Fundraising Resources
Ways to Raise Money
Four Hundred Dollars?? How can I raise that much money?! Raising your $400 is a lot easier than you think, and there are many ways to do it! The most common way is to ask your friends and family for donations.
Online Giving Page
How to access your online giving page:
A new page will appear prompting you to enter your username and password. In the username section you will type your HawkID. In the password section, type for HawkID password. (if you change your HawkID password, your password here will automatically change with it)
Click the log-in button.
A new page will appear that will have your information on it. Scroll down to “Your Fundraising” and click on “View Your Page”. This will open your donation page.
Copy the URL (this is the URL you can give to potential donors to ask them for donations).
You can send this URL to anyone!
Canning
Canning is one of the most beneficial ways to fundraise for the University of Iowa Dance Marathon. There are four types of canning: neighborhood, football, downtown, and hometown. You can ask your captains about any specific canning events coming up. Remember that you must sign up in advance for each event, and a captain or other leadership member will go with you.
Letter Writing Campaign
Another effective, traditional, and easy way to fundraise is to send personal letters/postcards. These letters should describe what Dance Marathon is, explain your involvement, and simply ask for donations. You can do this straight from the comfort of your own home!
Email Campaign
Another easy way to raise money is to send emails to your contact list. This should include the same things as the letters above.
Winter Break Fundraising
Winter break is a great time to sit down with family and talk to them about Dance Marathon. Make the most out of your time at home with friends and family to raise as much money as you can for DM.
Matching Gifts
Many businesses will match charitable contributions of their employees. For example, if you have a family member that works at John Deere, and they plan to donate to you, John Deere could potentially match their donation to UIDM.
All matching gifts for UIDM are completed through the University of Iowa Center for Advancement (legal name State University of Iowa Foundation). All matching gifts should be filled out accordingly, but the gift will go to UIDM.
To see if a company is eligible to match a gift to UIDM through the UI Center for Advancement, visit https://www.foriowa.org/ways-to-give/ for a list of participating companies. Donors can then complete their matching gift form (some are hard copy and some are electronic).
What information should be indicated on the form?
Indicate the donation was made to the UI Foundation (since this is the entity processing the matching gift). **No mention of Dance Marathon is needed, and many times will not result in a match.**
The UI Center for Advancement address is 1 West Park Road, Iowa City, IA 52242
Checks must be made out to the UI Center for Advancement or UI Foundation.
You do not need to fill out any portion of the matching gift form.
What are the next steps so I can receive credit for this matching gift as a part of my dancer total?
Scenario 1: Hard Copy Matching Gift and Check: Turn both the check and the matching gift form into the IMU Business Office – do not submit check for deposit. It will be handled differently OR you can also submit these items during a dancer meeting to the finance committee.
Scenario 2: Hard Copy Matching Gift Form and Online Donation: Turn both the form and a copy of the confirmation (most likely an email, like an online purchase confirmation) the donor received into the IMU Business Office OR you can submit these to the finance committee at a dancer meeting.
Scenario 3: Donor Emails You Matching Gift Form and Donated Online: Send the matching gift confirmation AND a copy of the UIDM gift confirmation (email) to dm-finance@uiowa.edu
Important things in order to receive credit for the matching gift:
Forms must be filled out to UI Foundation or UI Center for Advancement – or your match will not be viable.
To receive dancer credit for a match, YOU are responsible for providing proof of the match (either the actual form or a printout of the confirmation your donor received – NO EXCEPTIONS). Please make sure to communicate this to your donors.
Questions – contact Alexis Arthur at dm-finance@uiowa.edu
Community Days
Community days are a great way to raise money for Dance Marathon and promote the organization to local businesses and community members. With a little planning, it is easy to set up a community day in your hometown!
Questions – contact David Smith at dm-hospitality@uiowa.edu
Note: please refrain from holding community days in the Iowa City/Coralville area.
Other Fundraising Information
We have a Fundraising Manual and a Dancer Resource Center that have many templates, ideas, and links to help you get started! These are available to all dancers!
If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to Sloane Piper (Fundraising Chair) at dm-fundraising@uiowa.edu or Alexis Arthur (Finance Director) at dm-finance@uiowa.edu.