Dance Marathon announces new online fundraising platform

Paulina Firozi, Managing Editor

Dance Marathon announced a new Web-based fundraising system during the first all-dancer and committee meeting Thursday evening.

The new program, StayClassy, is an “online fundraising software for nonprofits,” according to its website. It will allow each dancer to have a personalized website that denotes fundraising goals and progress. Dancers can share their pages on social media and email them to donors.

“We are excited to reveal a new social and crowd-sourced fundraising platform,” finance co-chair John Park said in a DM news release. “We hope that this system makes it easier for dancers to reach their fundraising goals and spread awareness about our beneficiaries.”

StayClassy will replace DM’s old Intuit Online Accounts system, which is no longer available, according to the release.

In 2011, DM was given the title of “Most Influential College Organization” at StayClassy’s annual philanthropy award show.

Because each page allows dancers to customize and track goals beyond the required $400 per dancer, 2014 will be the first year individual fundraising totals will be public information throughout the process. The final count, which includes donations from corporations, will remain under wraps until the 30th-hour reveal in March.

Also new this year is the opportunity for people who are not dancing or otherwise involved in DM to create a StayClassy page and raise money for Team Joseph, the primary beneficiary, as well as Evanston Community Foundation, the secondary beneficiary.

— Paulina Firozi