Wednesday, September 29, 2010

What is tomorrow?

This is just a reminder that Exec Board emails are due tomorrow! I would love to receive emails from each and every one of you :)

Please track me down if you have any questions.

Keep up the DMGC spirit!!

FTK!!

Saturday, September 25, 2010

Committee Position Descriptions

Sorry about the delay!! I'm still trying to figure out how this site works!!

Here are the descriptions. Make sure to read the previous posts to learn more about applying for a position.
Let me know if there are any questions!


FTK!

Dance Marathon Committee Structure Descriptions

Overall Chair
The Overall Chair crafts the vision of what Dance Marathon will become, promotes that vision as the public face of Dance Marathon, and provides leadership, direction and motivation for the team effort. The Overall Chair is an individual with strong leadership and decision-making skills. He or she is ideally a great public speaker and solid motivator; has the big picture thinking that will inspire others and allow the program to grow into the future; and is detail-oriented enough to manage the committees under his or her leadership.

  • Set the program's vision
  • Promote Dance Marathon and act as program expert
  • Select a strong committee
  • Work with and motivate committees
  • Mediate without micromanaging
  • Ensure a smooth transition to new leadership
 

Internal Chair
The Internal Chair (together with the External Chair) acts as second-in-command to the Overall Chair. Specifically, he or she oversees all aspects surrounding the Dance Marathon event, and manages the committees that are responsible for all of the details surrounding the day-of activities. Internal committees include: Catering, Entertainment, Family Relations, Morale, and Operations.

  • Second-in-command (with External Chair)
  • Strategic decision-making as member of Board of Managers
  • Track timelines and facilitate activities of internal committees; guide and motivate
  • Mediate without micromanaging
  • Prepared to assume individual committee chair roles if needed
 

External Chair
The External Chair (together with the Internal Chair) acts as second-in-command to the Overall Chair. Specifically, he or she oversees all aspects of the Dance Marathon program leading up to the day-of event, and manages the committees that are responsible for all of the details surrounding those activities. External committees include: Finance, Fundraising, Dancer Relations, Marketing, Public Relations, and Technology.

  • Second-in-command (with Internal Chair)
  • Strategic decision-making as member of Board of Managers
  • Track timelines and facilitate activities of internal committees; guide and motivate
  • Mediate without micromanaging
  • Prepared to assume individual committee chair roles if needed
 

Campus Relations
The Campus Relations committee focuses specifically on reaching out to, and building relationships with, your campus community. The committee strategically reaches out to various groups on campus to educate them about Dance Marathon and encourage their participation in the cause. The committee maintains a positive relationship with these groups, and may also organize support for campus groups by Dance Marathon.
Members should be comfortable speaking about Dance Marathon and able to translate their passion for the cause to compel others to participate. They should be professional enough to make presentations to various groups, and responsible enough to maintain relationships with those groups.
For new Marathons, this committee will most likely be rolled under Dancer Relations. As participation grows and the burden on Dancer Relations is greater, you may find it useful to have a committee dedicated solely to specific campus groups or organizations.

  • Reach out and promote Dance Marathon to groups on campus
  • Consider faculty, staff, Greek houses, athletics, indepedent groups, etc.
  • Create and maintain a positive image of Dance Marathon among these groups
  • Support other groups in their activities to buiild goodwill
 

Catering
The Catering committee plays a vital role in the success of Dance Marathon by ensuring that everyone is well fed and fueled throughout the long night. The Catering committee is responsible for all aspects of food and beverage for Dance Marathon, including soliciting donations from local food providers, arranging storage or scheduling deliveries during the event, and prepping and serving each meal or snack.
Catering requires a good deal of organization and coordination. Committee members are ideally focused and able to plan ahead, but flexible enough to think quickly if things do not go as planned. They should be responsible and professional, as they will be soliciting the in-kind meal donations that are the core of this event.  

  • Solicit in-kind food donations
  • Create the event menu
  • Serve and prepare all scheduled meals and snacks
  • Work with external committees on catering needs for special events, meetings, and other activities
 

Corporate Relations
The Corporate Relations committee is responsible for identifying, approaching, and asking community partners to support your program through cash or in-kind donations. For a new Dance Marathon, the corporate relations function is typically rolled into the Fundraising committee. As your marathon matures and fundraising needs are greater, some programs choose to establish Corporate Relations as a stand-alone committee. Because members will be representing Dance Marathon to the public, they should be professional in their manner, and comfortable asking others to donate money, goods, or services.

  • Solicit community partners for cash or in-kind donations to meet committee needs and support Dance Marathon.
 

