Educators, raise your hand if you have ever spent money out of your own pocket to buy something for your classroom. Yup, I see you. Now, keep your hand raised if you didn’t need that money for something else. Yeah, I thought so. As if being overworked and underpaid wasn’t enough, educators are constantly reaching into their own pockets time and time again to support their classrooms. Hopefully, no more… or at least a whole lot less! In this post, I’ll share tips and tricks for a successful DonorsChoose project. First, a little background:
WHAT IS DONORS CHOOSE?
DonorsChoose is a national nonprofit that has been around for over 17 years. They’ve had a huge impact on public school classrooms across the United States, raising over 900 million dollars (yup, you read that right!), funding almost 1.5 million projects. DonorsChoose helps connect financial donors with classroom teachers in need of resources for meaningful educational experiences. Their ultimate goal is to help teachers stop paying out of pocket for classroom supplies, a mission I think we can all seriously get behind!
HOW DOES IT WORK?
The DonorsChoose site itself is very easy to navigate. It was built by teachers, with teachers, and for teachers to get materials they need from reputable vendors with the full support of able and willing financial donors. Following the website’s prompts, teachers will: 1) request items, 2) get funded, and ultimately 3) receive the goods. You can read all about my first fully funded project and learn how to get started yourself in previous posts of mine.
HOW DO I FIND FULLY FUNDED SUCCESS?
Over the years, I’ve personally had 6 fully funded projects come to fruition, totaling over $2000 in classroom supplies. The following tips and tricks are things that I feel have contributed to me finding success with DonorsChoose:
- Be specific and intentional when requesting classroom items. I have found less is definitely more. Keeping your total project costs at or below $500 significantly increases your chances of funding. The few times I have requested “big-ticket” items, I created individual projects for that one item. Smaller, inexpensive items can be grouped together to create a second project if needed.
- Capitalize on the power of match offers and social media. DonorsChoose typically has offers where big businesses, corporations, and philanthropic foundations will match donations your project receives if it meets specific criteria. I have had the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Craig Newmark Philanthropies, and even Google multiply my donors’ generosity, resulting in my projects getting fully funded faster. Posting projects on my social media pages has allowed friends and family to share my posts, thereby getting my needs in front of more eyes and potential donors.
- Have an attitude of gratitude.. always! From start to end, keep a humble heart. Each donation received for a project of mine is celebrated. I make it a point to write a thank-you note to each donor in addition to the student thank-you letters they’ll receive later on. Through social media, I share our funding progress, keeping folks in the know and vested to see the project through to completion. Once fully funded, I make sure to post pictures of our received items in use with excitement. People like to know (and see!) they’ve made a difference.
ACTIONABLE STEPS: If you’ve had a DonorsChoose project successfully funded, what tips and tricks can you share? Did I miss any good ones? Post in the comments below!
