Dance Fundraising Ideas - The Power of Dance in Fundraising

When it comes to using dance as an avenue for fundraising and bringing awareness to your cause, there are few others art forms that can transcend barriers and bring communities together they way dance does. This is because all groups include dance in their culture in some form or another, transcending language, age, and cultural barriers while at the same time offering exciting and fun ways to bring communities together.

By incorporating different dance styles into your fundraising ideas, anything from traditional folk dances to contemporary urban movements, you’re inviting a celebration of diversity and bringing your community together in a fun and unique way. Plus there are so many different ways of using dance for your charity, from putting on a ballet and selling tickets in a high end atmosphere, to hosting a square dance where everyone participates and simply has a fantastic time.

Most everyone enjoys dancing in one form or another, and dances are a great way to offer people a way to connect and network with others they may have never met before if it wasn’t for your fundraiser. Plus events that include your participants offer fun ways to improve their health, regardless of age or their individual dance abilities. Perfect for nonprofits that are health related and work within specific communities.

So whether you plan to host events where everyone is involved with a cool dance party theme, or you’re plan is to offer more traditional dance recitals and sell tickets to raise funds, there are a lot of Awesome dance fundraiser ideas you can incorporate, and we’re going to give you some of the very best ones, so read on.

Themed Dance Party Ideas for Your Next Fundraiser

Themed dance events are a great way to instill community engagement, have fun in a safe environment, and raise much needed funds for your nonprofit. And depending on where you are, you can host community specific events like a Texas Two Step in Dallas or a silent disco in Hudson Square, Manhattan. These ideas can work anywhere and are some sure ways to make your dance fundraising unique and really stand out!

