As I promised yesterday, I want to share with you the incredible and amazing nonprofit that is Donors Choose. This website has literally changed the culture and developed the curriculum in my classroom. I have had over 10 funded projects from puppets, to fine motor materials, to iPads. My particular school district is constantly facing financial shortfalls and my kids need specialized materials to make gains. So, insert Donors Choose!
Donors Choose allows public school teachers to post mini-grants to the website. These grants can come in the form of items requested from selected partner stores/catalogs, or special projects. Special projects can be written after you have completed a few grants through Donors Choose and have met appropriate deadlines/followed directions (fairly easy to do). These projects can be field trips, inviting a guest into the classroom, or requesting materials that are not available through the partner stores/catalogs. These projects are funded by everyday people looking for a way to support schools, companies, and really anyone who stumbles upon the website and feels compelled to give to public school classrooms!
Donors can search through the thousands of projects posted to the website by city, academic level, project key words, or just at random.
You can keep projects on Donors Choose for up to 5 months. If your project is not fully funded after 5 months, it is removed from the website. If you had some donations but not enough to fund the project, the donors have money refunded to them in the form of Donors Choose gift cards.
Are you a special education teacher? Better yet, teaching a very specialized class (ex: autism, deaf/hard of hearing, blind/visually impaired, physical impairments, etc.)?? Add this into the TITLE of your project! These are words that really draw in donors.
Post the link to your Donors Choose website EVERYWHERE. Twitter, Facebook, email signature, blog, everywhere!
BE PROMPT and BE THOUGHTFUL about the "thank you" notes that you write to donors and the pictures you post of your students using the donated materials. This seems to be magnetic to donors - people love the idea of getting a real taste of your classroom and the kids they're serving.
DON'T put your project up for the full 5 months. Now, this seems backwards, right? You have the option to choose how long you want to keep your project on the website. BUT - when projects are expiring on the website, they are publicized more on the front pages of the website, making them more accessible to donors. This = more donations faster, meaning you're more likely to get fully funded AND get your projects sooner.
Donors Choose allows public school teachers to post mini-grants to the website. These grants can come in the form of items requested from selected partner stores/catalogs, or special projects. Special projects can be written after you have completed a few grants through Donors Choose and have met appropriate deadlines/followed directions (fairly easy to do). These projects can be field trips, inviting a guest into the classroom, or requesting materials that are not available through the partner stores/catalogs. These projects are funded by everyday people looking for a way to support schools, companies, and really anyone who stumbles upon the website and feels compelled to give to public school classrooms!
Donors can search through the thousands of projects posted to the website by city, academic level, project key words, or just at random.
You can keep projects on Donors Choose for up to 5 months. If your project is not fully funded after 5 months, it is removed from the website. If you had some donations but not enough to fund the project, the donors have money refunded to them in the form of Donors Choose gift cards.
TIPS & TRICKS:
Are you a special education teacher? Better yet, teaching a very specialized class (ex: autism, deaf/hard of hearing, blind/visually impaired, physical impairments, etc.)?? Add this into the TITLE of your project! These are words that really draw in donors.
Post the link to your Donors Choose website EVERYWHERE. Twitter, Facebook, email signature, blog, everywhere!
BE PROMPT and BE THOUGHTFUL about the "thank you" notes that you write to donors and the pictures you post of your students using the donated materials. This seems to be magnetic to donors - people love the idea of getting a real taste of your classroom and the kids they're serving.
DON'T put your project up for the full 5 months. Now, this seems backwards, right? You have the option to choose how long you want to keep your project on the website. BUT - when projects are expiring on the website, they are publicized more on the front pages of the website, making them more accessible to donors. This = more donations faster, meaning you're more likely to get fully funded AND get your projects sooner.
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