Purdue University Dance Marathon (PUDM)

What Purdue University Dance Marathon (PUDM) does

Purdue University Dance Marathon (PUDM) is a student-run 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2005 at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. It operates a year-round fundraising and awareness program that culminates in an annual multi-hour dance marathon event, with all proceeds directed to Riley Hospital for Children at Indiana University Health through the organization's Children's Miracle Network Hospitals partnership. As of 2024, PUDM had supported 101 Riley Hospital families and raised $691,384.26 in its most recent campaign, bringing cumulative funds raised since founding to over $12.45 million.

The organization's revenue model is built on a five-tier participant commitment structure (Participant $300, Committee $920, Chair $1,924, Executive $3,500, and President $5,000) layered with corporate sponsorship and an alumni Boiler Society giving program (tiers at $324, $720, and $1,000+). Operations are powered by DonorDrive, a third-party online fundraising and peer-to-peer event registration platform, which handles donation processing, team pages, and participant tracking. The organization is staffed by a 32-member executive board drawn from the Purdue student body and has historically engaged a peak participation base of 2,150 dancers per event.

PUDM's strategic focus has broadened beyond traditional pediatric care funding to include named programmatic instruments such as the Tyler Trent Endowment for pediatric cancer research and a mental health programming pillar. The Boiler Society tiered alumni donor program is designed to convert graduating student participants into recurring lifetime donors, creating a multi-year revenue continuation mechanism beyond the annual student cohort cycle.

Name

Purdue University Dance Marathon (PUDM)

Legal name

Purdue University Dance Marathon

Website

https://pudm.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

PUDM is a student-run nonprofit at Purdue University that raises funds for Riley Hospital for Children through annual dance marathon events, multi-tier participant commitments ($300-$5,000), corporate sponsorships, and the Boiler Society alumni donor program, having cumulatively raised over $12.4 million since 2005.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Fundraising & Community Philanthropy

NAICS

Voluntary Health Organizations (813212), Civic and Social Organizations (8134), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

School Spirit & Events Programs (Pep Rally, Homecoming, Assemblies) (EDAJAJAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Fundraising & Annual Giving (EDALAOAB), Major Gifts, Planned Giving & Endowment Development (EDALAOAC)

Keywords

• Student philanthropy fundraising
• Dance marathon events
• Pediatric hospital fundraising
• Nonprofit community fundraising
• Campus charitable giving

Headquarters

HQ city

West Lafayette

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Students and community members make individual donations through the DonorDrive platform. Participants set personal fundraising goals ($300 for participants, up to $5000 for executives).
2. Corporate Sponsorships: Corporate sponsors provide monetary and in-kind donations. Sponsors include Allied-Solutions, Papa John's, Taco Bell, MER (Merchants Bank of Indiana), IBEW, Silent Events, PurdueU.com, Mad Mushroom, Hotbox Pizza, PU Dining Catering, Coca-Cola, AJS, Hammer Donuts, AnotherBrokenEgg, Beck's Hybrids, Wabash, and PUDM Alumni.
3. Event Tickets and Merchandise: Revenue from event tickets (e.g., $5-7 for concerts) and merchandise sold through the online store.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

PUDM is a student-run philanthropy organization that hosts an annual 16-hour dance marathon and year-round fundraising events at Purdue University. The organization recruits student participants who commit to fundraising goals (ranging from $300 for participants to $5,000 for presidents) and solicits donations and corporate sponsorships, with 100% of funds directed to Riley Hospital for Children for Child Life Programs and pediatric cancer research at the Herman B Wells Center.

