure or Running of the Horns, participants can ask for pledges, or you can set an entry fee for the whole course. The course will need to have volunteers stationed to give water, refreshments, and first aid, as well as to verify mileage at checkpoints and encourage runners.

C. Bowling Tournament—Bowlers can recruit sponsors to pay a set amount for each pin knocked down during a tournament. Create prizes for winners.

V. Canning: Have people stand on street corners and get donations from cars. Wear Dance Marathon or your organization’s t-shirts, so that people know what you are doing. If your organization wishes to do this, please check with the fundraising chair Christian Quinto (fundraising@utdm.org) because city permits may be required.

VI. Half/Half Baskets: Pass around 2 baskets at a meeting. Mark one “NAMES” and the other “DOLLARS.” Every time a member puts his/her name in the basket, he/she gives $1. At the end of the meeting, collect the baskets and count the money. Pick a name from the other basket. The name picked wins half of the money and the other half goes to Dance Marathon.

VII. Auctions:

A. Home-grown Auction—bake your own cakes, cookies, give up monthly parking spots or services like apartment clean-up or car-detailing.

B. Date Auction—Solicit good date places for date packages and “Auction off” men and women for a date.

VIII. Holidays: Gift Wrap or Make cards and sell them with extra candy or flowers.

IX. Miracle Meal: Solicit a local food establishment to designate one menu item as a “Miracle Meal” and donates a set amount for each item sold during a specific period.

X. Recycling: Collect aluminum cans for recycling and donate proceeds to DM.

XI. Fashion Show: Work with a local shop or department store to create a fashion show. Charge admission and ask the retailer to donate a percentage of sales for that day.

XII. Community Events: Cooperate with an existing event and expand portions into a fund-raising activity. Examples of events include fairs, carnivals, picnics, barbecues, or art festivals; sell popcorn or cotton candy, have a dunking booth, cakewalk, or other game and donate proceeds to Dance Marathon.

XIII. Bandjams: Organize local bands, attain a performance space, and charge admission. Dancers can sell tickets and donate money to Dance Marathon. Be sure to keep your ears open for this one, because it is a Dance Marathon tradition!

XIV. Collect Change: Place a Children’s Miracle Network canister in your house to collect loose change up to event.