SDSU’s State A Thon receives national 2023 Merchandise Award

State A Thon at South Dakota State University and its nod to the university’s agricultural roots earned a national award at the Dance Marathon Leadership Conference in St. Louis, Missouri, Aug. 3-6.

SDSU’s State A Thon took home the 2023 Merchandise Award when the Miracle Network Dance Marathon recognized top-performing Dance Marathon programs at the national conference last month.

The theme for State A Thon 2023 was “Boot Scootin’ Miracles” to highlight and recognize the student population of the university that is largely represented by agriculture and environmental science majors.

Miracle Network Dance Marathon is an international movement involving over 400 colleges, universities and K-12 schools across the United States and Canada that fundraise for their local member hospital of Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.

SDSU’s State A Thon, the largest student-run organization on campus, is a year-round fundraiser with a variety of activities that culminate each spring with its dance marathon. Money raised at SDSU benefits Children’s Miracle Network children and their families at Sanford Children’s Castle of Care Hospital in Sioux Falls, to help with expenses such as hotel stays, gas, specialists, games and more.

State A Thon’s executive board has 21 people, including adviser Matilyn Kerr, and last year’s event included 386 participants raising more than $143,000, State A Thon President Halle Hokanson said. 

A theme with strategy

In 2022-23, State A Thon strategically utilized merchandise to help participants feel connected to the cause and to enhance their recruitment efforts—resulting in a 20% increase of registered participants.

Once “Boot Scootin’ Miracles” was announced as the theme, the program started by selling buttons to promote it. Then closer to the spring event, organizers launched fundraising incentives—blue handkerchiefs for $500 raised, light-up blue cowboy hats for $750 raised, and Comma Club T-shirts for those raising more than $1,000—that were aimed at motivating participants to reach the next fundraising milestone. Event T-shirts were also created by a program participant in a design contest.

At the marathon, organizers wanted to ensure the experiences they created were unique and kept participants excited for the upcoming year. Instead of standard paper awards handed out for categories such as top fundraiser, best dressed and best attitude, last spring they gave each winner a homemade blue cowbell, hoping they would become keepsakes. The theme was also reflected in dance marathon participants’ outfits, as well as the decorations, music, games and other activities in the University Student Union last spring.

“I think the theme was really fun for our student population, since we are a huge ag school. It helped us recruit more of those students who maybe wouldn’t have been participants in other years,” State A Thon Family Relations co-chair Emma Lusk said.

Each piece of merchandise created by the program in 2022-23 was done with intention and helped to create conversations about State A Thon across campus, organizers say.

A program to watch

State A Thon students work throughout the year to raise funds one dollar at a time by making the ask to family and friends. They gain valuable skills in fundraising, peer management, delegation and philanthropy. Miracle Network Dance Marathon programs have collectively raised more than $350 million since 1991.

Lusk said State A Thon’s goal for this school year is to reach 400 participants with $150,000 raised. The next dance marathon at SDSU is set for April 13, 2024, with the theme to be announced.

Record highs for State A Thon participants and funds raised were set in spring 2019, with approximately 580 participants raising $179,000.

State A Thon started in 2001 and surpassed the million-dollar mark for collective funds raised in 2019. The SDSU program has seen considerable growth in recent years and is on track to reach its second million raised within the next two years, accomplished in seven years instead of the 18 years it took previously, Kerr said.

“It’s really cool to see how the program is growing, and I’m excited to see where it goes in the years beyond,” she added.

State A Thon is doing so well that it’s on Children’s Miracle Network’s radar as a program to watch due to its best practices and participant engagement. The Dance Marathon Leadership Conference was also an opportunity for SDSU representatives to get more ideas to better their program, by watching metrics and with new activities, recruitment and stewardship efforts.

“I think it’s hard to explain what State A Thon is or the impact that it has on families until you actually get to see it and experience it,” Kerr said, recalling some of the local beneficiaries who came out to last spring’s event. “These students put in so many long hours leading up to this event with powerful moments, and it’s all volunteer. For them to get recognized on the national level, … it’s a blessing. We feel really grateful for the recognition.” 

More awards

Kerr, who serves as SDSU’s program adviser for university traditions, took part in State A Thon as a student, emceed a couple of times, and has been adviser for the group since July 2018.

The 2023 Merchandise Award is actually the second national award for State A Thon, after Kerr was recognized with the Campus Advisor of the Year award at the 2020 Dance Marathon Leadership Conference, for going above and beyond in supporting the organization on campus.

Another award with an SDSU connection this year went to Bethany Olson, senior development officer at the Sanford Health Foundation, who was named the national 2023 Hospital Advisor of the Year. She has been working with State A Thon and the University of South Dakota’s Dance Marathon, plus other Children’s Miracle Network events like Miracle Treat Day and radiothons, since 2014.

Olson was nominated by both SDSU’s and USD’s Dance Marathon programs that she supports in her role, with both applications speaking to her willingness to support students in a variety of aspects, often going above and beyond to ensure they have the support needed to execute whatever goal or objective is at hand.