8 Tips for Getting a Donors Choose Project Funded

Over the past few years, I've been fortunate enough to have eight projects on DonorsChoose.org fully funded. I can't tell you how much these resources have transformed my classroom and teaching. If you aren't aware of DonorsChoose.org, it is a non-profit organization that allows classroom teachers to request materials for their students. After a project is posted, donors from all over the world can donate from $1 to any amount of their choosing. Some of the materials that my classroom has received include: a new listening center station, books on CD, reading pillows, a classroom carpet, math games, classroom laminator and laminating sheets, math manipulatives, magnetic letters and magnetic boards, and chapter books. It is absolutely amazing how willing people are to help and how generous they are.

Through my experiences posting and promoting classroom projects, I've learned different ways to help a project become fully funded. Now, there are many other teachers who have had a lot more projects funded (some have even had over 100 projects funded- wow!) so this is just my two-cents! =) Okay, here are my 8 tips for getting a Donors Choose project funded for your classroom:

1. Post classroom projects that are $400 and under

You will have the best chance at getting your project funded if it is under $400. If you need, for example, a new listening center, books on CD, and pillows for your students to sit on, you may want to consider posting the materials in separate projects. You could put the listening center and pillows together in one project and then request classroom pillows in another project. Now, there will be times when you would like to request a larger item for your classroom. Just know that teachers have the best success with smaller projects under $400.

2. Create a catchy title for your project

When donors are scrolling through classroom projects on the website, the first thing they will most likely see is your project request's title. Make it an interesting one that will grab their attention! Instead of a title like "We Need Magnetic Letters" consider a catchier title such as "Letters Here, Letters There, Magnetic Letters Everywhere!" Use alliteration, humor, or sing-songy titles to attract attention to your project.

3. Write a great opening paragraph

Along with your title, you will also want to make your opening paragraph interesting. Donors will see the first 2-3 sentences of your project request when browsing through projects. Just as we teach our students, you want to "hook" the reader and make them want to read on! Some ways to do this include asking a question or using an interesting quote that goes along with your project. For one of my projects, I requested math manipulatives and began with "When was the last time you used math? Chances are, you've used math sometime within the last hour. I want my students to be math problem solvers both in second grade and as they grow into adults."

4. Use an interesting picture on your homepage

Another thing that donors will see while searching through projects is your classroom photo. You want to use a picture that represents your classroom and students. Be careful not to post a close-up picture of your students' faces though. I like to take a picture of my students holding up the letters that spell "Thank You Donors!" This helps donors see that the materials go to a real classroom, with real students, and that we are thankful for their consideration.

5. Be the first donation to your classroom project

I've seen great success when I begin the donations by giving a small amount. This shows donors that you believe the materials are needed enough to donate yourself. Your donation doesn't have to be anything major- even a $5 donation will do! When leaving a comment on the donation page, I always write something like "I donated to this project because I believe my students are worth it! Plus, I know how much these materials will benefit my classroom."

6. Use automatic updates with Facebook

A great way to get your project out there is to connect your Donors Choose teacher account with Facebook. Each time you post a new project, get a donation, or complete a project, it will be automatically posted to your Facebook account. You can do this by going to your account, and turning on the automatic updates with Facebook (at the top of your account page).

7. Promote, promote, promote!

Don't be afraid to promote your project request. At first, I was very hesitant to share my project with my family, friends, and students' families. I still try to be cognisant of how often I promote my project- I don't want to drive anyone away by posting too much. But no one will know about your project if you don't get the word out there! I always send an email to my students' families when a project is first posted and include the link if they would like to make a donation. This makes it very easy for them. After the initial email, I don't send any more but I randomly include updates in my weekly classroom newsletter. I will let them know when we receive a new donation, how far away we are from reaching our goal, and tell them my excitement when a project is fully funded.

Some other ways that you can promote your project are: on your classroom blog (if you have one), through email to friends and family, and by encouraging others to share your project request with their own friends and family.

8. Don't give up!

If your first project doesn't get completely funded, don't give up! It takes a lot of hard work to get it funded but sometimes, it just doesn't happen. I have had a couple of projects that didn't get completed. It was definitely a bummer but I didn't give up. I waited a little bit and then posted another project. If a project has partial funding when it expires, donors who contributed have two choices. They can give the amount they donated to your classroom in the form of a gift card for your next project or can donate the money towards a different teacher's project.

I hope these tips have helped give you some ideas on how to get a project funded. Be sure to visit DonorsChoose.org and get a project posted. You won't regret it!

Christmas Came Early! and a Line Plot Freebie

Well Christmas for my class came early this year! Our project on Donors Choose was funded last month and we received all of the items today. It was so exciting to open up all of the boxes in front of the kids and to see their reactions! I love to see them get so jazzed about math manipulatives =) Below is a pic of the items that were donated to our classroom.

We received 2 tubs of double-sided counters, a tub of plastic coins,  2 sets of coin stamps, 2 ink pads, 2 sets of magnetic coins, a tub of dice-in-dice (so cool!), a graphing chart pad, and a Meet the Common Core Math Standards Learning Centers kit. I can't wait to use all of this, especially the dice-in-dice and the CC Learning Centers kit. I actually had a parent volunteer use the Learning Centers kit today with some of my struggling students. The kit has an activity for each standard on a write and wipe board. There are also materials such as coins, counters, clocks, etc. that are provided. I gave my parent volunteer a list of the students who are struggling and the specific standards that they need help on (example: 2.MD.1) and the volunteer pulled them into the hallway towork with them one-on-one. This was super easy because the activities are ready and prepared. It was amazing! Click on the picture below to learn more about this awesome kit.

My other favorite item is this tub of dice-in-dice. I didn't even know these things existed! These dice are great because they can be used for so many different things- practicing math facts, 2-digit addition and subtraction, and much more. Check them out below!

This week in math, we've been learning all about line plots. This is a new standard in second grade so my team had to get pretty creative with how to teach this skill. My teammate, Kristin, found this amazing website to teach your students how to make a line plot. It starts off with a fun game and then gives you different scores to put on a line plot. After you make the line plot, it then generates questions for the kids to answer. They absolutely loved this activity! It was amazing on the Smart board, but would also work well on the student computers in your classroom.

http://www.learningtoday.com/player/swf/Data_Analysis_LinePlots_L3_V1_T1a.swf

After practicing line plots all week, today the kids worked in groups of four to collect measurement data around the room and turn it into a line plot. They constructed the line plots completely on their own. Here are some pics of my kiddos hard at work:

Measuring items around the room

 

Recording the measurements on the recording sheet

Using large chart paper and yard sticks to make the line plot

Making the number line at the bottom

Hard at work

The finished products

For this activity, students worked in groups of four. They went around the room and chose 10 items to measure that were less than 12 inches long (I didn't want the range to be too big!). After measuring each item, they had to record it on their group's recording sheet. Next, they turned their measurement data into a line plot using chart paper, yard sticks, and markers. We talked about having a title, unit at the bottom, and even spaces between numbers. Last, the kids had to write 3 questions that could be answered by looking at the line plot and then answer them. We shared these at the end of math today and the kids read their questions to the class and had others answer them. Even though the line plots aren't perfect (we used plenty of fix-it tape!), I kept reminding myself of the importance of "process over product." The process was so meaningful for the kids! If you'd like to download a free copy of the recording sheet (and space for questions on the back), just click on the image below. I hope you enjoy it!