DonorsChoose

Please, please, please do not use DonorsChoose.

While they present themselves as a nonprofit supporting teachers, the reality is far more discouraging. In addition to charging excessive processing fees—nearly 30% just to place a basic order (often from Amazon)—they tack on an additional “suggested donation” of almost another 30%. They make it extremely difficult to remove this fee, even when teachers are funding their own projects.

At the end of the day, out of every $100 donated, maybe $40 actually reaches classrooms in the form of real supplies. The rest goes to overhead, operations, and a bloated system that exploits goodwill.

If you truly want to support teachers and students, reach out to your local school district or principal and donate directly. Do not funnel your generosity through an organization that profits—under the guise of nonprofit work—while shortchanging the very educators and children it claims to se

This used to be my favorite charity. Made me feel like I was making a difference and that I was appreciated. Now it's awful. There is NO phone support for issues.... and emails are ignored as well... (I have now sent 2 with no reply). Teachers no longer send any kind of thanks or even an acknowledgement for supporting their projects. Just awful. What a shame... I'm out!

Horrible candidate experience via their recruiter on ramps. Led me on, did a bait and switch after I invested hours interviewing, reached out when I saw a month later the job still posted but I had not been rejected and they ghosted me. Wonder if the VP of People & Talent is aware how her employer is being represented by the recruiter …

My friends and family donated to support my Ed Tech project for the whole district (I am Ed Tech Coordinator), but then I was told that my project wasn’t eligible in the first place. We don’t have a budget for Ed Tech at all in my district, so it’s very hard for me to get resources.

My friends and family are not getting refunds—they are apparently getting credits. I am extremely disappointed with my experience, and I recommend just creating an Amazon wishlist to anyone considering Donors Choose.

I am deeply disappointed with this organization claiming to help teachers. They claim to source best prices, but this is not at all true. I have been trying to get fulfillment for the same project for over 5 months now. They continuedly tell me my items are no longer available, when I can go to actual brick and mortar stores and easily find the same items at lower prices and they are indeed available. Upon the numerous cancellations of items, they finally canceled my whole project and told me I would just have to start a new one. They are taking half the donors money for labor, in addition to the 15% they tack on for extra donation. They have so many surcharges that they collect 50% of your entire request. They now are forcing me to post and repost my project to get funds that were already donated for a previous project. They clearly have no desire to help teachers or their students, they are scamming donors for exorbitant amounts of money in the guise of 'labor and shipping' when that work is done by the vendors themselves who are making full price on items.

Last year I had a great experience using this nonprofit. I received the items I ordered. This year, that had not been the case. I have had to resubmit twice on the items I chose to purchase through the nonprofit. It is quite ironic that the items I chose this year became restricted when some of the items were items I received last year through this company. When I selected the items they were available and then within weeks were not. I feel as thought I have misled the donors who contributed to the classroom and had to order subpar items just to spend the donations. I will be looking outside of this company for other fundraising options.

I am an artist working with a local school to bring labyrinths into classrooms to help kids process their stress and anxiety during the pandemic. DonorsChoose seemed to be a good way for us to fund the project despite the expectations for fees and we started with a small test project. When the project was funded, DonorsChoose took advantage of a 20% off discount in my shop to double their fees from the project and has refused to respond to both the organizing teacher and my messages. I am vastly disappointed since I would have loved to see that project be able to reach more classrooms instead of the money being taken out of my shop to fund their executives. If we could find donors ourselves, we would be able to do so much more.

One star because zero wasn't an option. My first classroom project didn't get fully funded because the codes to match friends and family donations (by Tyson) didn't result in a matching donation. I was given "codes" to be able to use my original donations to set up a new project. I set up a tiny project of overpriced hand sanitizer and wipes that my original donations would have easily covered. Donors Choose added $60 in fees to my little project! There was no way I was going to ask for even more donations and I wasn't about to line their pockets myself so that I could receive a few items that I could purchase outright for a fourth of the cost. If you really want to help a teacher, simply ask them what they need and purchase it. Avoid Donors Choose.

Fees seem a bit excessive, especially for a "charity". Customer service can be difficult, and several times was impossible. I guess they are better than nothing, but not by much.

The Herb Kohl Foundation is a blessing to many teachers in Wisconsin this fall! The retired Senator, Herb Kohl and his foundation "flash funded" projects for all Wisconsin teachers that had projects on DonorsChoose.org on one day. Imagine my surprise when I found out that all five of my projects were fully-funded by his foundation that morning! Education funding has been cut severely and teachers have been vilified in the state of Wisconsin over the past five years by the Governor and it has been really hard to get what we need for our children. Senator Kohl has always been a friend and advocate for public education. I do not think he will ever know how grateful and blessed I felt because of his generous donations. I cry whenever I think about what he has done for the children in Wisconsin and for the teachers who need supplies and materials! Thank you so much Senator Kohl and your foundation! You are generous and caring! My students love the materials you helped us get because of your generous donations! My students are actively engaged and love learning!

