Most teachers have probably heard about Donors Choose! If you haven’t, it’s a website where you can post projects with things you want for your classroom. The project can get donations from other people or companies that see your project.
I have posted several Donors Choose projects over the years and have been fortunate enough to have every single one be fully funded. I’ve received things such as a play kitchen, STEM bin toys, books, snacks, school supplies, and more. While it can seem like pure luck, there are actually some strategies that can increase your odds of getting your project funded.
1. Look For Match Offers
Match offers are where donations to your project get “matched”. This means if someone donates $10, then that will be matched with another $10, making the total donation $20. When donations are matched, then you need half as many donations to get your project funded.
So before you post your project, look to see what match offers are currently available on the Donors Choose website. These change all the time, but some examples are STEM related projects or social emotional learning projects. If there is one that relates to your project, then definitely make sure to use it.
There are also several days throughout the year where Donors Choose or other companies will match all donations made on that day. This usually includes a day during back to school time, a day around Thanksgiving time, and a day around Teacher Appreciation Week. So always try to have a project active during these days to increase your chances.
2. Keep The Project Total Lower
As a teacher, I totally understand that there are so many things we want for our classrooms. And you absolutely can ask for all of it. But when it comes to Donors Choose, it’s better to not ask for it all at once.
I see a lot of projects posted with tons of items and the grand total is well over $1,000. The truth is, those projects are more likely to be passed over and not get funded. Why? Not only because you need a lot more donations to reach the total, but also because people want to see their money making an impact.
People love to give and help teachers out, but they also don’t want to just throw money around. So if someone has $20 to give, are they more likely to give it to a project for $1,000 or a project for $300? More than likely they would choose the $300 one because their $20 will make a much bigger dent in the total and they will feel more like they made a difference.
So instead of creating one big project, create a smaller one with a total of $300 or less. Then, when you get that one funded, you can create another project for around $300, and continue doing so after each one gets funded.
3. Make A Donation Yourself
Hear me out on this one! I know the whole point of Donors Choose is to get teachers materials for their classrooms without them having to pay for them. But making your own small donation to your project can really help your project in the long run.
When a project receives a donation shortly after it’s posted, it is more likely to gain more attention. And when people see that a project already has money towards it, they are more likely to contribute to those projects. This is because they can foresee it being fully funded and their money being put to good use.
There are also so many days, especially towards the end of the calendar year, where companies are needing to make a certain amount of donations. A lot of times they will browse the site and find partially funded projects and complete them. So if you add a little bit towards your project, you are more likely to end up in this category. And even though you are contributing some of your own money, it’s still much better than paying for the entire item yourself.
So just post a project! The worst that can happen is that it just doesn’t get funded. But you can’t get a project funded if you don’t have one on there at all. And if you follow these 3 tips, I think you will have pretty good odds for success!