1. Decades Night: Pick a decade (e.g., the '80s, '90s, '20s) and dancers get excited. And the best part is these types of events are easy to manage, and only require a decent DJ familiar with the time period’s music. If you can find a dance hall to partner with, even the better. You can ask all your attendees to dress in the period’s clothing to make things even more fun. Just think of a 70’s disco era dance party with everyone in bell bottomed jeans and platform shoes like in the movie Saturday Night Fever. Who knows, maybe Travolta will show up!
2. Masquerade Ball: Have guests come in formal attire with masks can be not just a fun way to host a fundraiser, but the mask idea adds a bit of mystery to the night. You can even push the envelope a little further and ask all your dancers to switch partners for certain songs, so now people need to guess who the other is. Plus you can have contests for who has the best mask, and the last song can be a relieving one where everyone unmasks. There is a lot you can do with this one!
3. Around the World: This one will take a bit of preparation to pull off, but around the world dance parties can be a lot of fun. Each part of the venue or different times of the night can represent a different country or culture. Think Salsa from Brazil, to square dancing for the USA. This gives everyone some variety, and sooner or later each individual will have an opportunity to show off their own culture’s dance moves. This can also be an opportunity to highlight the regions where your nonprofit is active if you have a global organization.
4. Hollywood Glamour: Inspired by the golden age of Hollywood, guests can dress as their favorite movie stars from times gone by. Think Ava Gardner and Clark Gable dressed in 1093’s attire. You could have a red carpet entrance and photo ops to make attendees feel like celebrities while even charging a small donation for a copy of the photos sent to them through email. If you have the budget, you could even incorporate an old style swing band and listen to the 30’s all night long. Perfect for a more sophisticated type of event where everyone gets to be a star.
5. Superhero Dance: Invite attendees to come as their favorite superheroes or create their own unique one. This is perfect for families and children love dressing up for Halloween, so why not use that costume one more time. You can also have photo ops here too by getting people to take pictures with their favorite superhero, and since they are all supporters, we’re sure they donate the few minutes for the op. In addition you can have contest for the best costumes, most original superhero idea and whatever else you can think of.
6. Futuristic/Sci-Fi Party: Think neon lights, electronic music, and futuristic outfits of aliens and strange beings from all over the galaxy. This theme can be especially appealing if your nonprofit focuses on technology or innovation and you can even consider using a silent disco idea for this one. That way you can hold your party anywhere and your dancers will never disturb a single alien.
7. Beach Party: So what it’s 0 degrees outside, you don’t need to be at the beach to have a beach themed fundraiser! In fact, it may be more fun as a winter fundraising idea than an actual beach party. All you need is some sand, a few inflatable pools, and a few tropical decorations like perhaps a tiki styled bar and flaming cocktails, just keep the kids away! Dancers can wear beach attire, and if it is the winter, perhaps you can get a tanning salon to offer a few booths as a way to make some extra income for your nonprofit.
8. Silent Disco: Silent discos have been really gaining popularity recently for a number of reasons. The dancer wears wireless headphones through which usually a DJ’s music is transmitted. And with the headphones of today, the sound is often fantastic. And the best part, you can hold these anywhere as a ‘pop-up’ event. Even in the middle of a quiet neighborhood. And you can even offer headphones for multiple DJ’s playing different types of music to each dancer for a variety of music possibilities. The possibilities are endless and the idea can be combined with any of our other themed event ideas.
9. Fairy Tale Ball: These can be exquisite galas or less formal gatherings of families with children. Either way you present the idea, it’s a cool way to make everyone feel special for a night. Guests can come dressed as characters from their favorite fairy tales or fantasy stories like Cinderella or Prince Charming, and you can decorate your venue with lavish splendor so everyone truly feels they are part of the fairy tale living in a magical kingdom. Including a magician or a jokester can add even more flare to the event, and help keep your guests entertained throughout the evening.
10. Vintage Swing Dance: For a fun and nostalgic event, consider incorporating old dance styles like the Charleston, Lindy Hop, and Swing from the 1920s and 1930s. These energetic and joyful dances can add a lively vintage flair to your gathering, making it memorable for all participants and a fantastic way to get people moving and interacting. It works best if you can offer live entertainment as there is just an electricity in the air of a live jazz band that just can’t be replicated any other way. You can even ask your supporters to dress up in the time period of the style you choose. Or combine it with something like famous movie stars of the time period. Your choices on how to make this idea even more exciting is only limited by your imagination!
11. Black and White Ball: A classic and sophisticated theme perfect for gala events where guests dress in only black and white. It's simple yet elegant and makes for striking visuals. Add an auction to events like these for even more fundraising opportunities, and even stream your event online for those supporters that couldn’t make it fro one reason or another.
12. Glow Party: Completely opposite from a stuffy black and white ball, a glow party utilizes black lights and special paints that you can use to dress up your party goers. You can also hand out glow sticks for a vibrant and energetic atmosphere and hang black light posters and other glow in the dark items for a truly bizarre mix. Ask your attendees to wear neon colors so they’ll reflect the black lights in a myriad of interesting ways making the whole night a true spectacle.
13. Zombie Dance: Perfect for a Halloween-time event or for charities that center on youth, guests can come as the living dead, and you can have makeup artists on-site to help with zombie transformations for a small donation. You can even include a haunted house theme to make the event stand out even more, and keep your supporters on their toes. Ask a local palm or Tara card reader if they’d be interested in doing their thing for free for a chance to hand out their business cards in return. There are a lot of interesting ideas you can include to make it a truly gory night.

These themed dance party event ideas are just the tip of the iceburg. There are so many other fun and interesting ways you can combine these, or tweak them to make them even more fun for your supporters.

Extra Fundraising Ideas to Raise Money at You Next Dance Fundraiser

We’ve offered a pretty extensive and broad array of ideas so you can profit from your next dance event. But let’s face it, anything can be improved upon. And that’s why we’ve include some additional ways that you can use to raise money at all your dance fundraisers and hopefully even surpass your initial fundraising goals and profit even more. So here are a few more additional strategies to increase the income for your nonprofit, which can all be integrated or used alongside your chosen event idea.

Sponsorships and Partnerships: Always seek sponsorships from local businesses and organizations for your themed events. These can include financial support, donations of products or services for the event (like food, drinks, or decorations), or even contributions towards a silent auction. Most local businesses love the opportunity to market themselves at local events as they’re getting a chance to target their actual consumers. This often makes it a win-win for both your nonprofit, and the business. Plus they get a tax write off for anything donated to the event!

Ticket Tiers and VIP Experiences: If you have the ability to offer ticketing, think tiered tickets. You can offer special VIP experiences that can be from something like not needing to pay for food and beverages, to meeting the dance team personally and getting photos taken with all the dancers afterwards. Or maybe front row seats during a live Jazz show, or meet-and-greets with special guests (like musicians, DJs or celebrities).

Silent Auctions and Raffles: Incorporate silent auctions or raffles into your events always brings in additional profits. For themed events like a Hollywood Glamour night, auction items can be movie memorabilia, celebrity autographs or autographed memorabilia, or even experience packages. Work with local businesses to secure donations for these auctions, emphasizing the exposure they'll receive in return.

