By Dan Estabrook – July 29, 2008 (TNN)
Changing the world one teacher at a time…
That is exactly what DonorsChoose.org is trying to do. Our Tonic Generation non-profit of the week enables teachers to lead change right in their own classrooms. It also allows anyone (including you) to be a “citizen philanthropist.” In effect, the web-based non-profit serves as “matchmaker” for people wanting to find an inspiring teacher and a classroom to which they can make a donation.
Public school teachers submit their needs for materials, books, and even experiences that they need to facilitate learning. DonorsChoose.org staff monitor and approve these proposals. Potential donors visit the site and search on projects and ideas and choose ones they would like to support. Project financial goals are shared with the potential donor. The donor will eventually hear back from the teacher (and students) with reports on the project or expenditure’s success. This special attention to every donor is one of DonorsChoose.org specialties.
I searched on my home state of Maine and found a project benefitting grades K-2:
Students in my classroom need 4 laptop computers to integrate a variety of learning styles and modes of instruction. Instruction using a variety of modes such as place based learning, which is taking students out into the community in which they live; bringing the community into the classroom; digital pictures of these experiences placed on the computer to help them create their own stories based upon these real life experiences help students to connect these experiences in a meaningful way.
I made a contribution towards the project and the entire process took a short 3 minutes. It’s amazing to think I was able to help a rural school in Maine of which I had no knowledge when I came to work today. The site also has an impact counter where I learned that donors had provided over $81,000 to 9,200 students in Maine. Overall, they have funded 32,000 classroom projects and raised over $14 million for students. This is incredible!
I was surprised to learn from the DonorsChoose.org that American teachers spend upwards of $1 billion of their own money to fill the budget gaps in their classrooms. When our teachers are already underpaid and overworked, I am blown away by their drive to educate their students regardless of limited budgets.
It was in response to these budget crunches that Charles Best founded DonorsChoose.org in 2000. At the time, Charles was a social studies teacher in the Bronx, New York. The organization’s story is an incredible one, and it has grown from serving one school in New York City to now providing support to schools in all 50 states.
So, check it out. There is hope for our public school teachers! And, be sure to watch the amazing video documentary about some of these projects. It will inspire you – trust me!
“Tonic Generation’s Non-profit of the Week” is a regular feature at Tonic News Network. If you would like to nominate a non-profit for consideration, please email dan@tonicgen.com. The non-profit must be an accredited 501(c)3. We look forward to your submissions!