They have hands down the rudest and most unhelpful staff. I've never encountered a charity that treats its donors with such disdain and as utterly replaceable. They are obnoxious and condescending. What's the point of having a Help section on your website or having Contact Us forms if you either ignore questions or are impolite and offensive in your response? The fees they charge are also outrageous. It's bad enough that everything is overpriced as it is and cheaper products can be found online for almost everything listed on the site but on top of that they add on fees that can account for up to 40% of the cost of a project. There a much better charities that support education.

Through Donors Choose, I have been able to fund several items for my class that I could not afford otherwise. The children have benefited immensely and the community loves to see our projects and know they have a direct impact.

DonorsChoose has been an amazing way to secure resources for my students that I would not have had the opportunity to provide them otherwise. I've been able to enhance my middle school math classroom with technology, books, and manipulatives! It is a great way for parents who want to donate, companies who want to donate and family members of my own who want to donate. It gives them a safe avenue to donate to a specific cause that directly impacts people they know or to support causes they believe in! I'm truly greatful to DonorsChoose for the opportunities it has opened up in my classroom!

DonorsChoose is a wonderful way to fund projects for all types of classrooms. As a speech and language pathologist I have received 19 grants for my amazing students. I have received grants for professional development, computers, printers, sensory items, alternative seating, puppets, articulation tools, language programs and specific programs for students with Autism Spectrum Disorder. These projects are easy to write and have many examples if you are a newcomer to project writing. These funding opportunities opened so many doors for my students with unique needs. DonorsChoose is an Amazing Funding Opportunity!

If you want to help kids learn and teachers teach, this is the nonprofit for you! Budgets are tight and teachers are paying for basic supply items that their students need to succeed. Donorschoose helps match donors with classrooms in need. Please consider donating through this helpful nonprofit!

DonorsChoose.org has been a game changer in the academics of our classroom. With the help of DC my class has added science, technology, engineering, and math into our daily curriculum. DC has made a great impact in our learning!

As a teacher of a high poverty school I don't know what I'd do without donors choose. The website is very easy to use and projects are put up very quickly. I have been so lucky to have many generous donors over the years help my students. I've received technology, STEM bundles, art supplies, basics such as white boards and pencil boxes, and physical education equipment. My students love coming to school and I love teaching them. Having donors choose to help me when I need materials has been so important to their learning, self confidence, and their attitude toward school. I am very appreciative there are websites like donors choose to help me get the supplies I need to do my job.

Without donors choose my classroom would be extremely bare. I've been able to reach many different students with each project I post.

I love donorschoose.org!!! I am a teacher in a low income area of Chicago. My students are always in need of equipment for PE class and I've found a lot of success on donorschoose.org in the last few years. Please consider checking out this website and making a donation to a teacher's classroom. It will be very appreciated and go a long way. If you're in the mood I have a current project posted below. Any donation would be appreciated.

https://www.donorschoose.org/project/new-year-new-ideas-in-pe/2219256/?rf=link-siteshare-2016-09-teacher-teacher_1913507&challengeid=305981

This non profit does an extraordinary job connecting donors directly with classrooms in a way that is highly satisfying for both the donor and the teacher. A teacher can dream an idea for teaching her students, write up an online post, and donors know exactly where the money is going and what it is doing. A donor can dream an idea that it would like to take place in a classroom, and can announce that it will donate to projects that fit that criteria. Former students can support teachers at their former schools. The ideas are endless. This is a superb grassroots style nonprofit that does enormous good!

Donors Choose has been an amazing experience for my students. We've had many projects funded and the supplies have been game changers for our classroom. I've gotten everything from computers to post it notes. I highly recommend this nonprofit!


If you're feeling generous I also have a project up now:
https://www.donorschoose.org/project/2nd-grade-geniuses-every-hour/2188488/?rf=link-siteshare-2016-09-teacher-teacher_997177&challengeid=172320

This organization is wonderful. It helps teachers get the necessities we cannot get from our schools and their limited budgets. This organization is a great place to donate money.

