Donors Choose team visited my classroom today - great group, great resource for teachers

DonorsChoose is an awesome site, created by former educators, that allows educators to create a project idea, select the materials and equipment needed, and get funding for those supplies. The teacher fills out the project format and selects materials and then DonorsChoose does the rest. Donors go to the site (and the site is advertised) and donate to projects. DonorsChoose then orders the supplies and ships them to you. Then you just have to complete the thank you package, which is very easy to do.

I teach in an urban district with serious budget issues, yet I, along with lots of other teachers, have been able to get supplies, materials, equipment and more for my students through DonorsChoose. I've gotten literally thousands of dollars worth of lab equipment and supplies and technology through DonorsChoose to help my students learn and experience physics.

Today, four members of the DonorsChoose staff came to visit my classroom. I was contacted by the CFO, Andy Kaplan a while back. It seems that the staff love to go out and visit classrooms where DonorsChoose has made an impact. We chatted for a while, they talked with my class, and then they stayed and learned about electric charges and electric fields and watched the demo and students doing a lab with materials funded by DonorsChoose.

They were friendly and very interested about the school and my classes and wanted feedback about my experience with DonorsChoose. They want to help as many teachers and students as possible. It was a great visit.

The DonorsChoose team speaks to my AP Physics class. From left to right, Andy, Diana, Taylor, and Jeff. A great group of people doing a great job for educators.

If you don't use DonorsChoose, you need to. It's easy and a great way to get funding for materials, supplies, equipment, computers, laptops, printers, field trips and so much more. The staff is friendly and responsive to any questions or requests for help.

Get a project submitted and funded.

Donors Choose - Great way to get resources for your classroom

DonorsChoose is an awesome site, created by former educators, that allows educators to create a project idea, select the materials and equipment needed, and get funding for those supplies. The teacher fills out the project format and selects materials and then DonorsChoose does the rest. Donors go to the site (and the site is advertised) and donate to projects. DonorsChoose then orders the supplies and ships them to you. Then you just have to complete the thank you package, which is very easy to do.

It's an easy way to get resources for your classroom.

If you are so inclined, my students and I would appreciate it greatly if you could share this link with others to help fund my DonorsChoose project. Thanks!!

Enter "SPARK" for gift/match code.

DonorsChoose - a great way to get supplies and equipment for your school

DonorsChoose is an awesome site, created by former educators, that allows educators to create a project idea, select the materials and equipment needed, and get funding for those supplies. The teacher fills out the project format and selects materials and then DonorsChoose does the rest. Donors go to the site (and the site is advertised) and donate to projects. DonorsChoose then orders the supplies and ships them to you. Then you just have to complete the thank you package, which is very easy to do.

Sometimes a project is funded by one donor, other times a project may be funded by a lot of donors. Donors donate any amount they want. I've seen $5 donations up to over $1,000 single donation.

As you complete projects and follow all of the requirements, you earn more points. The more points you earn, the larger (ie. more expensive) projects you can apply.

Teachers can also promote their projects via social media like Twitter and Facebook.

The site is very easy to use and in this economy and shrinking school supply budgets, DonorsChoose can help out. I've gotten thousands of dollars worth of equipment and supplies, as have many of my colleagues. Laptops, digital cameras, printers, Flip video cameras, dissecting equipment, physics lab supplies, and so much more!

You can't afford not to use DonorsChoose.

DonorsChoose - get materials for your classroom project funded

DonorsChoose is an awesome site, created by former educators, that allows educators to create a project idea, select the materials and equipment needed, and get funding for those supplies. The teacher fills out the project format and selects materials and then DonorsChoose does the rest. Donors go to the site (and the site is advertised) and donate to projects. DonorsChoose then orders the supplies and ships them to you. Then you just have to complete the thank you package, which is very easy to do.

Sometimes a project is funded by one donor, other times a project may be funded by a lot of donors. Donors donate any amount they want. I've seen $5 donations up to over $1,000 single donation.

As you complete projects and follow all of the requirements, you earn more points. The more points you earn, the larger (ie. more expensive) projects you can apply.

Teachers can also promote their projects via social media like Twitter and Facebook.

The site is very easy to use and in this economy and shrinking school supply budgets, DonorsChoose can help out. I've gotten thousands of dollars worth of equipment and supplies, as have many of my colleagues. Laptops, digital cameras, printers, Flip video cameras, dissecting equipment, physics lab supplies, and so much more!

You can't afford not to use DonorsChoose.

Sources of Funding for Teachers

(cross posted at Tech&Learning) 

Teachers have always had to scrounge for funding and the current economic situation only makes this more of an issue. Even with the government stimulus package, teachers will not see much money for our individual use. We've all wished we had more money to purchase books, supplies, equipment, and other items for our students and our classrooms. But what do we do when the money just isn't there?

The first place to look is grants. There are a lot of grant sources out there. Not all of them are easy to get though. I always suggest that people ask for help from grant writers or other teachers who have been successful in getting grants. Most grants have tips and advice on their own web site also.

Some schools may qualify for Priority School District grants and other State and Federal grants. These are for low income districts and can be used for supplies and equipment to help with extra programs related to drop out prevention and improving student performance.

A great resource for funding classroom projects is Donors Choose. Donors Choose was actually started by teachers. You sign up for an account, fill out a project proposal, selecting the items you need from a variety of vendors, and then people with money to donate go to Donors Choose and select projects to fund. I have had multiple projects funded through Donors Choose. It is a very simple process and the staff can help you with any problems.

Corporate grants are another source of funding. Toyota, Toshiba, Verizon,Microsoft, Best Buy, and Target all have grant programs you can apply for.

Some vendors have their own grant programs, special pricing or can help you find grants to buy their products. Smart Technologies, Epson, Mimio andVernier are some of the companies that will work with you to hep you find funding.

Donations are another source. Local Businesses may be looking to donate money, supplies or equipment. Many companies would rather donate old equipment and supplies to a school rather than just throw it out. Your school gets supplies and the company gets a tax write off. I have gotten lab supplies from a DNA company that updated their labs, a computer from a small company that upgraded theirs, and our school has gotten office supplies and furniture from a nearby business that was moving their headquarters. Many teachers have contacts at area businesses through friends or family. Use these contacts to your advantage.

Do more with less. Look for cheaper or free alternatives to the major brands. There are a lot of manufacturers of interactive white boards out there. Shop around and find the best deal. Use free software and web services instead of paying for licensed software.

Partner with local colleges. Sometimes they have older equipment that they can donate to you. They may also have grants that they can get that can also benefit the K-12 system.

Look for grants and funding opportunities on the web. Tech&Learning has a great section on funding tips. There is a Grant Guru column, as well as a data base of grant sources.

Edutopia and Nortel Learn It also have grant and funding resources. And of course, you can always "Google" for more information. Educational conferences are another great way to find funding resources and talk with vendors on different ways of funding purchases.

Please share your funding and money tips with us!