GiGi's Playhouse Chicago Dance-a-Thon: Six Years of Results

A family dance-a-thon that became the chapter's main event

GiGi's Playhouse Chicago, a Down syndrome achievement center that runs on donations, has run its Get Down With Down Syndrome Dance-a-Thon since 2015, judging by the edition numbers. Four posts on the chapter's own site, from 2016, 2017, 2019 and 2021, let us follow the event over six years. Across that stretch it changed venues, built a team-fundraising structure, set aside a 5K, and added a virtual option. In each of the three years with a single-year figure, the reported total landed between $30,000 and $34,000, and that steadiness is the useful part for other organizers.

All four posts are written by the organization itself, so they report what went well. None of them gives costs or net proceeds.

Year by year, as reported

Edition	Venue	Reported figure	What the figure is
2nd annual, 2016	Ravenswood United Church of Christ (hosting again)	"just over $34,000"	Single-year total; gross or net not stated
3rd annual, 2017	DePaul College Prep (new hosting partner)	over $31,000	Single-year, posted while the donation page was still open; a floor, not a final
5th anniversary, 2019	DePaul College Prep	over $150,000	Cumulative since the first event, announced before the 2019 edition; not a single year
7th annual, 2021	DePaul College Prep	over $30,000	Single-year, from silent auction, raffles and donations; gross or net not stated

The 2016 recap describes food, music and dancing, with DJs and volunteer dance leaders keeping people moving, and a raffle. It thanks eleven dancer teams that each raised more than $300, and it notes that online donation pages stayed open a few days after the party.

In 2017 the event moved to DePaul College Prep, a Chicago high school. The 2017 recap calls the crowd of nearly 300 the chapter's largest event to date. Sixteen teams registered. Two volunteer co-chairs and a five-person committee did the planning, and day-of volunteers covered setup, raffle sales and check-in. Donated goods and services topped $7,000, among them a DJ, a photo booth, two photographers, balloon décor, water and snacks, and poster printing. The goal had not yet been reached, so the donation page stayed open until October 31.

By 2021 the seventh edition, held December 5, ran in person with a virtual attendance option. The 2021 post lists sponsors by tier: one corporate sponsor at $10,000, two family sponsors at $5,000 and $2,500, a local business at $1,000 and two individuals at $500 each.

Why the chapter skipped a 5K to focus on dancing

The most instructive document in the set is a short letter from the chapter's board president, Maria Pradd, posted in March 2019. In it, the board announced it would not take part in the regional 5K that year so it could put its effort into the dance-a-thon. The letter describes the dance event as low cost, which leaves more money for the playhouse's free programs. It credits DePaul College Prep with donating the space, supplying student volunteers and offering ample free parking. Supporters were welcome to attend the 5K but were asked to save their fundraising requests for the dance-a-thon.

The same letter moved the date to Saturday, October 26, to fall in what it calls Down syndrome Acceptance Month, and reported that the event had raised "over $150,000" since it began.

What four self-published recaps leave out

We can verify the venues, dates, team counts, the 2017 attendance, the in-kind total, the 2021 sponsor tiers and the four dollar figures in the table. We cannot verify:

• Costs or net. No post states expenses, so we can't say what the playhouse kept. The 2019 letter says only that the event is low cost.
• Final 2017 total. The figure was posted with donations still coming in.
• Whether the 2021 sponsorships are inside the $30,000. The listed tiers add up to $19,500 by our arithmetic, but the post doesn't say how sponsorships relate to the total it reports.
• Length of the event and dancer counts. No post gives hours, and only 2017 gives attendance.
• The 2018 and 2020 results. These aren't in the posts we used.

The chapter's steady $30,000-plus also happens to sit around the middle of the community and nonprofit results in our dance-a-thon results database, though three of the seven single-year figures behind that median are GiGi's own.

Copying the GiGi's model: one event, a donated venue, teams

One big ask beats two medium ones

The 2019 letter is a rare written example of a charity choosing between two events for the same supporters. If your group already runs a walk or run, decide which event carries the year's peer-to-peer ask and tell families plainly. Our guide to community and nonprofit dance-a-thons covers team and sponsor structures for this kind of public event.

A donated venue changes the math

Space, parking and student volunteers from one partner take some of the biggest fixed costs off the table. Before you approach a school or congregation, price out what their contribution replaces in the dance-a-thon budget builder, so you can thank them with a real number.

Teams concentrate the money

In 2017 the top team alone reported $13,152, about 42% of the $31,000 posted. The top five teams together reported $22,402, about 72%. A few teams carried most of the money, and the chapter recognized more than the biggest total: its awards went to the largest team, the best team theme and the most money raised. Non-cash categories like these keep smaller teams engaged. See dance-a-thon prize ideas for more.

Keep the page open, then close it

Both recaps note the donation page stayed open after the party, in 2017 with a firm end date. A dated deadline gives you a final number and a reason for one last reminder. The guide to collecting pledges and closing the books walks through that last stretch.

Mind the tax rules on raffles and auctions

Raffles and a silent auction carried the 2021 event. The IRS says raffle ticket purchases are not deductible as charitable contributions, and a charity must give a written disclosure when a donor pays more than $75 for something that is partly a gift, according to IRS Publication 1771. State and local raffle rules vary, so check them before you print tickets.

This is one of several community events in our dance-a-thon case studies. If your guests span a wide range of ages and abilities, as a family event like this one does, our inclusive dance-a-thon guide has sensory and accessibility ideas.