DonorsChoose.Org
Isn’t always exciting to win a contest? I had the privilege of winning a contest that was sponsored by Green Panda Treehouse. What I won was a gift that keeps on giving. Green Panda had purchased a gift card to to an online charitable organization called Donors Choose.org that contributes to public schools. With the card I was able to go the site and pick a charity that was near and dear to me. Which one did I choose? Well, you know it had to be personal finance related. The name of the project was called Bail Out Or Budget?. The goal of the project was to prepare the students with the important basics of personal finance and budgeting. It didn’t take me long to figure out that this was the project for me.
About Donors Choose.Org
DonorsChoose.org is a simple way to provide students in need with resources that our public schools often lack. At this not-for-profit web site, teachers submit project proposals for materials or experiences their students need to learn. These ideas become classroom reality when concerned individuals, whom we call Citizen Philanthropists, choose projects to fund.Fulfilling Student ProjectsDonorsChoose.org performs a good deal of work to ensure the integrity of its philanthropic marketplace. Here’s how it works:
- Public school teachers create student project proposals at DonorsChoose.org. This consists of writing a one page essay and listing the exact resource(s) needed.
- DonorsChoose.org volunteers screen each project proposal before posting to the website. Volunteers verify that the teacher and project meet our eligibility requirements, emailing follow-up questions to the teacher if anything is unclear.
- Concerned individuals fund the student projects of their choice-in whole or in part-and are emailed immediate email gift acknowledgments from DonorsChoose.org which can be used for tax deduction purposes.
- DonorsChoose.org emails the school principal, alerting him/her to the funded project.
- Within the next week, DonorsChoose.org forwards the donor an “e-thank-you” from the teacher, which notes the date by which the donor can expect his/her full feedback package.
- DonorsChoose.org purchases the student materials and ships items directly to the school along with a disposable camera, guidelines for preparing feedback packages, and a stamped envelope in which to enclose the feedback.
- Students experience the project that the donor made possible! The teacher photographs the students participating in the project and writes an impact letter to the donor. Students write their own thank-you notes. This feedback is then mailed to DonorsChoose.org headquarters.
- DonorsChoose.org develops the photos, and compiles the letter and thank-you notes. This feedback is mailed to the donor(s) who completed the project or made a partial contribution of $100 or more.
Pure Gratification
The most touching part of the whole experience was receiving a letter from the teacher expressing her thanks for helping her kids receive the tools the need to succeed. It’s one thing to donate to a charity where you don’t see the end result. But to see an immediate impact to your donation is priceless. Here’s the letter I received:
Dear Jeff,
Thank you so much for your contribution to my classroom. My students are getting ready to graduate and face the real world at a scary time within the economy. The books are wonderful. A lot of the kids have fallen for Dave Ramsey’s financial guru status and can’t wait to follow the path to financial stability. The reality of life and finances are finally sinking in and I thank you for helping make that come quicker for some of the students.At this time in our slumping economy it is so nice to be thought of with donations to schools and especially to teacher projects. We often fund our own projects so this helps us so much.
Thank You.
With gratitude,
Mrs. S.
If you’re looking to donate to a good cause but aren’t sure where to go, I encourage you to check out their site. You can also read about Green Panda’s DonorsChoose.Org experience.
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Giving is a blessing that people need to be thankful for. To be able to give of our resources to help others is one of the highest forms of love, and is the best “anti-depression” medication on the market!
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“Investing” in charity is so important for happiness! I too give to DonorsChoose. Some other favorites: Heifer International, Doctors Without Borders, and One Acre Fund.
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