Dance Marathon is more than a fundraising event; it is a movement. The event is all about the kids who are battling chronic illnesses at Children’s Hospital, and that is why our slogan is #FTK—for the kids. Dance Marathon is the place where sick kids can forget about their illness and just be a kid: dancing, laughing, and having the time of their life! While the kids are the center of Dance Marathon, the money raised for Children’s Hospital is also important. Once you are registered for Dance Marathon, you have a goal of raising a minimum of $100. That number may seem daunting, but here are some pointers on how you can fundraise $100 or more for Children’s Hospital:
Put social media to work!
1. Post your donor drive link with information about what DM is and why you want to fundraise for it. Add a personal touch, and make sure to say that even the smallest donation helps.
2. Agree to post an embarrassing middle school picture for every $5 donation.
3. Tweet to celebrities about DM, and ask them to donate to your donor drive.
Make it personal.
4. Ask your family and friends for donations at holiday parties or other gatherings.
5. Hand write a letter to distant family members about what DM is and why you want to raise money for the cause.
6. Ask your family members for donations to your donor drive instead of birthday presents. They will be proud of your commitment and selflessness!
Get creative!
7. Over the weekend, offer to be the designated driver for your friends, and collect small donations as the FTKab fair.
8. Sell your old clothes to Plato’s Closet, and donate the money to your donor drive.
9. Deliver food or coffee to your friends across campus for a small donation.
10. Have a Miracle Jean’s Day! Ask your workplace to allow employees to wear jeans for a day if they donate $5 to your donor drive.
Think small.
11. Walk around with a DM bucket at a basketball game or other large event and ask for small donations. You only need one-hundred $1 donations, fifty $2 donations, or twenty $5 donations.
12. Ask your family and friends to help you save spare change—it all adds up faster with the more people you have on board!
13. Doughnuts! Buy a few boxes of doughnuts and sell them for $1 or $2 each in a popular area on campus. The profits add up fast!
14. Put $1 in a piggy bank every day leading up to the event.
15. Give up buying coffee or snacks for a week, and donate that money to DM. Ask your friends and family to join you, too. The more the merrier!
Get crafty!
16. Offer to make crafty things for your sorority sisters’ big/little week, and ask for donations in return.
17. Use your artsy talents to sell items on Etsy, and put the money towards your donor drive.
Get your parents involved.
18. Ask your parents to sponsor your grades FTK! Make a deal that for every ‘A’ you get on a test or quiz, they will donate a few dollars.
19. Ask them to donate an hour of their time once a month by simply donating the equivalent of an hour’s pay to your donor drive.
20. Do housework or run errands for a donation.
Encourage your friends to register for DM with you. Fundraising together makes it more fun, and you can challenge and support each other in your efforts. Don’t feel bad about asking people for money. If they want to give, they will. It shows courage and that you have a true passion for this cause. You have the resources, so put in the hard work, and you will raise that $100 or more easy, peasy.
