1. KU Dance Marathon Findings and Recommendations Lawrence Communications Andrea Franz Erica Keefer BreckenLiebl Ben Wilinsky May 9, 2011

3. Method……………………………………...5

4. Limitations………………………………….7

5. Findings…………………………………….8

6. Recommendations………………………..18

7. Sources……………………………………..20KU Dance Marathon Findings and Recommendations

9. The interestamong undergraduates to participate in KU Dance Marathon

10. The most effective promotion channels for the event (social media, word of mouth, etc.)

11. The ideal time frame to hold the main 12-hour event3

13. Increase the number of registered participants

14. Encourage fundraising efforts prior to the main KU DanceMarathon event

15. Maintain participation in KU Dance Marathon throughout the year and during the main event4

16. Method KU Dance Marathon Findings and Recommendations 5 Who: J568 students surveyed University of Kansas undergraduate freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors. We interviewed two students from each grade individually and compiled our collective results. There were 404 respondents, 202 men and 202 women. We implemented screening questions to filter out undergraduates who had not heard of KU Dance Marathon. What: J568 students wanted to know what drove students to attend KU Dance Marathon in the past and what is the chance of them returning to KU Dance Marathon this year.

17. KU Dance Marathon Findings and Recommendations 6 Method Continued Where/When: J568 students wanted to know where and when the undergraduates heard about KU Dance Marathon in the past. We also wanted to know when the students would be the most likely to attend KUDM in the future. J568 students surveyed undergraduates on campus. How: J568 students wanted to know how undergraduates found out about KUDM. How many: J568 students wanted to know how many undergraduates know about KU Dance Marathon and the activities that complement KU Dance Marathon as well as how many students know what organization KU Dance Marathon benefits.

18. Limitations KU Dance Marathon Findings and Recommendations 7 Surveyor errors included not having an equal sample from each grade level. There should have been an equal representation from each class; however, the total number of respondents revealed that there was 25.2 percent freshmen, juniors and seniors and only 24.3 percent in sophomore responses. Without validation forms, there is a chance that students charged with assessing the surveys were dishonest. Another limitations is respondent error. Some respondents may have misunderstood questions or were dishonest about their knowledge of KU Dance Marathon. Timing could have also been a limitation as these surveys were sometimes assessed to students in a hurry and on their way to class. Surveys on campus may be inconvenient for students to complete.

19. KU Dance Marathon Findings and Recommendations 8 Findings KU Student Organizations and Awareness Levels Which of the following KU student organizations have you heard of? 87%  78%  75%  -Women were 10% more likely to have heard of Relay For Life than men. -Women were 13% more likely to have heard about KU Dance Marathon than men. -Women were 17% more likely to have heard about Up till Dawn than men. 45%  Awareness (%) 15% 

20. FindingsWays KU Dance Marathon Promoted Its Event and Student Awareness KU Dance Marathon Findings and Recommendations You mentioned you are aware of the KU Dance Marathon. In which of the following ways have you seen or heard KU Dance Marathon promoted? 9 -Seniors were 11 percent more likely to have seen chalking on campus about KU Dance Marathon than the general population. -Sophomores were 11 percent more likely to have heard about KU Dance Marathon through Facebook than the general population. -The majority of survey respondents heard KU Dance Marathon promoted through chalking on campus, Facebook, in a UDK story, and through a friend or classmate.

22. Less than 25 percent of respondents could name the actual benefactor of KU Dance Marathon 52%  27%  21% 

24. Only 11.3 percent of respondents have attended KUDM

25. 32.2 percent of respondents are already aware of KU Dance Marathon, yet have not attended 57%  32%  11% 

27. Most students knew that there is food at the event (81.2%) and games (65.4%)65%  5% 

30. A majority of students are aware of Trivia Nights (54%)

31. For the Kids Field Day is the least known event (10.6%)54%  25%  20%  15%  15%  11% 

34. Men were 12 percent more likely to say they probably would not attend KU Dance Marathon

35. No women responded that they definitely would not attend KU Dance Marathon37%  Attendance (%) 28%  20%  13%  3% 

38. A majority of students do not know that KU Dance Marathon hosts events during the year (62.8%). To better promote the special events, KU Dance Marathon could try to do some advertising at the restaurants and other venues that hold the special events prior to the events by using tabletop ad-stands at restaurants

39. Because age seems to be a determinant of participation likelihood, KU Dance Marathon could target freshmen to engage them early and have them participate all 4 years

40. Hold KU Dance Marathon from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. 18

42. Northwestern’s Dance Marathon website also offers a place to register right from the homepage

43. University of Florida’s event is sponsored by more than 60 supporters. Adding sponsors can add awareness and event loyalty

44. University of Florida publishes an online alumni newsletter to increase support from alumni

45. Penn State University has an in-depth and interactive website that is more user-friendly. 19

46. Sources KU Dance Marathon Findings and Recommendations Northwestern University Dance Marathon http://nudm.org/ The University of Florida http://www.floridadm.org/ Penn State University Thon http://www.thon.org/ 20