I am a classroom teacher in inner-city St. Louis. We do not get the basics (paper, pencils, books, etc), let alone a special request (sensory seating for kids with Autism, field trips, extracurricular activity materials like book club books). Donorschoose is the only way I have been able to become a good teacher in a district that does not support my students or my professional development as an educator. My favorite part about Donorschoose is that it is a safe way for donors to know exactly where their donation is going - I never see the actual money, the website purchases things for me - and they know exactly how the materials are being used. It is also a safe process for me to send student thank you letters that still protect the privacy of my students.

The organization itself has been an awesome company to work with; they're responsive, they actually care about the people and communities they are serving, and they are always looking for ways to make it easier to get my students the materials they need to be successful.

I cannot recommend this organization enough. They have allowed me to become an effective teacher, and allowed my students to enjoy hundreds of books and countless amounts of materials over the past six years.

I am a classroom teacher who, for 14 years, has taught in impoverished areas. DonorsChoose has been a lifeline to the resources my students need to be successful. A lot of the items I request through grants at Donors Choose are things that affluent families can easily purchase for their children, but to which my students do not necessarily have access. I have gotten grants funded for just about everything from Post It notes, to copies of novels, from a laptop to project for my classroom, to paper organizers, from field trips to e-readers.

Every time Donors Choose items arrive, I can see a direct correlation between the materials and my students' learning experiences. They help provide the mediums through which my students access the curriculum, thus enriching content-learning, skill-building, and confidence-boosting.

I will forever be grateful to Donors Choose for helping teachers get necessary materials into the hands of their students.

Donorschoose has single-handedly improved the STEM and robotics curriculum in my classroom! My students have reliable technology and are able to work in pairs in the classroom, without having to disrupt our normal schedule to use the computer lab on a limited basis once every three weeks.

As a teacher on the receiving end, this organization is BEYOND frustrating. Each project I've done has met with countless unnecessary details they impose to make things more difficult. Not only are things terribly expensive through them, but they've got so many darn rules and hoops to jump through, it is ridiculous.

The latest is their summer shipping schedule. I've got NINE emails going back and forth now about how our school is OPEN and people are there to receive the items, which I want to use for summer school. They're so happy to respond, but never actually listening to the information given. I had to submit a link showing our school's calendar - fine. That wasn't good enough; then, and an administrator had to email them saying yes, people are there - fine. That wasn't good enough either, and they still won't order my PAID FOR items until a month from now. I feel like they're holding my items hostage.

Previously, we went round and round on the spelling and grammar of a project I posted: they kept changing it, and changing it to incorrect spelling and grammar. Their editors are just volunteers, retired teachers, etc., but I was so embarrassed to have that project posted because of all the terrible errors on it. They wouldn't change it because they thought they were right.

Another time, our "thank you" package was late (it was the end of the school year and crazy, so we were pressed for time). They sent emails to everyone in the school who also had accounts on DC, asking them to tell me to get it done. These people were also busy, and were wondering why the heck they had to hear about my late thank yous?? We were sending them, but just not in time for their harassing emails.

I could go on, but suffice it to say: NEVER AGAIN with these people.

Donors Choose has been the worst experience I have ever had with such a large company Their customer service is absolutely negligent and absent. You will notice there is no phone number listed and when you finally do find a number, you are sent in circles and eventually disconnected.
While I was THRILLED to raise money for my classroom from the kindness of my friends and family, not only did Donors Choose take their very expensive cut of the money (which they say you have option to opt out of but that never happened) but I had numerous issues with deliveries. Furthermore, I was over funded and very sad to find I could not use the money for the same project, yet had to go through the hassle and wait to post another project to be approved. They consistently send me back errors to fix and when I do so, in a timely matter, their page crashes.
For over three months, my experience with DC has been a nightmare and I have sent messages and left voicemails to no success.
I am appalled by this company and have already been sure to recommend GoFundMe to colleagues and avoid the disaster of DC.
Shame on you Donors Choose.

I am very disappointed in the waste of this group. I was looking at one project for classroom books in Houston. The project listed the cost from Amazon at $165 per book. Thinking that sounded excessive, I looked at Amazon and found used prices in the $45 range and new prices in the $85 range. They intentionally choose the highest priced Amazon offering. When I asked about it, they said that they only allow their teachers to fulfil from Amazon Prime. I will not be making any future donations through this group. There are far better ways to put funds to use than by wasting them. I wonder whether the organization gets any money back from Amazon? There seems to be little other reason for requiring that products be purchased from the highest price offered.

I am a teacher in a high poverty, urban school. My students are amazing. They are devoted to learning and are a joy to teach. However, my school struggles with funding labs for science.

