Citizen Philanthropy: Give Directly to Teachers

Recently a friend of mine called to tell me that he just got laid off from his corporate job. Rather than being terribly upset about having to look for a new job, do you know what bothered him the most? He told me that he was going to miss the company’s school supply drive that he coordinated on his floor each year.

My friend Pat really liked the interaction with the schools because he had fond memories of his own teachers and he liked giving supplies to these school kids to show his appreciation.

Wanting to help my friend, I surfed online and found the perfect match for his style of giving.

Started by a social studies teacher in a Bronx public high school in 2000, DonorsChoose.org was created to help teachers get the supplies they need for their classroom projects. Its mission is to serve as an online marketplace where teachers describe and individuals (like my friend Pat) provide funding for specific student projects.

DonorsChoose.org calls its unique approach "Citizen Philanthropy." I call it grassroots giving at its finest — Pat-style. More than 115,000 individuals have funded more than 76,000 student projects as of this year.

What people can rely on is that this nonprofit screens each project proposal before posting it online. They purchase the materials for the teacher and at the end compile photographs and student thank you notes.

All contributors can track and manage their giving from the subject areas they have funded to the number of students they have helped. At the start of March 2009 more than 80,000 teachers in 25,463 public schools submitted project proposals for their students, who are from predominantly low-income communities.

With the need from teachers evident across the country, what is inspiring is that individuals who are giving to public schools for the first time are answering their call for help. A DonorsChoose.org survey revealed that 68 percent of their donors are first-time givers — and that generosity includes more than $2 million worth of resources for students. Materials supplied to teachers range from classroom supplies and books to technology and field trips, with 81 percent being re-used by next year’s students.

What inspires me, besides having such a generous friend as Pat, is knowing that DonorChoose.org has been able to expand to all 50 states thanks in some measure to partners like American Express, Bank of America, Yahoo, and Crate and Barrel.

Show your appreciation for a favorite teacher and join us Citizen Philanthropists — just in time for Teacher Appreciation Week May 3 to 9.