Thing #19

DonorsChoose - http://www.donorschoose.org/teachers

I chose to explore the DonorsChoose website. This website is philanthropic in nature and allows you to post projects (similar to grants) where you explain what you'd like for your classroom, library, or other educational venue. Then you create a shopping cart so to speak filled with the materials. You can leave your project up for 5 months at a time. Donors then search and choose which projects to donate to. If you're lucky, your project is funded and you receive the requested items. You then provide thank you letters from yourself and students as well as pictures of the students using the materials you received. You don't pay anything for this service! It just takes a little bit of time! What a great way to get some much needed materials into the library! You could write grants for book club books, to bulk up a smaller section of the library, to receive decorating supplies to enhance the look and feel of the library, to get equipment in the library which the library budget can't cover. There are endless possibilities! Incredible! And highly useful as you aren't just applying for a single grant from a single organization, but you're putting your project out there for a multitude of people to review and choose whether they wish to fund it or not.