Dancer Relations
Dancer Relations committee members are energetic ambassadors for Dance Marathon. More than just cheerleaders, Dancer Relations plays an essential role in dancer, recruitment, generating enthusiasm among potential dancers and establishing personal connections that will motivate students to participate. They work hard to keep everyone informed, prepared, and excited about the experience they are about to have.
Dancer Relations committee members are outgoing and energetic. They have passion for the cause and are able to use that passion to pursuade others to participate. Typically enthusiastic, you also need responsible, reliable members who understand the important role they play and who can follow through on assignments.

  • Recruit, register, and communicate with dancers
  • Participate in Dance Marathon promotional efforts
  • Organize and lead Dancer Callout meetings
  • Establish dancer groups to motivate, inspire and inform
  • Keep dancers excited and engaged from registration to day-of event
  • Develop detailed Dancer Packet
  • Collect post-event feedback from dancers
 

Entertainment
Dance Marathon is one big party, and it is up to the Entertainment committee to make sure that it doesn't stop. Entertainment is responsible for recruiting exciting, high-energy music, dance, and other acts that will help keep the dancers' feet moving and energy up throughout the event. The Entertainment chair schedules acts and creates a master timeline for each minute of Dance Marathon.

  • Recruit entertainment acts
  • Control the Dance Marathon master schedule
  • Create an entertainment line up that will keep dancers energized
  • Recruit entertainment for other special events throughout the year
 

Family Relations
The Family Relations committee works with the hospital to make Miracle Children and their families an integral part of Dance Marathon. After all, they are the reason we are all here! By working with the hospital to identify families, incorporating their stories into regular meetings, publicity events, and Dance Marathon itself, the committee connects all others to the cause. The kids make Dance Marathon a touching and inspiring experience for everyone involved.
Family Relations committee members will have direct contact with families and children who often have special needs. They should be able to act with discretion and compassion, always putting the needs of the families first. Being comfortable with children - especially sick kids - is a bonus.

  • Connect all other committees and participants to the cause
  • Work with your hospital to identify appropriate families
  • Incorporate Miracle Children and families all year long
  • Highlight Miracle Children and families throughout Dance Marathon event
  • Create Family Room and staff during Dance Marathon
 

Finance
The Finance committee oversees all aspects of Dance Marathon that involve collecting, counting, and reporting money. From setting and managing the overall budget, to accounting for dollars received from fundraising events, the final total revealed at the end of the evening will be the result of this committee's careful work.
The Finance committee needs members who are comfortable working with money and numbers. In the year leading up to the Dance Marathon event, money will change hands frequently, and both income and expenses must be accurate.  Members need to be dedicated too. Following Dance Marathon there is still work to be done - the job is not finished until the final check has been cut and delivered to the hospital.

  • Oversees all financial aspects of Dance Marathon including: accounts; budgets; reporting and collecting funds and donations
  • Establish and monitor Dance Marathon budgets
  • Track and update fundraising information for dancers and sponsors
  • Calculate final total and organize total reveal at Dance Marathon event finale
  • Post-event follow up to collect any outstanding funds, send tax receipts to donors, and cut check for hospital
 

Fundraising
The purpose of Dance Marathon is to raise funds for the kids! The Fundraising committee takes the lead in developing all aspects of raising funds - from setting dancer fundraising goals; motivating groups and individuals to raise money through donations; soliciting underwriting support from sponsors; and executing special fundraising events.
Committee members should be outgoing, professional students. They should be comfortable encouraging others to participate, motivating them to give their time, money, good or services in support of Dance Marathon.

  • Motivate groups and individuals to raise money
  • Organize fundraising opportunities (canning, online, letter writing)
  • Solicit sponsorships from community businesses
  • Create and execute special fundraising events (car wash, 5K, etc.)
  • Implement day-of fundraising opportunities at Dance Marathon
 

Marketing
The Marketing committee focuses on developing ways to promote Dance Marathon and drive interest among different audiences. The committee identifies ways that Dance Marathon can meet the needs of each audience - dancers, businesses, others - and develops tools that can help the program meet those needs. 
Members should be comfortable making presentations and professional in their attitude and dress. They should be organized, flexible, and strategic thinkers. A great place to find committee members in among Business majors on campus - they are often looking for ways to apply their classwork to real life situations.
  • Develop the Marketing Packet
  • Set sponsorship levels and benefits
  • Indentify target businesses to approach for in-kind or cash donations
  • Develop campaigns and activities to promote Dance Marathon
 

