BAMAthon at the University of Alabama Receives 2020 Most Improved Dance Marathon Award
The University of Alabama Dance Marathon was awarded the Most Improved Dance Marathon award at Dance Marathon Leadership Conference 2020. The Most Improved Dance Marathon award will recognize an organization that has taken significant steps to increase funds raised and overall dancer participation and/or improve the execution of event or year-round programming.
After experiencing a 27% fundraising decrease in 2019 from 2018, UADM knew that they needed to refocus in 2020 and strategize how to get their organization back to the level of functioning that they knew they could be at. The program decided to focus on improving the culture of their organization, as well as decided to focus on goals based on sustainability and growth.
The first thing UADM did was turn their attention to their recruitment efforts. In 2020, UADM successfully recruited 1,589 participants for the main event: BAMAthon! This was a 30% growth over 2019. This increase in participants also led to an increase in donations and new donors, which helped the program fight donor fatigue and increase online revenue by a marginal amount.
The second thing UADM implemented in 2020 was the formation of a new branch within their organization, a branch specifically focused on offline revenue and fundraising. This new branch helped foster relationships with their Greek partners, plan the main event experience, and helped bring on their first-ever supporting high school dance marathon. The formation of this new branch on the leadership team allowed the Fundraising/Finance arm of the organization to focus on the growth of their online revenue, instead of attempting to do it all. This led to an increase in offline revenue of more than $57,000!
By creating these lasting and sustainable changes within their organization, UADM has increased their campus presence, discovered new sources of revenue, and most importantly, renewed the energy and enthusiasm on campus for dance marathon.
Miracle Network Dance Marathon is an international movement, involving over 400 colleges, universities and K-12 schools across North America that fundraise for their local Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. Since its inception in 1991, Miracle Network Dance Marathon has raised more than $300 million–ensuring that no child or family fights pediatric illness or injury alone.
Learn more about Miracle Network Dance Marathon: