Permalink
Posted by Kirk on
Monday,
August 31, 2009 at 6:22pm
Today, in partnership with Donorschoose.org, SONIC® launches its new Cause Program, Limeades for Learning®. This program allows SONIC customers to take an active role in a national $500,000 grant making initiative aimed at supporting U.S. public school teachers.
When customers purchase a small through Route 44® sized fountain or frozen drink at SONIC (Wacky-Pack® Meals and Premium Roast Coffee drinks excluded) they will receive a unique code used to “vote” for a teacher’s project online at LimeadesForLearning.com. Teachers’ projects receiving the most votes will be awarded grants throughout the month of September.
For more information on Limeades for Learning and how teachers, students and customers can get involved, please visit LimeadesforLearning.com.
To view the official campaign press release, please click here.
Permalink
Posted by Melanie on
Friday,
August 28, 2009 at 6:57pm
It’s that time of year again, as you are well aware: new notebooks, new pencils, and a new chance to help students grow and learn in the classroom.
Numerous studies have shown that more than any other factor, quality teachers do make a difference… Thank you for the great work you have done, are doing, and will do in the classroom this year!
Many of you have asked for tools to help you tell other teachers about us. Below, find a few tools you can use to share DonorsChoose.org with the teachers at your school and at other public schools in your district:
Permalink
Posted by Alicia on
Thursday,
August 27, 2009 at 3:17pm
This year Best Buy launched www.at15.com, an innovative site that harnesses the power of online interactivity to provide a platform for teens to speak their minds and, among other things, direct $1M in Best Buy corporate giving.
One component of this site is the Best Buy @15 Change Exchange, in which Best Buy selects four non-profits to vie for $250,000 each quarter. DonorsChoose.org is part of the current Change Exchange campaign that runs until October 31st. From now until October 31st teens can register at www.at15.com and earn points completing different activities. Then at the end of the campaign (October 15 to 31st) they allocate their points to the non-profit they want Best Buy to support. Each non-profit receives the percentage share of $250,000 that matches the percentage of the total points they received from @15 members.
We’d like to thank Best Buy for this awesome opportunity!
Teens – check out our profile on www.at15.com/changeexchange and give your points to DonorsChoose.org to support public school classrooms in need!
Permalink
Posted by Kari on
Tuesday,
August 25, 2009 at 6:42pm
Adam Lambert, “American Idol’s” eighth season runner-up, will support high-need public school classrooms on DonorsChoose.org. Watch this YouTube video of Adam asking his fans to join the cause and support arts and music projects on DonorsChoose.org.
“My fans have been so amazing in their support that I would love for them to contribute to something I believe in,” said Adam Lambert. “Every kid deserves a great education and access to the materials and experiences that make it possible. I’m so thrilled to team up with DonorsChoose.org and encourage my fans to support arts and music projects in classrooms.”
Permalink
Posted by Kari on
Friday,
August 21, 2009 at 8:18pm
New York Times technology blog writer Jenna Wortham posts about, An Easy Way to Donate Unwanted Gift Cards to Schools—which features DonorsChoose.org’s partnership with gift card company Plastic Jungle. Owners of unused gift cards can use Plastic Jungle to exchange those gift cards for DonorsChoose.org GivingCards.
Read the full article here. “Ever wonder what to do with that lingering $11.86 left on a gift card for Lowe’s or Bloomingdale’s? What about donating it to charity?…”
Permalink
Posted by Neeta on
Thursday,
August 20, 2009 at 5:47pm
We work with public school teachers every day, and we occasionally hear from principals at the schools we support. We’ve created this post to help answer some of the most common questions school leaders have for us.
What is DonorsChoose.org and how does it work?
DonorsChoose.org is a nonprofit website that helps public school teachers get funding for materials and experiences that will help their students learn.
Visit the About section of our site for details about how our program works.
Read our eligibility criteria to learn more about who can submit project requests.
How can I follow my teachers’ DonorsChoose.org projects and help make sure they receive their materials?
