Dance Marathon at San Diego State University

What Dance Marathon at San Diego State University does

Dance Marathon at San Diego State University (DM at SDSU) is a student-run, non-profit philanthropy organization founded in 2014 at San Diego State University. It operates as a campus-based chapter within the national Dance Marathon movement supporting Children's Miracle Network Hospitals, with all funds raised directed to Rady Children's Hospital-San Diego, a 511-bed pediatric care facility serving San Diego, Imperial, and southern Riverside counties. The organization has raised over $2.6 million for Rady Children's since 2015 and is recognized as the highest-fundraising Miracle Network Dance Marathon on the West Coast and the largest philanthropic organization on SDSU's campus.

DM at SDSU's core product is its annual 12-hour Dance Marathon event held each February at Montezuma Hall in the Conrad Prebys Aztec Student Union, complemented by Miracle Week (fall recruitment), Heart Week (pre-event fundraising push), the K-12 Programs (school-based partnerships), the Morale Team, Team Captain network, Alumni Program, and the Rady Rockstar ambassador program. The technology stack is intentionally lightweight: DonorDrive serves as the core peer-to-peer fundraising platform for participant registration, fundraising tracking, and donor management, supplemented by Canva for design materials. No proprietary software, AI systems, or APIs are built or operated.

The business model is non-commercial: participants must fundraise a minimum of $100 to attend the main event, with no ticket price. Revenue (proxied as funds raised) flows entirely to Rady Children's Hospital for patient services, research, care, education, equipment, and advancement services. The organization is supported by corporate sponsorships (e.g., San Diego Padres, Silent Events, Handles on Montezuma, Aztec Lanes) and is led by a 40+ member student executive board. Distribution is event-driven, relying on campus tabling, social media (Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, LinkedIn), peer-to-peer fundraising, and team captain networks to recruit nearly 1,000 participants annually.

Name

Dance Marathon at San Diego State University

Legal name

Dance Marathon at San Diego State University

Website

https://dmatsdsu.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Dance Marathon at San Diego State University is a student-run, non-profit philanthropy organization that raises funds for Rady Children's Hospital-San Diego through an annual 12-hour Dance Marathon event, year-round peer-to-peer fundraising, and K-12 school partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Student Philanthropy Fundraising

NAICS

Voluntary Health Organizations (813212), Civic and Social Organizations (8134), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Fundraisers & Charity Events (Gala/Walks excluded) (MPAGAEAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Arts, Sports & Recreation-Based Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAJ), Sports Fundraising & Development Services (Foundations, NIL Collectives Support) (MPAKAKAK), Fundraising & Annual Giving (EDALAOAB)

Keywords

• Student philanthropy programs
• Peer-to-peer fundraising
• Pediatric hospital support
• Campus charitable events
• Nonprofit fundraising campaigns

Headquarters

HQ city

San Diego

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Participant Fundraising: Students register to fundraise with a minimum $100 requirement. Participants use DonorDrive tools to collect donations via email, social media fundraisers, and direct giving. All funds go directly to Rady Children's Hospital for patient services, research, care, education, equipment, and advancement services.
2. Corporate Sponsorships: Corporate and local business sponsors support the organization through customized sponsorships that highlight brand needs within the engaged student community. Interested sponsors contact Co-Directors of Corporate Partners.
3. K-12 Program Fundraising: Partnerships with K-12 schools that conduct their own mini dance marathons and fundraisers benefiting DM at SDSU. Schools organize events like Penny Wars, bake sales, and color runs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Dance Marathon at SDSU is a student-run philanthropy organization that mobilizes San Diego State University students to fundraise year-round for Rady Children's Hospital, the local Children's Miracle Network Hospital. Participants register, raise a minimum of $100 in donations through personal pages, social media fundraisers, and peer outreach, and the effort culminates in a 12-hour Dance Marathon event each February at Montezuma Hall on the SDSU campus. The organization also runs Miracle Week (fall recruitment and fundraising), Heart Week (pre-event fundraising push), K-12 school partnership programs, a Rady Rockstar patient ambassador program, an alumni engagement program, and a team captain leadership structure.

