The Miracle Network Dance Marathon program is one of the most powerful movements of young people, and arguably the premier fundraising arm of collegiate philanthropy.  Hundreds of thousands of students from across North America work tirelessly throughout the year to raise funds one dollar at a time by making the ask to family and friends. Their hard work often culminates in an event on their campus, where participants have the opportunity to rally together as a community for their local Children’s Miracle Network Hospital.

Miracle Network Dance Marathon programs have collectively raised more than $250 million since 1991 and annually engage 300,000 students and 700,000 donors. The value back to the local children’s hospitals by way of fundraising is significant – not only in the immediate but in the long-term potential of journey mapping both participants and donors. Participants have the ability to fundraise significant dollars and become hyper-local influencers, with an average of 3 social platforms, 100 followers each, and 5X more likely to share content. The donors are working professionals in corporate management and administration, with buying potential of $125K.

In 2018, the Dance Marathon program raised $43.5M. Over the next five years, CMN Hospitals will continue to invest in the Dance Marathon program, with the goal of raising $84M by 2024. This will happen through two main areas:

• Growth of existing programs: Existing collegiate programs raise 98% of all Dance Marathon funds, and we’ve recently seen a rise in independent high school programs. There are 11 area Dance Marathon managers to support these efforts.
• Expansion of acquisition efforts:
  • Collegiate: We will continue to utilize our acquisition process and algorithm to target campuses where we know Dance Marathon will be successful. In 2019, we will have four full time staff working towards collegiate acquisition.
  • High Schools: We will develop a targeted strategy to acquire high schools in key markets at the district level. This strategy will be available mid 2020. As opportunities arise, we will scale staff appropriately.

The national office will continue to invest heavily in our online fundraising platform of choice, Donor Drive. The benefits of this platform include:

• Customized content utilizing peer to peer best practices: The national office has created and updated email content (triggered notifications and auto notifications) to be in line and ahead of industry best practices. The national office reviews content annually and makes adjustments accordingly.
• Customization options: Dance Marathon programs have the option to customize their content and the look and feel of their Donor Drive site.
• Gamification of fundraising platform: Participants can unlock new badges as they take action to support their dance marathon program, which incentivizes participation
• Access to mobile fundraising app: This app has generated $1.5M in revenue over the last year and a half. Mobile fundraising trends will outpace desktop fundraising in the digital realm.
• Access to customized reporting and event insights: The administrative access to customized reports and event insights allows dance marathon leaders to make strategic decisions that ultimately help to raise more funds and awareness for their local children’s hospital.
• Platform design and interface that puts the local hospital first: Our online platform redesign inserts your local hospital’s logo and language first so donors and participants know exactly who they’re supporting
• Ability to connect directly into CRM systems for donor and participant management at the local level

What we need from you:

• Have your staff work directly with their area dance marathon manager on:
  • Utilization of Donor Drive: Area Dance Marathon managers can help your staff best understand how to maximize their usage of the platform and can guide students in the development of their strategies.
    • If you have questions about the functionality of Donor Drive and how it might fit into your overall strategy please contact Mike Kinney mkinney@cmnhospitals.org

“Donor Drive is an essential tool for our Dance Marathon programs, allowing them to fundraise to their full potential in an independent and student-driven way. Because of this program, students are able to access their financial progress and donor information; providing them an exceptional leadership development opportunity with oversight by their hospital and CMN Hospitals advisors.”
Courtney Blind, Director of Development – Corporate and Community
University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital, Cedar Rapids

• Work directly with your Area Dance Marathon Manager to create a market specific strategy that enhances the growth of your existing programs. Area Dance Marathon managers are experts in not only Dance Marathon specific best practices, but also in peer to peer and non-profit industry best practices and trends.

“In New Jersey, we can’t build Dance Marathons fast enough. In a relatively short time, they have grown from 0 to a six-figure source of revenue. What makes Dance Marathon really unique is it is an opportunity to raise money, build awareness and engage new donors.
Dance Marathon leaders are civic and service minded students. Using the CMN Hospitals model, we introduce them to our hospital and mission and hopefully encourage them to continue their support and involvement. Whether they are going on to college or launching their careers, it is a chance to create lifetime donors. An added surprise is that Dance Marathons have been a great source of interns over the years.”
-Phil Salerno, President & Chief Development Officer
Children’s Specialized Hospital, New Jersey 

• Reach out to our acquisition team at DMacquisition@cmnhospitals.org if you’re interested in collegiate or high school Dance Marathon expansion.

Tags:

• Dance Marathon