How I Got 27 DonorsChoose Projects Funded

Have you heard of DonorsChoose? It’s a fabulous website where teachers post projects with the materials they need for their classrooms and people can donate to make those projects come to life! I am proud to say that I’ve utilized DonorsChoose since my first year of teaching and have had 27 projects fully funded! From books, and math manipulatives to iPods and Chromebooks, I have had a variety of materials donated to my classroom and I’d love to help you get your future DonorsChoose project fully funded!

Project Inspiration:

The first thing you’ll need to do is make an account on DonorsChoose.org and set up your profile. Once you’ve done that you’ll want to make a plan for what type of project you’d like to create. Here’s a list of some of the projects I’ve had funded for inspiration:

• The Wheels on the Easel Go Round and Round (teaching easel, bookshelf, and mentor texts) = $587 partially funded by Chevron Fuel Your School

• Book Boxes and Leveled Readers (plastic book boxes, leveled books) = $444

• TIME for the Common Core (one year TIME for Kids subscription) = $189

• Magnetic Math! (magnetic math manipulatives for teaching easel) = $287

• Technology for the Hands of Little Readers (iPod Nanos, iPad mini, iPod & iPad cases, USB chargers) = $1,994 partially funded by Chevron Fuel Your School

• Hands on Reading With Word Work (letter beads, letter building blocks, letter cubes, and whiteboards) = $354

• Focused Bodies and Growing Mindsets! (Hokki stools, seat cushions, balance balls, and growth mindset texts) = $1,248 partially funded by Chevron Fuel Your School

• Fine Motor Tools for a Fine Bunch of Kinders (alphabet beads, snap blocks, scoops, tongs, tweezers, peg boards) = $241

• Play, Build, EXPLORE! Morning Tubs for Little Learners (blocks, building materials, Playdoh tools, lacing puzzles, dot painters, stamps, magnetic letters) = $285

• Headphones to Help Us Learn (class set of headphones) = $521

• Self-Regulation Tools for a Calm Classroom (fidget tools, noise cancelling headphones, sand timers, essential oils, chair bands) = $280

Tip #1:

My biggest tip for helping you get your projects funded on DonorsChoose is to keep them less than $400. The sweet spot for me is in the $200 range. As you can see from my list of projects above I have had some much more expensive projects funded, but I only create these when I know there’s a major match offer available such as Chevron Fuel Your School or the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. You can find current match offers on the DonorsChoose website which might help you to plan what type of project you’d like to create.

Tip #2:

My next piece of advice is to share your project on your social media. For me, I always share my projects on my personal Facebook page. Family and friends are often interested in donating when there’s a match offer (this means that when someone donates say, $20, that is matched and DonorsChoose will apply an additional $20 to your project). Donations to DonorsChoose are also tax deductible which is a great thing to advertise to your family and friends when you share your project.

Tip #3:

Another tip is to donate to your own project! I will often be the first donation to my own project which shows donors that I truly care about my project and students and it helps other want to donate when they see that the project is closer to being fully funded. Sometimes people won’t donate to a project that has no donations because it may seem like project completion is less attainable.

Tip #4:

Whether or not you’ve posted a project yet I highly recommend that you print off the photo release form from DonorsChoose and send it home with your students on the first day of school. Once you get a project funded you will be asked to upload photos of your project in action in your classroom. In order to use photos that include your students you’ll need a photo release form signed by their parent or guardian. I make sure to send the photo release form in my student’s daily folder on the first day of school with all of the other paperwork that needs to be signed and sent back. I have found that I am much more likely to receive the photo release form returned to school in the beginning of the year rather than after getting a project funded.

I hope these tips help you to get your first project funded through DonorsChoose!

-Ashley @ Little Learning Ladybugs