Donors Choose

There's a light at the end of the tunnel...and its name is Spring Break! Although the school year is nearing it's end, it's never too early to think about things you need for next year. If you haven't heard of the organization I'm about to tell you about, you're in for a treat - and if you have, I hope it encourages you to get thinking about what you could accomplish for your classroom!

Donors Choose is an online non-profit that allows donors and organizations to donate funding to classrooms across the country. All you need to do as a teacher is to make an account and create a project. Using the selected vendors that Donors Choose has designated (there's plenty of them for all your needs, ranging from basic supplies to technology to musical instruments), choose the materials that you need for your classroom. Once your write about how the materials will benefit your classroom, your project will go "live" in about five days so others can view your project.

So far, I have had two projects funded by Donors Choose this school year alone. I was pretty pumped to come home Thursday afternoon to find out someone had donated the remaining funding for additional math and reading materials for my classroom! How fast your project gets funded depends on many things. Your best bet is to create a project that is less than $400, even if it means breaking a larger project down into several requests. Mine were both under $400 and received funding within 3-4 months. Sometimes there are special opportunities for you to earn funding for your project, such as gifts cards through companies like Skype and Groupon.

If you needed any more motivation to post a project on Donors Choose , look no further than Horace Mann's The Classroom Project II. Starting April 4th, Horace Mann (a teacher's insurance company) will start funding 10 projects a week $500. All you need to do is "like" Horace Mann on Facebook and post your project ID number under the link for The Classroom Project II.

If you are a new teacher or just new to writing grants, Donors Choose is a great way to get practice creating projects for funding. You have nothing to loose and a lot to gain. There's no limit on how many projects you can have funded, so this is an opportunity to begin a means of securing materials for your students for years to come. It's pretty amazing to think that people you will never meet have the opportunity to impact your classroom and students. Take a look - you may think of something to write for over Spring Break! It's almost here!!!

http://www.donorschoose.org/teachers

http://www.horacemann.com/teacher-lounge/donorschoose.aspx