Donors Choose has been a blessing. My students and I have been the happy, grateful recipients of over $5000 in materials and supplies, all of which will be used by future students. The materials that have so generously been provided include equipment that make hands-on inquiry-based labs accessible to my students with physical challenges. Moreover, the materials and supplies have enriched learning for all students, giving us labs and demonstrations throughout the year.

My students and I are so very, very grateful. There simply are no words to say how much Donors Choose, and the wonderfully generous donors that have given through the site, have helped us!

I wish they would allow me, as a donor, to give directly to the teacher if I trust the person to use it effectively rather than go through their much more expensive vendor system. It is not respectful to force the teacher to ask for so much more money than she needs. I think more and more will start using kickstarter or similar websites instead because of this...

We give to this charity as an avenue for assisting our local school disctrict. My only complaint is that they appear to require teachers to use vendors with substantially higher prices than can be found elsewhere on the web.

Having a friend as an elementary school teacher in a disadvantaged area, I was happy to support her cause on DonorsChoose. But after making a donation to her classroom project, I continued browsing the site finding more wonderful projects and couldn't resist helping them out. The thank you cards are a wonderful touch-- I now have wonderful fridge decorations! Plus, the feedback of my friend along with pictures of the class encouraged me that my donation has been well used.

Made a sizable donation only to learn a couple of days later that a match code had been made available for the project. I used the DC contact form to request that the code be applied to my donation, which I knew could be done because I had several friends who had done it. That was two weeks ago and I have received no reply, nor has the donation been matched. There is no place to input the so-called tracking number I was assigned and the link to check the status of my request is dead. This is shockingly poor service to both the donor and the client, whose project will now have a far more difficult time being funded.

I teach in a new, small rural school and state budget cuts have decimated us. With no major industry in the area, there is little local funding available to assist instruction. DonorsChoose has been a lifesaver for my school and classroom. As I look around my classroom, I see novel sets, cameras, art materials and even an iMac computer, all funded through DonorsChoose. While many of my students live in poverty, their opportunities in school are rich thanks to this organization. I cannot praise it highly enough.

I am a classroom teacher and have to say I am very DISAPPOINTED with this website. I think it had good humble beginnings, but it has warped into a greed machine. I requested a laptop costing $720, with free shipping. Even with sales tax of 8.25% + Donors Choose handling fee of $35, it should be around $820. But no, they tack on a supposedly "optional" donation to themselves of 15%, but when i calculated it was more like 18-20%. My total came to $1000. Teachers are not allowed to take this "optional" donation out of their project, else our projects don't get posted. The unsuspecting donors have to click a small print "edit" at Checkout to opt-out. Plus they gave out these $10 gift cards to Starbucks customers to redeem, saying it expired on 03/16/12, but then printed too many on purpose and it expired in one week! Started program on 01/23/12 and ended on 01/30/12! So parents gave me about $400 worth of giftcards but I couldn't use them, even though it says it expires in March! So frustrated with excessive overhead costs, too much red tape, and the fact that they only give you 5 months to fund your project, or else you get everything taken away.

Inefficient. The projects I looked at could have happened at about 40% of the total cost. Like others I am dismayed at the over-inflating of the total project costs. Unfortunately, it is in the organization's interest for the costs to be high, since that makes their 17+% larger.

Too bad, such a good idea, but the inefficiency makes me look elsewhere...

As a regular donor to this organization since 2008 I support its goals and have no objection to the executive compensation and the 15% project surcharges criticized by other reviewers. However, I am often dismayed at the sources DonorsChoose and the teachers use for requested items. Technology projects in particular are often overpriced and poorly specified. Flash drives, printers, laptops and projectors are sourced at national retail chains like Best Buy rather than equally legitimate online discount suppliers such as TigerDirect, Dell Outlet and Newegg which have far lower prices and better selections. I wrote to the charity about this and they responded that their stringent vendor requirements miss some discount prices but save money in the long run. When price differences are routinely 30-50% and sometimes up to 70% on packages costing hundreds of dollars, that doesn't make sense.

Thanks to Donors Choose, my students have learned how to paint, become authors and bound their own books, learned to love reading with fantastic chapter books, and received most of the basic supplies they need for their daily learning! Teachers at my school are 100% responsible for providing instructional supplies for our classrooms, and I would never be able to do it without Donors Choose!

I have both received and given donations to Donors Choose. I feel that this organization provides the materials that teachers know will help their students.

My students have been impacted by the materials provided by Donors Choose.

Donors Choose is an excellent organization! I have been able to enrich my students education through the projects that have been funded by donors that want to help teachers do a better job. My students have had the opportunity to learn to watercolor, use technology and play a fun Alegebra game with the resources that I obtained through Donors Choose. Having watercolor notebooks not only makes it easier to find the time for me to teach water color painting, but at the end of the year the students get to take the notebook home. Our school district has water color paper available for us to order with our funds, but we get it in huge sheets that need to be cut to the right size. This isn't a problem if I only want to do one lesson, but if I want to teach several lessons cutting the paper takes away my time from grading or other lesson preparation.
In addition, I received netbooks that gave me the time to have small group intervention or enrichment going on while I was working with students either one on one or in a small group. Finally, a math game is always a great way to reinforce math lessons taught without always having to assign worksheets. Donors Choose is an excellent teacher resource and the education of so many students have been enriched due to this great organization!

I LOVE donors choose-and not only because I am a teacher! I have had several projects funded that have helped me make learning FUN for my students. I have also helped fund projects for other teachers. Teaching can be expensive, as any good teacher knows. This organization helps teachers help students learn and to give students experiences they woudl not experience other wise.

I found DonorsChoose 8 years ago, and have always been impressed with their web site, ease of use and customer service. Anytime I had a question, they got back to me in a matter or days to help resolve it. The team is friendly and always willing to help. They partner with great companies and foundations to help bring the best possible supplies, trip and experiences t opublic school students. My classroom is a very different place thanks to the benefits I have reaped being associated with DonorsChoose.

I think Donors Choose is an awesome resource for teachers in a time when school budgets are getting hacked left & right. Teachers have no where to turn to get the materials they so badly need. As a special education teacher, I have often found myself struggling to provide my students with the specialized equipment they require to get their individualized needs met. I can't count on the school district, parents, or the local community to help out because of the terrible financial situation everyone is in. Knowing that I can go to DonorsChoose & post my request & that donors from across the country will see my project & donate as little or as much as they can makes me feel less helpless about the plight of education in this country. Yes, I agree with the statement that some of the operation costs DC adds on to a project are high (for example a technology project I have right now has $2,000 of extra fees tacked on to it & that could in the end prevent my project from getting funded), but a company, even a non-profit, has operating costs & bills to pay. I don't know enough about that topic to say much more. All I know is that DonorsChoose.org helped my students when no one else would. They have made a HUGE impact in my classroom & in my school & in schools around the country. I don't know any teachers who have been affected by, for example, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, but I know plenty of teachers who have been touched by DonorsChoose.org. Even Mr. & Mrs. Gates live in a fancy mansion - I don't know if Charles Best does or not. But I know that he created an organization that HELPS teachers & their students & that is what this country needs. SUPPORT PUBLIC SCHOOLS & PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHERS! Thank you for all that you do for us out here on the front lines DonorsChoose.org. We love you!!!

The concept of Donor's Choose is a great idea which is very poorly implemented. The reality of group funded projects is wonderful, however the price at which these projects need to be funded is wasteful and inefficient. Donor's Choose is taking taking advantage of teachers with real needs by charging exorbitant rates for supplies. Projects needing simple supplies are charged full retail and more while Donor's Choose is purchasing in bulk AND taking huge kickbacks from the suppliers! They have the advantage of making very large bulk purchases at huge cost savings and none of this is being passed on to the community that needs it most. Instead they have board members and executives collecting six figure salaries along with gigantic bonuses from their suppliers which very much makes this a FOR PROFIT business.

I teach kindergarten in the state with the third highest poverty level in our nation. When I entered my classroom, I was shocked. It was not cheerful. It did not look fun. It was nothing like I wanted my classroom to be. Donorschoose has helped be provide the environment that I wanted for my students. A fifth grader entered my room the other day and said "Your room is so neat!" As a teacher I can plan and try to do interesting and exciting activities in my classroom. I never say "We can't do that because it is too expensive." I might be able to find help with any project we want to experience. Teaching is expensive. Creating a fun learning environment is expensive. Donorschoose helps make my classroom wonderful.

I love Donor's Choose! I am a 5th grade teacher in DE who has had four out of five projects funded by Donor's Choose. Working in a high poverty school makes it difficult to get the things I need or want. I like to enrich my students learning environment with technology, and Donors Choose has allowed me to do that. Recently, I received 25 copies of the book "Tuck Everlasting', along with 5 audiobooks, so that my class could be part of the Global Read Aloud project. We will use the books and tech tools I received through Donors Choose to interact with students all over the world.
Once your project is funded, they are very efficient, and keep you abreast of what's going on from beginning to end.
When I had a problem with a product, I contacted Donors, and I not only received my product, but I got an upgrade. Donors Choose is definitely a teacher's friend!