Product overview

Dance Marathon at SDSU is a student-run philanthropy organization operating as a single unified program focused on raising funds and awareness for Rady Children's Hospital. The organization offers a comprehensive portfolio of interconnected programs: the flagship 12-hour Dance Marathon event as the central annual celebration, complemented by seasonal fundraising campaigns (Miracle Week in fall and Heart Week pre-event), student leadership programs (Morale Team, Team Captains), educational outreach (K-12 Programs), patient engagement (Rady Rockstar), legacy recognition (Madison Taylor Award), and alumni engagement. These programs work together to achieve the organization's mission of supporting pediatric healthcare through year-round fundraising efforts.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Dance Marathon Event Flagship annual 12-hour Dance Marathon event held each February at Montezuma Hall on the SDSU campus, where hundreds of registered participants gather to celebrate fundraising accomplishments, hear from Miracle Families, and reveal the year's total funds raised for Rady Children's Hospital.
• Miracle Week Annual fall fundraising and awareness campaign featuring daily themed events including tabling, the Light of Hope event, fundraisers at local businesses, bowling, and the Padres Game at Petco Park, used to recruit new participants and generate donations ahead of the main event.
• Heart Week Pre-event fundraising campaign held before the main Dance Marathon, featuring an annual Fun Run and push day to help participants reach their fundraising goals. Heart Week 2021 raised $34,379 throughout the week.
• K-12 Programs Partnership program with local elementary, middle, and high schools to host mini dance marathons and various fundraisers (Penny Wars, carnations, bake sales, student-vs-teacher tournaments, color runs) benefiting Rady Children's Hospital. Students lead fundraising with guidance from DM at SDSU's K-12 team.
• Rady Rockstar Program Program in which a current or former Rady Children's Hospital patient serves as the organization's ambassador, participating in leadership meetings, event planning activities, and special events to represent the children and families the organization supports.
• Alumni Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $2.6 million raised for Rady Children's Hospital since 2015
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Children's Miracle Network HospitalscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1991Dance Marathon at SDSU is part of the national Dance Marathon movement supporting Children's Miracle Network Hospitals (CMN Hospitals). Since 1991, Dance Marathon programs nationwide have raised over $400 million for CMN Hospitals. CMN hospitals depend on donations and community support as government funding and insurance programs don't fully cover the cost of care.
• Rady Children's Hospital-San DiegocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRady Children's Hospital is DM at SDSU's local Children's Miracle Network Hospital. All fundraising efforts go directly to benefit kids and families at Rady's, supporting patient services, research, care, education, equipment, and advancement services. Rady Children's is a 511-bed pediatric care facility providing the largest source of comprehensive pediatric medical services in San Diego, Southern Riverside and Imperial counties.
• Silent EventsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSilent Events is referenced as a sponsor partner for silent disco services during Dance Marathon events.
• K-12 SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDM at SDSU partners with local elementary, middle, and high schools through K-12 Programs. These school partnerships combine efforts to raise funds and awareness for Rady Children's Hospital patients. Students lead fundraising ideas with guidance from DM at SDSU's K-12 team, building leadership skills through hands-on service learning.
• San Diego PadresminorGTM or Marketing PartnerThe San Diego Padres partner with DM at SDSU during Miracle Week events, including the annual Padres Game and Reveal event at Petco Park.
• Handles on MontezumaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal restaurant venue that hosts fundraising events during Miracle Week, including a Handles Fundraiser on September 24.
• Aztec LanesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCampus bowling alley that hosts fundraising events during Miracle Week, including a bowling fundraiser on September 24.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Penn State Dance Marathon (THON): The largest student-run philanthropy in the world and the flagship Dance Marathon program; THON operates the same collegiate fundraising model for pediatric cancer, providing a top-end benchmark for DM at SDSU's scale and execution.
• Dance Marathon at the University of Florida: A large Southeastern Dance Marathon program using the same Miracle Network Dance Marathon model with year-round fundraising, leadership pipeline, and 12+ hour event, making it a directly comparable peer for DM at SDSU.
• Iowa Dance Marathon: One of the longest-running Dance Marathon programs in the national movement, operating the same year-round collegiate fundraising model for a CMN Hospital and serving as an early benchmark for newer programs like DM at SDSU.
• Dance Marathon at University of Michigan: A Big Ten Dance Marathon program operating the same model of participant fundraising with a minimum requirement, K-12 outreach, and a multi-hour flagship event benefiting a CMN Hospital.
• USC Dance Marathon: A West Coast peer Dance Marathon program at USC running the same Children's Miracle Network Hospitals model with year-round fundraising and an annual flagship event, providing a direct geographic competitor for sponsors and West Coast prestige.
• UCLA Dance Marathon: UCLA's student-run Dance Marathon is the program that inspired DM at SDSU and operates the same year-round fundraising model culminating in a 12-hour dance event for a CMN Hospital, making it the closest conceptual peer.

Broad incumbents

• Children's Miracle Network Hospitals: The national umbrella organization that DM at SDSU and 400+ other Dance Marathon programs raise funds for; it sets standards, provides infrastructure, and coordinates the broader fundraising movement in which DM at SDSU operates.

Others

• Rady Children's Hospital Foundation: The fundraising arm of DM at SDSU's sole beneficiary, Rady Children's Hospital; the relationship is the core revenue channel for all of DM at SDSU's fundraising, making the foundation the most directly connected ecosystem counterparty.

Emerging players

• PedsPal Children's Fundraising Network: An emerging platform organizing student and community-led pediatric hospital fundraisers; operates in the same pediatric-hospital philanthropy space as DM at SDSU but with a broader, less event-centric model.

Regional players

• Children's Hospital Los Angeles - Fundraising: A West Coast children's hospital fundraising program (CHLA) that competes with Rady Children's and CMN programs for regional corporate sponsors and donor mindshare, making it a relevant regional ecosystem peer rather than a direct Dance Marathon competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/DanceMarathonatSDSU
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dancemarathonsdsu
• Instagraminstagram.com/dmatsdsu
• TikToktiktok.com/@dmatsdsu

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Dance Marathon at San Diego State University