USC Dance Marathon has been known for outpacing its own fundraising goals, sometimes by staggering amounts.
In 2013, it made a little under $225,000 for Palmetto Health Children’s Hospital. The following year, that figure reached over $318,000. (They expect to raise half a million dollars during this year’s main event on March 21.)
But the kind of money they raised last Thursday alone, called the “USC Day of Miracles,” blew us and everyone else away: Far past their original goal of $30,000, they raised a grand total of $54,750.61.
We believe this spike in donations had a lot to do with how many took it upon themselves to use Twitter as a machine to fuel donations.
In an unprompted wave of activity, hundreds posted tweets promising a seemingly petty donation (many were between $0.10 to $0.25) for every retweet and favorite their tweets received.
While it might not seem like much at first glance, many who promised donations for retweets often ended up handing over a respectable sum. Additionally, the sheer number of retweets spread the word and increased the chances others would take up the call.
USC President Harris Pastidespledged to donate $0.25 for every retweet and ended up giving $883.50 after he saw over 3,000 retweets himself.
Dance Marathon is at the top of their game right now, as this and their other fundraising projects plainly show.
For instance, their utilization of Carolina Cash for donations shows an understanding of how college students spend money on campus, leaning more toward cards than cash. They also publicly petitioned well-known USC students on Twitter, like Marcus Lattimore, to support their cause.
That being said, a dedicated, tweet-sized link to their primary donation page would have been an easier way for those who wanted to donate quickly and didn’t particularly have a team or individual in mind.
We absolutely commend Dance Marathon for their hard work and believe that the Day of Miracles was a success that other charity organizations should emulate if they’re looking to garner both attention and donations.
Their savvy, not only in adopting and promoting the one-day concept, but also carrying out several ways to get in on the action, is something any philanthropic group looking to get their operation off the ground should look to.
After all, this kind of success isn't only about growing organizations; it's about doing the most good for people in need.