I have been submitting projects to Donors Choose for a little over a year and had 44 projects funded!! I have received over $27,000.00 worth of materials, technology and books for my first graders and third graders!! I love this site and have introduced all of the teachers at my school to it. It has truly been a wonderful blessing!!

I am a speech/language pathologist who works in a large inner city school. Our department and my school does it best to provide materials that we need. However, there are so many different needs that it is impossible to provide materials for everything. Also with technology, old materials no longer appeal to my students. Through Donorschoose I have been able to receive materials and furniture for my therapy room that has made a huge impact on my students. They love the new materials and are making more progress. My latest project provided me with speech/language apps for my Ipad. I am able to use new technology in therapy thanks to Donorschoose.

I'm a teacher whose classroom has been totally transformed because of the good works of Donorschoose. My students have received everything from pencils and paper to a classroom carpet and iPod Touch digital players. Many, many items have been shipped right to the door as a result of DC's great works.....25 completely funded projects in less than a year. I am so truly thankful and blessed to be the recipient of their good works. My hats off to DC!!

I have been so fortunate to have Donorschoose.org as a partner in my classroom. As a music K-8 general music teacher, I need different resources for different grades. Because of Donorschoose and the items that they have helped me receive, my students have so many musical experiences. I will always be grateful for the hardwork and dedication of the people who work at Donorschoose.org. It is an amazing organization that brings so much joy to teachers and students! Thank you!

I taught Latin in a high-poverty school. I could get technology and other resources for my students through Donors Choose that were unavailable to us through any other venue. We even got some field trips. Most of my students had NEVER been to an art museum before we received funding through Donors Choose. The students liked to know that people cared about their educations enough to supply our classroom's needs. I have worked with Donors Choose as both a donor and a recipient, and it is a great organization to work with.

I am so appreciative of donorschoose.org. This organization made a classroom dream come true. I work in a low-income public school where some things are just not possible to have for my students. I had the opportunity to hook up two laptops in the classroom for my students to use. The laptops were great but student work space was limited. I went to donorschoose.org and started my project for a workstation computer table. I posted my project in August and by December that same year I had my computer workstation. This was just the best thing that has ever happened to me. Donorschoose.org is not only supporting teachers in their classrooms, they are supporting students in education. Thank You donorschoose to your staff and to the awesome donors.

DonorsChoose has enabled Donors to provide my classroom with thousands of dollars worth of educational materials that my students would have never had the opportunity to recieve otherwise. I treach in an extremely low income area, many of the donations I have recieved came from people from all over the country. My students now have hundreds of books, technology and hands on materials that will help them grow and learn in a way that was not possible before I learned of DonorsChoose. It is truely an amazing organization that is helping thousands of students on a daily basis.

I teach in a Baltimore Maryland inner city school. We are in a very low income area. I learned about donorschoose.org through a teacher friend. I have been soooooo overwhelmed by the results. I have had approximately 13 projects funded. The materials have been a blessing. My students and I are always sooooo surprised at how easily the mterials are funded. Donorschoose.org has done a marvelous job at helping my students meet success. Keep up the GREAT work.

I checked " client served" but I am also a donor. DonorsChoose has enriched my life on both levels.
1. Client Served - My students for the past four years have been blessed by the generosity of donors giving through DonorsChoose. We have received basic supplies (pencils, crayons, paper) as well as technology (Nooks, iPod) for enrichment. After 35 years of teaching, I almost have the perfect classroom.
2. Donor - I am no longer writing projects for my classroom. I love helping other teachers fund their projects, especially those "new to DonorsChoose' teachers. Donating is simple and the thank you notes from teachers and students always warm my heart.

I LOVE DONORS CHOOSE.ORG!!!!! Yes, I am shouting, because they are truly something to shout about, without a doubt! I have only been involved with this organization since July, but in these 3 short months, they have done more to help me as a teacher than anyone or anything since I started teaching 11 1/2 years ago!

This organization is top-notch. Talk about character! They have plenty of it! They have always done exactly what they said they would do. They have a true heart for education! After our city and several of our schools were destroyed by an F5 tornado, they stepped up to the plate and rolled up their sleeves to help us. They partnered with Learning Resources to donate over a quarter of a million dollars worth of very nice resources for the teachers and students of our district! They also sent some great help by way of Debbie G. from Virginia to teach us how to share our needs on DonorsChoose.org. Their volunteers have worked around the clock on weekends and holidays to research and verify our projects so they could be posted quickly.

Thank you DonorsChoose.org for your tireless efforts on behalf of students and teachers everywhere. I hope you are blessed beyond measure as you reach out to bless others! WE LOVE YOU!!!!!!