Morale
Always one level of excitement above the crowd, the energy and passion of the Morale committee drives the success of Dance Marathon by keeping the dancers excited, entertained, and connected to the cause throughout the event. For the dancers, Moralers are cheerleaders, advisors, coaches, and friends.
Morale members, or "captains", need to constant energy and passion to energize the dancers in any situation. They also need compassion and the ability to motivate each person through the toughest hours of the event.
  • Create and teach the Morale Dance to all attendees and committees
  • Develop theme hours, activities, and games for Dance Marathon
  • Provide emotional support for dancers throughout the event
  • Organize and lead Morale Groups throughout the event
  • Coordinate pre-event Dancer Information meeting
 

 Operations
The Operations committee is the backbone of Dance Marathon. Working behind the scenes, committee members lay the physical foundations that make a successful Dance Marathon. The committee takes the lead in securing the space where you will hold the event; developing an organized floor plan; scheduling deliveries and storage at the site; and coordinating the set up, break down, and clean up of each element of your marathon.
Committee members need to be organized and able to think on their feet. They should be willing and able to pitch in wherever needed - from all of the setup details and planning prior to the event, and afterwards when clean up is essential.

  • Choose the Dance Marathon location
  • Communicate the event layout, manage master floor plan
  • Communicate rules and regulations for the space to all participants
  • Coordinate deliveries, storage, and other logistics
  • Set up and break down physical elements of the event
  • Lead all other committees in clean up efforts when event is over
 

Public Relations
The Public Relations committee plays a lead role in creating awareness, generating buzz, and building a positive image for Dance Marathon. The committee targets various audiences by developing key messages; identifying, building, and maintaining relationships with the media; and creating the press kit and other key communication tools to promote Dance Marathon. The committee's efforts generate buzz and build a positive image for Dance Marathon in the community.
Public Relations committee members should be professional in both their actions and dress. They should be comfortable reaching out to the media, and able to develop and maintain relationships with key players. They should also be comfortable speaking to audiences -on camera experience is a bonus. A great place to look is among the communications, journalism, or public relations majors on campus. 
 
  • Define major messages and talking points for Dance Marathon
  • Promote two-way communication with Dance Marathon audiences
  • Develop professional Press Kit and other communications tools
  • Research, target, and proactively reach out to various media outlets
  • Represent Dance Marathon to the media in person and on camera
 

Special Event
Special Event -car washes, 5K runs, restaurant days -raise funds and awareness for Dance Marathon. Special events are also an opportunity to attract groups around campus or in the community that might not otherwise be involved with Dance Marathon. Like Corporate Relations, the special events functions for a new marathon are typically rolled into the Fundraising committee. As the program matures, you may decide to create a stand-alone committee.
  • Create and execute special fundraising events for Dance Marathon
 

Technology
The Technology committee plays an crucial role in developing and maintaining all aspects of Dance Marathon's online presence. From building the group's landing page, to coordinating online fundraising and social networking, or taking photos during special events, the Technology committee keeps everyone connected to the cause.
 
 The Technology committee is one of the smaller groups within Dance Marathon. For a new program, this may even be a committee of one. However many members you have, they will need to be well-versed in the technical aspects of building and maintaining websites, email addresses, and other online tools.
  • Create and maintain the Dance Marathon website
  • Manage the development and use of online fundraising website
  • Establish and manage Dance Marathon social networking efforts (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc.)
  • Skills to develop other technical resources are a bonus
 









Thursday, September 23, 2010

Exec Board Update!

I've made some changes for the Exec Board deadline to give more people the opportunity to be involved.

If anyone is interested in applying for a position on DMGC Exec Board, look over the positions and see what interests you. Send me an email listing your top 3 choices and a paragraph explaining why you should have this position. Send me your emails by Wednesday, September 29.

All of the positions listed won't be a part of our Exec Board. These are the positions that are popular and work at other schools. The DMGC Exec Board will be shaped after this structure. It is just to give you an idea of what we are shooting for.

Please feel free to run anything by me or ask questions- that's what I'm here for.


Subscribe to the blog and spread the word about DMGC!

FTK!

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

DMGC needs YOU!

Welcome to the Dance Marathon Georgetown College Blog!! 
This is where you will be kept up to date on all the exciting things that are happening in the realm of DMGC.

Before any DMGC planning takes place we first need to organize a planning team- Exec Board.

If you are interested in being on the DM Exec Board, check out the jobs and descriptions. Email me by Friday September 24 and let me know your top 3 choices and a paragraph about why you should be in this position. If there are any questions, please feel free to contact me at : dancemarathongc@gmail.com.

FTK!