Interactive Fundraising Activities: Integrate interactive fundraising activities such as dance-a-thons, where participants gather pledges for dancing for a certain amount of time, or competitions with entry fees like dance-offs or costume contests related to the theme of the event.

Merchandising: Sell themed merchandise related to your event. For example, glow-in-the-dark accessories for a Glow Party, vintage hats or jewelry for a Vintage Swing Dance, or superhero capes for a Superhero Dance. These items can be a fun reminder of the event while boosting your fundraising.

Food and Beverage Sales: Offer themed food and beverages that align with your event's concept. For example, 1920s-themed cocktails for a Vintage Swing Dance or exotic snacks for an Around the World party. Consider partnering with local food vendors or culinary schools that might offer services at a discount for the exposure or other fundraising products.

Photo and Video Souvenirs: Set up a professional photo booth or hire a photographer to capture moments from the event. Sell printed photos or digital downloads for a fee. For an added touch, use themed photo frames or backgrounds that match the event's theme.

Workshops and Classes: Before the main event, offer dance classes or workshops related to the event's theme. For example, salsa lessons before an Around the World party featuring Latin dances or swing dance classes for a Vintage Swing Dance event. Charge a separate fee for these classes to raise additional funds. You could even hold the event at an actual dance studio and have the owner give the class, this way they have a chance to add extra clients to their studio and it cost them nothing. This can also work for dance team fundraising ideas.

Streaming and Online Participation: For events with a wide appeal, such as the Fairy Tale Ball or the Black and White Ball, offer a live stream for supporters who cannot attend in person. Charge a reduced fee for online access, which could include exclusive online content like virtual tours or online auctions.

Matching Gifts: Encourage attendees to check if their employers offer matching gift programs. This can double the donations received without requiring extra effort from your supporters.

By integrating these strategies with our original dance fundraiser ideas above, your nonprofit can not only create unique and memorable events, but also significantly enhance your fundraising capabilities.

The Idea of Using Technology to Enhance Dance Fundraising

When it comes to using technology for your fundraising ideas, think anything from ticketing and accepting donations to fundraise, to engagement and social awareness for your cause.

Using Paybee or a similar nonprofit fundraising platform for all your events can dramatically affect the profitability and overall success of all your events. That’s because our software was specifically designed with nonprofits in mind, so we can handle everything when it comes to event management. This includes planning your event, dealing with venue rentals and even scheduling your team and assigning them specific tasks. And that’s just the beginning!

Imagine your attendees arriving at your event, allowing them to check in, register and pay for their tickets all online from their own phones. All the while all your donor’s details are being recorded in your database so you can build a more personal relationship with them based on their actions.

We can even handle your auctions whether they include silent auction, live galas or other types of hybrid auction events. And not only handle them, but give you the tools to both sell and promote the event through social media and other types of media channels, as well as live streaming the entire event so you can potentially connect to millions of people that can become supporters and help you raise even more dough.

It’s hard to explain just how much leg work events like these take, and how much of that work can be automated using the right software platform made specifically for the job. So we’ve created a free demo so you can see and test for yourself how powerful all of our tools and options can be. And how we can help transform your entire organization from the ground up. Check out our free demo here to sample all we can do for you.

FAQs: Answering Common Questions on Dance Fundraisers and Fundraising

Can a dancer or my school dance team fundraise legally?

If you decide to create a nonprofit for your team, yes. If not, then no. Although a minor can legally start a nonprofit, without proper 501(c) designation by the IRS, it is illegal for any type of team or organization to accept donations and any income is not be tax deductible for either party.

Do your dance fundraiser ideas require a studio or dancers?

No, not necessarily. While many of our ideas can be held anywhere large enough to accommodate the amount of people you anticipate will show, like a school or community hall, a dance studio is not always needed.

How can we maximize attendance at our dance fundraiser?

Promote your event through social media, local media, community calendars, and through partnerships with local businesses. You can also hit up your local school or invite cheer or dance teams to the event. Offering early bird tickets or group discounts can also boost attendance.

How do we choose the right dance theme for our fundraiser?

Consider your community's interests, the cause you're supporting, and any cultural or seasonal factors that might influence people to attend like our Halloween event idea. You can even go a step further and ask your potential attendees what typ of event they’d like to participate in. You can also check out our article on Cheer Fundraising Ideas here for more ideas.

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