Indiana University Dance Marathon Receives 2023 Organization Management Award

Miracle Network Dance Marathon recognized top performing Dance Marathon programs at the Dance Marathon Leadership Conference (DMLC) held in St. Louis, MO from August 3-6.

The Organization Management Award recognizes a program who demonstrates success through effective structure, communication strategies, member accountability, educational and training opportunities, and an effective transition process. As this year’s winner of the Organization Management Award, Indiana University Dance Marathon excels in several of these areas.  

Throughout the year, members at all levels of IUDM (Indiana University Dance Marathon) participate in professional retreats and training opportunities. Upon selection, all 23 executive council members partake in a winter retreat with another occurring at the beginning of the fall semester. Additionally, once a month the professional development committee of the IUDM Alumni board attends an executive council meeting to share resources and information on how to leverage and improve their skill sets as a student-leader. Similar leadership building opportunities are brought to all levels of the organization through fundraising, first-year students, and chair workshops. Fundraising workshops are dedicated to teaching fundraising chairs about best practices when motivating their committee members to fundraise. First-year workshops are used to connect with our young student leaders, providing them with resources to excel in their roles and in future leadership positions. Lastly, the all-chair workshop is a mass meeting that gives a behind-the-scenes look into IUDM, and reviews key concepts of leadership, all while welcoming feedback. 

Additionally, this year IUDM focused efforts on improving their officer transition process. They developed a dedicated timeline and flowchart that outlined the needed action steps and associated deadlines to ensure continued progress towards an effective transition. These steps included drafts of transition documents, meetings of the selection committee, development of applications and opportunities for individuals to provide feedback from the previous year. Emphasizing transition documents and collecting internal feedback, they can identify challenges and opportunities for improvement in the upcoming year.  

Each initiative helped ensure that all members of IUDM were educated and equipped with the information and resources needed to be successful in their roles. Congratulations, Indiana University! 

Indiana University presented a session on Organization Management at DMLC 2023. You can view a recording of that presentation here: https://youtu.be/JNGOho5uo90  

Miracle Network Dance Marathon is an international movement, involving over 400 colleges, universities and K-12 schools across the United States and Canada that fundraise for their local member hospital of Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. These students work tirelessly throughout the year to raise funds one dollar at a time by making the ask to family and friends. Their hard work culminates in a celebration on campus or virtually, where participants can rally together as a community for their local member hospital of Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. Students involved in Dance Marathon gain valuable skills in fundraising, peer management, delegation, and philanthropy. Miracle Network Dance Marathon programs have collectively raised more than $350 million since 1991.