2014-2015 Dance Marathon Director Application
Instructions
Anyone applying for the position of Executive or Associate Director for Dance Marathon 20142015 must fill out the attached application
Applications are due by Friday February 21, 2014 by 5:00PM at the latest. Please send your
application to dmum.directorselectors@umich.edu by the deadline. When you turn in your
application, make sure to sign up for an interview time. Interview times will be held the week
preceding spring break.
Interviews will begin on Monday February 23rd and will be completed by Friday, February 27th.
Applicants’ interviews will last approximately 1 hour. Please do not fill out a Central Planning
Team application if you are applying for a position as a Director. If you are not selected to be a
Director, you may choose to have your application submitted as a Central Planning Team
application.
Director Transition Retreat will take place the weekend of March 15th. When applying, please
note this time in your schedule.
Special Notes: No applications will be accepted solely for the Executive Director position:
Applicants must select Associate Director Positions for the application and interview.
For more information, please call any of the following Directors:
Nora Saari:
Monica Philipp:
Stevie Czabaniuk:
Sam Kosinski:
732.757.8152
248.342.3367
734.678.6408
231.590.0280
Dance Marathon at the University of Michigan improves the quality of life for children with
disabilities by:
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Developing relationships between college students and participating families
Raising funds in a creative and energetic manner to support pediatric rehabilitation
programs
Educating the campus and community about our cause
All Board of Director Responsibilities
Oversee all aspects of Dance Marathon, Inc. throughout the year by:
 Acting as the legally liable officers of the non-profit organization
 Interviewing and selecting the Central Planning Team
 Serving as spokespersons and representatives for Dance Marathon to all members of the
DMUM community, including the families and hospitals
 Assisting in development and implementation of new events/ideas
 Approve budgets
 Assist chairpersons with various duties
 Attend various DMUM events and team meetings
 Implement Strategic Planning of the Organization including:
o Fundraising goals and initiatives
o Funding Allocations Decisions and Processes
o Leadership Transition Processes
o Major Gifts and Initiatives
Associate Director - External:
The External Director is a voting member on the Board of Directors, and is responsible for
fulfilling all obligations as stated above. He/she is also responsible for overseeing the
development and maintenance of relationships with various organizations, including local
businesses, campus and community organizations, media outlets, affiliated hospitals, local high
schools, and other dance marathons. Additionally, the External Director manages the planned
reach-outs and stewardship for our donors and alumni, and the overall strategic growth of the
organization's reach. In 2013-2014, the External Director was responsible for overseeing the
efforts of the following committees: K-12 Engagement, Communications, Community Relations,
Development, Affiliate Programs, and Sponsor Relations.
Associate Director - Operations:
The Operations Director is responsible for executing the core responsibilities of DMUM as a
501(c)3 non-profit and as a University of Michigan student organization. Additionally, the
Operations Director facilitates the management and growth of the information foundation of
DMUM as whole.
The Operations Director aids the Operations team with responsibilities such as:
 DMUM Office & technologies maintenance
 Completion of yearly audit
 General website maintenance
 Database maintenance and utilization
 Finances management
 Marketing Efforts
Associate Director - Internal:
The Internal Director is responsible for coordinating strategy and execution of efforts to create the
best Dancer and Family Experiences possible. This includes looking to the future to improve upon
current efforts and initiate new projects. In addition, the Internal Director is responsible for
maintaining positive relationships with DM-sponsored program staff to ensure the continuation of
positive exchanges.
The Internal Director is responsible for overseeing the efforts of the following committees: Dancer
Engagement, Dancer Fundraising, Dancer Relations, Education Therapy Relations, Family
Relations, and Recruitment
2013-20134 Initiatives Include:
 Establishing and facilitating pod councils
 Improving relationships with program staff to increase the impact of therapy programs
 Improving communication tactics between internal and other facets of the organization
 Providing Dancers with a greater understanding of our cause and our funds
 Reshaping the allocation process
The Internal Director is also responsible for coordinating and planning weekly Internal Chair
meetings and weekly Internal Representative meetings.
