When hundreds of thousands of dollars go to one charity in one single event, some nickels and dimes go uncollected.

According to Darby Robinson, Interfraternity/Panhellenic Councils Dance Marathon Financial Committee Chairperson, the marathon collected 89 percent of last year's $671,572.92 in pledges. Robinson added, "We are still getting checks from last year."

In the past, dancers were responsible for collecting pledges less than $5, but this year's dancers are required only to collect donations of $2.40 or less directly from their sponsors, said Dennis Foley, Rules and Regulations Committee chairperson.

"We collect a much higher percentage of pledges through mail billing than we do through the dancers, so we decided to lower the amount in order to make the process more efficient and profitable for the charity," Foley said.

Foley said collections are divided into two areas; direct cash donations from canning, and pledges per hour made to the dancers and collected through billing.

Marathon officials bill sponsors 10 days after the event, and remind those who have not paid after one month. If the majority of a couple's sponsors fail to pay, Robinson said officials speak with the dancers. After the second billing, the Four Diamonds Fund is responsible for soliciting the remaining donations.

When collection notices are sent, a self-addressed stamped envelope is included to make payment more convenient for sponsors, Foley said.

Even though the marathon attempts to bill efficiently, some students who pledged money in previous years said the billing process was impersonal and inconvenient.

"I prefer paying the donation in person," said Parul Joshi (junior-biology). "I didn't like the bill because I kept forgetting about it."

She added that although the bill became a nuisance, she still realized the importance of making the donation.

To be eligible to dance, couples must have $8 in pledges for each of the 48 hours of the marathon. This totals $384 per couple for the weekend.