If you want to help their CEO's pad their pockets with their six figure salaries and if you want to help the art supply companies who also help to pad the Donorschoose CEO's pockets and have actual donors pay up to 300% mark up to get materials then do it. I will look elsewhere for honest non-profits.

Donors Choose is one of my most favorite charities. First, the idea of it really hit home for me ... what better investment is there than investing in children? Second, the passion with which these teachers write their proposals is infectious. And third, the impact of your donation is visceral ... when I read the handwritten thank you letters from the students, explaining in their own words what the gift means to them personally, I feel blessed beyond measure.

Whether I'm helping students in my own neighborhood, or in a school district out of state to which I used to belong, or using the very clever Donors Choose tools to select those projects expriing soon or those who are in the most need, the effect is the same: you feel great because you know you're providing something a teacher and students truly need and will benefit from ... it's a win/win! I've even purchased Donors Choose gift cards and given them away to friends of mine to introduce them to the charity.

I'll be associated with Donors Choose for life!

As a teacher, I can not say enough wonderful things about DonorsChoose!! In the last year and a half, I have had 16 projects funded. Everything from books, to magnetic whiteboards, and even desks!! I love this site. I also love being able to help other teachers around the country by donating to their projects. It just makes me feel like I can make a difference in someone else's classroom!! I love DC!!

Overpriced, over-rated. The prices are more than if you just bought the supplies by yourself at any store. This makes it hard for teachers to raise the money they need to have projects filled. There are a lot of fees on top of the supply charges. DonorsChoose could do a better job of charging teachers less for the supplies they need.

As a teacher, this charity has lit up my classroom with excitement. I've been able to put appealing books in the hands of reluctant readers. As a donor, this charity has allowed me to support learning in classroom across the country. DonorsChoose is a wonderful organization.

As both a donor and a teacher who has benefited greatly from this site, over 30 grants funded in 3 years, I would like to comment on those who complain about the amount of money that goes to the site instead of the classroom. I have recruited 9 donors to the site and have been a donor for all three years that I have received funds. I practice what I preach.

Be aware that when you post a grant on this site you are not required as a teacher to handle any funds which means no accounting reports and keeping records for five years. (I have dealt with both types of grants these are so much easier). In addition donorschoose pays all of the postage etc to ensure that each donor receives a thank you kit. They originally sent teachers a disposable camera and a postage paid label for each grant funded, now that it is a more digital age they still send the postage paid label for the thank you letters but they also ask teachers to upload digital pictures. Donors receive written thank you notes and pictures for projects suppported under the requirements.
Wow a website that actually helps teach students to say thank you for support. Awesome character teaching tool. My students will often discuss opportunity cost of the donations. As in, what did the donor have to give up to help fund the project?
In addition there are amazing bonus opportunities for both donors and teachers to receive free gift cards.
I'm all for the 15% optional (note the word optional so if you don't agree with the fee don't pay it you have that option!) fee. There is a lot of work involved. In addition the website is always finding 'free' money. Match grants, almost home grants, american express, bing, etc!

I am a teacher in a rural school, needless to say we do not have the biggest budget in the state. Without DonorsChoose I would never have been able to get important items that my students use daily. I am very thankful to this organization for allowing me the opportunity to get items I can't afford otherwise.

Speaking as a teacher, this website is awesome! DonorsChoose matches donors with teachers who need supplies for their classroom. A donor can find exactly the right project to support by using the search options. My classroom has been totally changed thanks to the donors who support DonorsChoose. I now have wonderful technology to use with my students. Every day is an exciting one in our classroom. Thanks, DonorsChoose and all of the wonderful donors who suppott teachers acrosse the country.

A year ago at this time, I had never heard of Donor's Choose. In the past year, I've written three proposals -- and all have been fully funded -- through Donors Choose. DC has allowed me to do things for students in my school that weren't economically feasible with the cutbacks in education. The first grant was funded in full within 48 hours!!

DonorsChoose is one of my favorite charities. I have contributed to 90 projects over the past 4 years. This is up-close-and-personal giving. You pick a classroom based on your subject interest, geographical locale, or grade level. You hear from the teacher twice, once when the project is funded, and again when the project is completed. If you give $100 or are the final person to complete the funding, regardless of what amount you have donated, you get a packet of thank you letters in the mail; the students thank you and draw lovely pictures, and sometimes the teacher adds a letter, too. You can communicate with the teacher on the web site and compliment the students on their good drawings and thank you letters, too! If you want a nice present for someone, make a donation in that person's name. The chosen person will receive the thank you emails and packet of student thank you notes (if you qualify for those). I have had a lot of folks thank me for giving in their name--for birthdays, Christmas, in honor of someone passing, once for a friend about to have a stem cell transplant--whatever the occasion. It is a lot more meaningful than a card or small material present. Many of the projects are from teachers in high poverty schools, and you can make a modest contribution to enhancing the education of those students least likely to have many materials in their classrooms. The photos posted on the web site are great, too; you see the materials and the students enjoying them.