 Internal CPT Meeting 1x/week (topics, format)
 All Internal Meetings 1x/week (topics, format)
Associate Director - Planning:
The Planning Team works to provide an effective interface to interact with our organization and
cause. This team creates and implements the framework for engaging and efficient organizationwide programming and events throughout the year. The Planning Team works to further involve
and utilize other sides of the organization in programming and events, to ensure a more inclusive
impact of our organizational efforts.
The Planning Director supports the team with responsibilities such as:
 Event Planning
 Hospitality
 Personnel Management
 Entertainment
 Event Scheduling
 Facility Management
 Fundraising Events
 Event Programming
 Contract Negotiations
Executive Director:
The Executive Director is responsible for maintaining all aspects of Dance Marathon, The
Executive Director oversees and guides the Central Planning Team as a whole, and is chiefly
responsible for the strategic planning of the long-term efforts of the organization.
The Executive Director is a liaison to campus, the families, the hospitals, alumni, and all other
stakeholders in the organization including:
 President of U of M, Mary Sue Coleman
 Director of Athletics, Dave Brandon
 Vice President of Development, Jerry May
 Vice President for Student Affairs, E. Royster Harper
 DMUM Advisor, Keith Soster
 Beaumont Development Officer, Katie Groves
 Mott Major Gift Officers, Michael Wallace and Lauren Stewart
 Mott Administrator, Sara Hickey
 North Star Reach CEO and Development Officers, Doug Armstrong and Patrick Smith
 Children’s Miracle Network Representatives, Zac Johnson and Rachel Prescott
 DMUM Lawyers, Bryan Ackerman and Evan Meyers
 All former Executive Directors
 Leadership in other Dance Marathon’s
The Executive Director is also responsible for planning and running weekly Director Council
meetings and Central Planning Team meetings.
 CPT Meetings 1x Weekly- 8PM Sundays (Topics, Format)
 Directors Meetings 2x Weekly (Topics, Format)
 CPT Retreats 1st and 2nd Semester
Part I - General Information
NAME: _________________
PHONE: ________________
EMAIL: _________________
YEAR (in 2013-2014): ______
MAJOR: _________________
PLEASE RANK IN ORDER OF YOUR PREFERENCE (1 = HIGHEST INTEREST, 4 = LOWEST):
ASSOCIATE DIRECTORS:
EXTERNAL __ INTERNAL __
PLANNING __
OPERATIONS __
PLEASE CHECK IF YOU ARE NOT INTERESTED IN THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
POSITION:
Part II - General Director Questions (all responses must be LESS than 300 words)
1. Why do you want to be a Director?
2. What do you hope to accomplish as a member of the Directors Council?
3. Please describe your strengths and weaknesses as a leader.
4. What value or principles guide the way you interact with others?
5. What are your concerns about being a Director?
6. What do you see as the role of the Executive Director in the organization?
Part IV - Organizational Ideas & Growth (all responses must be LESS than 300
words)
1. Please describe one or two organizational level areas of growth and opportunity for the
organization.
2. Select one of the areas of growth you listed above and detail how each associate team
could contribute to achievement in this area.
3. Please describe one or two organizational levels of concern and potential ways to
overcome them.
4. How do you plan to promote collaboration across associate teams or within your team as
a director?
Part III - Associate Director Specific Questions (all responses must be LESS than
300 words)
Please answer the following questions with regard to your top selected Associate Director
position.
1. What is the biggest area of growth for this associate team?
2. What personal and organizational challenges do you foresee if you were to be selected
for this associate director position? What is your plan to overcome these challenges?
3. What do you see as the role of this associate team within the organization?
Are there any additional things you would like Director Selectors to consider in your application?
Part V - The Central Planning Team, 2014-2015
If you are not selected as a Director, you may choose to have your application considered for the
Central Planning Team. If so, please write in your top four CPT position preferences.
Operations
Information Management
Financial Management (2 chairs)
Marketing
Web Development
Planning
Engagement Events
Entertainment
Event Management
Fundraising Events
Special Events
External
Affiliate Programs
Communications
Community Relations
Development
K-12 Engagement
Sponsor Relations
Internal
Dancer Engagement
Dancer Fundraising
Dancer Relations
Education & Therapy Relations
Family Relations
Recruitment
1. _________________
2. _________________
3. _________________
4. _________________
Please explain the rationale behind your rankings in less than 300 words.