You’re a teacher and the school year is quickly approaching. Your school budget is small and to feel like you can best serve your kids your ideas for classes are flowing. Here are the best tips on how to get your Donors Choose project funded.

Scroll down to the bottom because right now you can get FREE lessons for your class and if you do the lessons you will get free Donors Choose gift cards for your class!  Right now, I am eligible for $400 for my classroom!

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How to Get Your Donors Choose Project Funded

Setting up your Donor’s Choose project:

1.  If you don’t have an account or a project created, create your account first.
2. Complete your entire profile! Use pictures of you and your classroom. Create a sense of letting others get to know you, your energy, and your excitement.

Begin your project:

1. When you create your first project, use code LIFTOFF so that your donations will be DOUBLED your first week when you share it!
2. Create a great title that is appealing! You need to grab people’s attention. If you are looking to update your classroom, create something like “Creating a Comfortable Workspace for the Classroom”. If you are looking at getting some funding for rewards, come up with a title like “Motivating and Rewarding Students with Rewards.”
3. Create a realistic budget. Projects that are around $100 to $500 are more likely to get funded.
4. On your Donors Choose page, write a compelling project description too. Be creative with your writing, but be sure you explain clearly what your objective is for the class project. Remember, your project needs to benefit your students. If you are looking for something to just benefit you as a teacher, I would also create an Amazon Wish List. Here is a list of the best places to share your Amazon Wish List.

FREE Donors Choose Credit! MORE TIPS and FUNDING!

If you have a Donors Choose account already, here is where you can find free credit! These could expire so I would hurry! Sign up first!

1. Check out Donor’s Choose Matched projects. Sometimes you can x 2 donated.
2. Try to make sure you have a project live around your birthday! On your Birthday, you might have a special banner where you can use the code BIRTHDAY and qualify to have up to $249 of your donations on your birthday matched! How nice to ask friends and family to help you toward that goal on your day! 
3.  There is always some sort of special funding for states, specific projects (tech, social emotional, art, etc…)  Here are some of the current ones you can check out once you sign up.

• Classroom Rewards: $400 for 9th–12th grade teachers in California who complete a lesson on Journaling and Mental Health Support for Teens’ Well-Being or Healthy Digital Habits

• College Football Playoff Foundation: $25 gift cards to Georgia teachers

• Samsung: $50 gift codes for qualifying teachers participating in the Solve for Tomorrow Contest

• The Thea Foundation: Funding select Music & The Arts projects in Arkansas

• Deer Creek Schools Foundation: $200 project donation for teachers

• The Allstate Foundation: $500 donation for community service projects

• Oklahoma City Public Schools Foundation: $150 one-time donation for projects in the Oklahoma City School District

• HAMSAM Foundation: 2X match for STEM projects in Utah as part of its 25th anniversary

• Anonymous Family: 2X match for Mental Health projects

• Dalio Education: Doubling donations to projects in Connecticut

• Cox Enterprises: Supporting Engineering STEM projects from never-before-funded teachers

• Anonymous Donor: Supporting Furniture projects for Pennsylvania Equity Focus Schools

• Walton Family Foundation: 5X match for projects from select schools in Los Angeles

• AND more!!

Get the Word Out

Right now there is a giveaway you can add your project to it! “We’re drawing winners and funding up to $1,000 in DonorsChoose projects every Thursday through April 11….Share your project link here in the Horace Mann giveaway!

Share your project as soon as you create it. Use social media, email, text your friends, and even look for Amazon Wish List groups to share your project.

Donate a little bit toward your project if you aren’t seeing it get much traction and first. Did you know that about 70% of Donors Choose projects get funded? Plus, companies are more likely to help you finish your list on Donors Choose as a donation rather than an expense from a Wish List or registry.

Engage with Potential Donors. It is okay to let brands know that you have included them in your Donors Choose project. Perhaps they would be willing to share, retweet, or even help you finish off your list. Let them know why and what you created the project for, and what your intentions are once it is funded. Remember that the project is always to better your students and for them and not for you.

Reach out to parent organizations, local clubs, mom groups, and local businesses to raise awareness of your projects. When you are asking others, ask them to donate, and if they are unable to donate if they would be willing to share your project. Let them know that even sharing your project moves you closer to helping fund your project to better serve your students.

Be thankful and professional. After successfully funding your project, express sincere gratitude to your donors. Share updates on the project’s implementation and its impact on the students. This can encourage repeat support and foster positive relationships with your donors.

Refer other teachers and tell them you will share their projects if they create one too. If they create a project with your link, you will get a credit to use for a project, including your own.

Choosing the Right Donors Choose Project & different types of project ideas:

Classroom Environment

High School Meeting Needs of Students: Snacks, Granola Bars, Kleenex, Feminine Hygiene Products, Deodorant, Candy, Band-Aids, Water Bottles, Comfortable Environment (fidgets and flex seating options).

Positivity and Rewards

Positive Rewards: Pins, Stickers for Water Bottles, Desk Pet setups, Reward Charts, Candy, Special Chairs, and more.

Classroom Preparedness

Classroom Setup: Get the basics you need, including dry-erase markers, dry-erase boards, review games, class packs for markers, class sets of scissors, glue, watercolor, pens, pencils, paper, and more!