Do you have a wish-list a mile long for things for your classroom, but
can't afford it all yourself? DonorsChoose can help! DonorsChoose is a
non-profit organization where teachers can go on, create a profile,
and request items for their classroom. Family, friends, student's
parents, even strangers can make secure, tax-deductible donations to your
project. When it is funded, DonorsChoose purchases the items and sends
them directly to your school. You, the teacher, write a thank you
letter, take pictures of the students using the items, and have the
students write letters as well. It takes about 20 minutes to
write up a proposal and about an hour to gather all the materials for
the "thank you package", but in the end, you have valuable supplies for
your classroom that you wouldn't normally have!
I've raised over $4,000 for my classroom in the past five years! I
didn't have any projects during the 2009/2010 school year. That is the
year I had my daughter and returned to school part time for the rest of
the year. I guess I didn't have much time for fund raising that year! :)
Here are some tips for teachers who are new to DonorsChoose:
- Browse the website to see how teachers word their projects. It can
help get an idea of what to write in each section. I sometimes peruse
other teacher's projects from my school district to get inspiration.
- Link your DonorsChoose account to your Facebook page. Many of my
projects have been funded by family and friends who saw my project on my
Facebook page. People's generosity is surprising and heartwarming.
- Look on the eMall (online shopping page through Donorschoose) to see
what products they offer. They only do business which certain vendors
and it can be hard to get certain types of items. For example, I wanted
to get book bags through Really Good Stuff. They are not a preferred
vendor, and I was unable to make a special request for the bags since
the DonorsChoose staffer who reviewed my project thought I could find
similar products through a preferred vendor. Needless to say, I was
unable to find what I wanted and that project was never submitted.
- Keep an eye out in the media for special offers for free DonorsChoose codes. When the movie Waiting for Superman
came out, they offered $3 codes just for pledging to see the movie.
Bing.com offered $3 codes for changing your homepage to Bing. I sent an email to friends and families
asking them to partake in these special offers and got several projects
funded last year because of it.
- Don't forget to send in your Thank You Package on time. There is a
little Thank You % at the end of your profile that people can see. If
it is less than 100%, people will be less inclined to donate to your
class. I always set my Thank You Package date to the last possible day
allowed, giving myself plenty of time to get it in.
To say that I am obsessed with
DonorsChoose is an understatement! They have partnered up with some
great companies to give even more to teachers: Bing.com, the Bill and
Melinda Gates Foundation, Sonic Drive-ins, Horace Mann insurance
company, even Stephen Colbert endorses DonorsChoose on his show The Colbert Report (Stephen is on the Board of Directors, too!)
Now get out there and make a project or donate to one. :)
