Celebrating Excellence: DM at FSU Shines at Ignite

This summer, Dance Marathon at FSU had the privilege of attending the Children's Miracle Network leadership conference, Ignite. Our biggest accomplishment was receiving the Excellence in Donor Engagement award, which celebrates our exceptional fundraising efforts supporting UF Sh

ands Hospital. Donor engagement is an important part of fundraising because it highlights the connections we make and helps donors understand DM's mission. This award recognizes the work our members put into building relationships with our donors. While bringing home this award of excellence was an incredible accomplishment, Ignite is about more than just recognition. Ignite is an amazing convention that brings Dance Marathon leaders from different schools together.  Randi, our finance director, calls Ignite “an opportunity for leaders of all DM programs across the country to come together, learn, and network.” Ignite is a great opportunity to share what FSU is doing and get to see what other schools are doing that works.

Ignite had a different impact on each of our executive members. Maddie, our marketing director, said her most impactful takeaway from the conference was to approach marketing as more than just promoting events, but to build meaningful connections. Marketing can also help people understand why our work matters. Our dancer relations director, Malena, pointed out an important message she heard from the Greek Partnerships presentation. She resonated with the quote, “people want to join people.” DM at FSU is more than fundraising; it's about building a community. Malena shared that one unique thing about DM is that members come together from different backgrounds to support a cause greater than themselves. One other unique thing Ignite had was the Million Dollar Summit, which connects DM with 5 other million dollar programs. Randi explained this as a great way to build connections with counterparts, which can help with fundraising later this year. Ignite isn’t just a summer convention but can affect the future of DM at FSU.

So what’s next after Ignite? DM is ready to kick off Year 32 with new insights learned from this summer. Executive Director Emmanuella explained that she is excited to engage with new organizations and be even more collaborative with organizations we already work with. Thinking ahead to Marathon, our Marathon Director, Courtney, is excited to create more meaningful experiences for our Ambassador Families during Marathon weekend. She is also looking forward to helping members feel more connected to DM's mission. Our Executive team is working hard to bring these learnings to make Year 32 amazing.

The Excellence in Donor Engagement Award is a moment worth celebrating, but it also motivates us to keep pushing forward. The relationship that DM at FSU has built with their donors is meaningful and intentional. From fundraising to partnerships, donor engagement touches every part of this organization. It takes all our members to create these meaningful connections between our donors and the families at the heart of the mission. Receiving this award at Ignite gave us the opportunity to celebrate our successes while learning from others and continuing to grow.

This award is not the finish line. It motivates us to keep finding new ways to engage with our donors. As DM at FSU heads into Year 32, the lessons and relationships from Ignite will continue to shape how we fundraise and tell our story. The Excellence in Donor Engagement Award gave us a reason to celebrate how far we've come; Ignite gave us reasons to keep growing.