Product overview

Purdue University Dance Marathon (PUDM) operates as a student-run philanthropy organization rather than a traditional software product company. The organization offers a single unified event-based program centered around an annual 16-hour dance marathon, supplemented by tiered membership programs (Committee Members, Participants, Team Captains, Conductors, Chairs, and Executives), a Boiler Society donor recognition program, and a merchandise store. The core product is the annual dance marathon where participants stand for 16 hours without sitting or sleeping to raise funds for Riley Hospital for Children. Year-round programming includes Miracle Madness push weeks, Day of Miracles fundraising events, and various committee-organized activities such as Color Runs, Block Parties, Dine-to-Donate events, and Riley Kid interactions. Merchandise is sold through an external vendor (Freckles Graphics).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Annual Dance Marathon The main annual 16-hour dance marathon event where over 1,800 Purdue students stand without sitting or sleeping to raise funds for Riley Hospital for Children.
• Committee Member Program

Quantifiable outcome

• $12,448,368.45 total raised since 2005
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• PUDM Alumni (PUDMA)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerAlumni organization that supports ongoing fundraising and provides mentorship to current members. PUDMA members can join through the PUDMalumni.org website.
• Children's Miracle Network HospitalscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of 170 children's hospitals across the US and Canada. Riley Hospital for Children is a member. PUDM raises funds as part of this network, which treats 32 million children annually.
• IU Dance Marathon (IUDM)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual Old Riley Bucket fundraising challenge between Purdue and IU dance marathons.
• FarmHouse FraternityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHonors legacy member John Romine through annual head-shaving event and bone marrow drive.
• Pi Kappa Phi FraternityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHonors legacy member David Feltner through their philanthropy 'The Ability Experience' and Bike-a-Thon tradition.
• Purdue AthleticsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCoordinates Riley Kid Games with softball, baseball, and women's basketball. Provides venue access and emcees for talent shows.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• Riley Children's Foundation: The fundraising arm of PUDM's beneficiary, Riley Hospital for Children. While not a direct peer, Riley Children's Foundation is the institutional recipient of 100% of PUDM's funds and shapes which programs PUDM supports (Child Life, Wells Center, Tyler Trent Endowment).

Direct peers

• Indiana University Dance Marathon (IUDM): PUDM's most direct peer: same state, same CMN hospital ecosystem, same Big Ten campus, annual Old Riley Bucket fundraising challenge against PUDM. Mirrors the model of a collegiate dance marathon supporting Riley Hospital for Children.
• Ohio State BuckeyeThon: Ohio State's dance marathon supporting Nationwide Children's Hospital. Big Ten peer running a similar year-round student-led fundraising model with tiered engagement and corporate sponsorships.
• University of Maryland Terp Thon: University of Maryland's collegiate dance marathon supporting Children's National Hospital. Comparable peer in the broader Dance Marathon community sharing event format, CMN affiliation, and student-led fundraising structure.
• University of Iowa Dance Marathon (DM): Big Ten collegiate dance marathon raising funds for the University of Iowa Stead Family Children's Hospital. Operates on a near-identical multi-tier engagement model and 24-hour event format.
• Penn State Dance Marathon (THON): THON is the largest student-run philanthropy in the world, raising $20M+ annually for pediatric cancer at Penn State Hershey. Directly comparable as a Big Ten-affiliated, student-run dance marathon supporting a single CMN-affiliated children's hospital.
• Northwestern University Dance Marathon (NUDM): Northwestern's student-run dance marathon supporting the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago. Big Ten peer with similar 30-hour event format and tiered participant fundraising model.
• University of Michigan Michigan Miracles: University of Michigan's dance marathon supporting C.S. Mott Children's Hospital. Directly comparable as a Big Ten student philanthropy with the same CMN hospital affiliation and dance marathon event structure.
• University of Minnesota Dance Marathon (DM): Big Ten collegiate dance marathon supporting University of Minnesota Masonic Children's Hospital. Comparable scale, structure, and CMN affiliation to PUDM.

Broad incumbents

• Children's Miracle Network Hospitals: The parent network of 170 children's hospitals that PUDM operates within. While not a peer fundraiser, CMN provides the framework, awards, conferences (DMLC), and beneficiary infrastructure that defines PUDM's operating model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/PUDM
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/PUDanceMarathon
• Facebookfacebook.com/PUDMarathon
• Instagraminstagram.com/purduedancemarathon
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/purdue-university-dancer-marathon-pudm

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 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 Purdue University Dance Marathon (PUDM)