When I first heard of this program I thought it was excellent and was going to give my kids money to pick projects to sponsor. After I looked at a project or two I noticed a patern where they need to pay someone to acquire the goods (I'm assuming they don't just hand cash to the teacher). This came to 10% of the $300 the teacher was looking for. In addition, there is an OPTIONAL checkbox to add 15% as a donation to DonorsChoose. That turned out to be another $50. Thats a total of 25% overhead. This teachers $300 project was now costing $380. Whats worse is it had a couple days left to acquire the money and was sitting at $40 dollars still needed. I would hate to see it not get funded because of the 15% overhead.

BTW, I can appreciate the 10% handling fee. I can even appreciate 5% or less for donation to DonorsChoose. But 15%? You have to be kidding. This is an electronic website, not like there are warehouses to pay for or things like this. 15% of all the money that goes thru this is way too much. Lower the overhead to 10% handling and < 5% 'fee' and I'll be happy to donate.

Great idea, just lower your cut. if you change the policy please let me know... Would love to donate, but won't if less than 85 % goes to the target.

I read about DonorsChoose aoms five years ago and liked the concept of supporting secondary schools of my choice...and programs in which I
have an interest.
Since that time Ihave supported a significant number of programs in
New York, Connecticut and Maine...and in all cases, I have been more than pleased with the results!
The follow up letters from the teachers and students validated my
enthusiasm for the program.....one in which I can contribute grants of
$25 or more....to the school in the city and state nfo my choice for the
program which most closely resonates with my interests.
DonorsChoose is truly a UNIQUE nonprofit in allowing supporters to
choose and direct 100% of their contribution/grants.

The folks at DonorsChoose.org do something like microfinance for classroom projects. They define a project, put it online, and people fund in small amounts to get bigger results.

I've donated to schools through this website before. However, recently when I was participating in the Limeades for Learning drive I was considering donating again and was reviewing the budget on the classroom project and was uphauled at the amount of money that donorschoose.org was sucking out of the donation to give back to itself. I reviewed the 990 and was further shocked to find them paying 7 different executives' salaries over $100,000. They are pretending to "help teachers" but their efficiency in doing so is ridiculously low. How many of those teachers do you think are making six figures? In the future, if I want to support a local classroom I will just call the school and give directly to a project and I would recommend you do the same. This website will assist you if you are not active enough to make the call yourself but you are going to waste a huge portion of your donation paying the high salaries of the people operating the website.

Students at public schools are in need of resources and DonorsChoose.org makes it so easy to provide them. I love the fact that teachers write grants, volunteers evaluate them at DonorsChoose and then they using Social Media extremely well--I can help! Even better is the high quality of stewardship that is included. Yesterday, I received 20 thank you notes written by second graders. How neat to read and learn how our $100 gift is helping them become better readers! Keep it up!

I like the idea of DonorsChoose, but their extremely high administrative ratio puts me off. According to their 2008 990, this organization spends about 37.5 cents out of every dollar on employee salaries and wages -- more than $6 million of the nearly $17 million in cash donations they received that year. Granted, that's just shy of the 35% bar set by the Better Business Bureau, but I bet most donors don't realize how much of their money is NOT going to the classrooms they're trying to support.

DonorsChoose.org is an incredible way to give directly to students in need, have a strong impact, and see/feel the results. At DonorsChoose.org, teachers post specific requests for their classrooms, and you can browse all kinds of needs within specific classrooms of our public schools. You can search for projects that are for kindergarden or high school students, that address the subject of reading or of environmental studies, and you can choose to buy books or computers, etc. You make the donation to DonorsChoose.org who purchases the materials (a nonprofit with excellent integrity, so it is a tax deduction and no risk of fraud, and they obtain best pricing); DonorsChoose.org sends the materials to the school, and you receive photos and thank you notes from the teacher and students, showing the impact of your donation. You can also fund a specific project in the name of someone as a gift, OR give a gift certificate for the recipient to choose his/her own project!!!! For me, supporting our public schools is the best way to ensure all students growing up have the very best chance to learn and grow and succeed.....and this is the most direct and effective way to support the public schools! I hope you have a chance to check out www.donorschoose.org!