Donors Choose Heidi Coleman Coordinator of Grants and Program Evaluation Created Sept. 2009

What It Is For teachers to get classroom materials/projects funded- generally less than $400 Nation-wide, “citizen philanthropy” Based on a points system Easy to use!

How It Works for Teachers: Submitting Projects MUST be a Teacher, Media Coordinator, or Counselor to sign up to have projects funded. Set up an account online Describe what you need, why you need it, and how your project will impact students Shop online at one of the Donors Choose vendor partners. Submit projects WELL in advance of needing them.

How It Works for Teachers: Points System You get 3 points when you register. You can EARN 3 points for every funded project. The more projects you get funded, the more (and larger) projects you can request. To see what you can have funded: tml?q=115 tml?q=115 Points rubric (next slide)

When you request......you use - Materials for $400 or less1 point - Materials for $401 to $8002 points - Materials for more than $8014 points - Class Visitor6 points - Class Trip6 points - Special Request (any materials not offered by our vendors)6 points When your project is funded......you earn - You confirm you still want the materials within 6 days.1 point - You return a thank-you package that is complete and compelling. 1 point - You return your thank-you package on or before its due date. 1 point Note: For each above action not completed, you lose 1 point, so be sure to check your and complete the thank-you package! How It Works for Teachers: Points System

What Are My Chances? Nearly 80% of projects requesting under $400 are funded within a few months. Successful projects grab the attention of donors. –Be creative with the project’s title and first line –Speak from the heart- give funders a vision of your classroom. Tell your sob story here and let them know how funding this project will alleviate that suffering! –TRIPLE check spelling and grammar before submitting. Little is worse than an educator who makes writing errors.

What Happens When I Get Funded? Donors Choose purchases the products and mails them to you  This means you NEVER have to do a PO for the materials  You never receive the funds, so you don’t have to worry about accounting for them You get a “thank you” packet for you to compete for your funders.  This is a CRITICAL point in the procedure. Make SURE you complete the packet! When you return the packet, you earn more points to complete more projects.

What If I’m Not A Teacher? Donate to projects you choose. –You can choose DPS classrooms to fund! Create your own “giving page” to share on your social networking sites. –Donate your birthday (presents that is…) –Include Donors Choose on your wedding registry! Purchase a “GivingCard” to give to your friends to choose THEIR favorite project to fund.

How To Donate Search for a project (can use selection criteria like Durham, etc) Donate any amount If project funded, you get photos and thank you letters from the students

Donate your Birthday? Set up a page for your birthday- have friends and family fund projects you choose instead of (or in addition to) giving you presents (and maybe avoid those awkward “gee this is great” moments!)

Social Media Challenge? Join hundreds of bloggers, twitterers, vloggers, etc in October for a “month-long philanthropic throw-down” by creating a page featuring your favorite projects (giving them extra exposure and advertisement) Track progress of project funding through your site Compete (in a friendly manner!) against other donors to see who can get the most projects funded

Wedding Registry? Works the same way as other giving pages Create the page as an additional option for wedding gifts from attendees- funding your favorite projects If you don’t plan to ask for wedding gifts, consider having guests donate to your favorite projects instead