Review and share our fax notifications. As soon as we purchase the materials for any funded project, we send a fax to you at the school specifying the teacher and the specific materials to be shipped. Pass this notification on to anyone who receives or signs for packages so they can make sure materials reach the right classroom.
Opt into email updates. If you like, we can add your email to our system to provide updates about funded projects via email (just contact us at principals(at)donorschoose(dot)org to set up email notification).
View projects from your school using our search page. Fax notifications now also include a customized link to your school page.
Who owns the materials funded through DonorsChoose.org?
Materials funded through DonorsChoose.org are meant for the classroom that is described in the project request. Control and use of the materials funded through DonorsChoose.org should be dictated by the teacher’s project request, to reflect the intent of the donor(s) who chose to fund the project.
In cases where a teacher is leaving your school, we rely on the teacher and school administrators to review our guidelines and work together to determine the best course of action.
What happens if materials are lost or stolen after reaching my school?
We rely on the school to help make sure teachers get their materials. To that end, we send a fax notification to the school office anytime materials are purchased for a project to help raise awareness of pending delivery for a particular teacher.
It happens rarely, but if materials are delivered to the school and don’t reach the intended teacher, we’ve created a policy to help your students receive their resources and also ensure the integrity of our donors’ contributions.
We have a two-strike policy for lost or stolen items.If materials cannot be found in a school and we have proof of delivery, we make a note in the school’s record and reorder the items for the classroom. If materials are lost or stolen again, we’ll suspend DonorsChoose.org activity at the school while we work with the school administration to ensure the security of future deliveries. Read more.
Do I need to keep records of DonorsChoose.org donations or follow up with the donors?
We are a 501(c)(3) entity and process all donations to classroom projects, so your school does not need to account for these donations in its books. We also work directly with teachers to provide follow-up for the donors.
Permalink
Posted by Kari on
Monday,
August 17, 2009 at 6:04pm
Starting August 17th and running through the 24th, Twitter users will have the opportunity to enter PayPal’s back-to-school sweepstakes for a chance to win $50 and a $50 DonorsChoose.org gift card! For each day of the sweepstakes, a back-to-school themed trivia question will be posted to the PayPal Shopping Twitter handle; all users who “@reply” the correct answer will be automatically entered into the daily drawings. Visit PayPal Shopping on Twitter to learn more; http://twitter.com/PayPalShopping and follow DonorsChoose.org on Twitter too; http://twitter.com/DonorsChoose
Starting August 17th and running through the 24th, Twitter users will have the opportunity to enter PayPal’s back-to-school sweepstakes for a chance to win $50 and a $50 DonorsChoose.org gift card! For each day of the sweepstakes, a back-to-school themed trivia question will be posted to the PayPal Shopping Twitter handle; all users who “@reply” the correct answer will be automatically entered into the daily drawings. Visit PayPal Shopping on Twitter to learn more; http://twitter.com/PayPalShopping and follow DonorsChoose.org on Twitter too; http://twitter.com/DonorsChoose
Permalink
Posted by Yaritza on
Tuesday,
August 11, 2009 at 5:50pm
As we gear up for the back-to-school season DonorsChoose.org has partnered with Interactive One, a leading digital connection network for African Americans. In partnership with its radio broadcasting division, Radio One, Inc. they have launched BlackPlanet Rising (www.blackplanetrising.com), a central resource that provides tools, information and news for giving in the community. Interactive One seeks to activate African-Americans through their influential social networking site and to engage members who are interested in doing good by connecting them with opportunities that cater to their interests.
One of the key components of BlackPlanet Rising’s social mission is education and they have partnered with DonorsChoose.org to address this goal. In an effort to ensure students are receiving the best education possible and developing the next generation of future leaders BlackPlanet Rising has created a giving page. They are calling on all members to support projects on DonorsChoose.org by matching their pledge and help distribute $10,000 worth of materials and experiences to students across the country!
Thanks to a generous grant from The Simmons Foundation, citizen philanthropists have the opportunity to fund Houston ISD projects from high-need schools at half the cost!
Proposals ranging from composition books to a collection of read-along CDs to document cameras are sure to make a huge difference in the lives of Houston ISD students now and for years to come.
Help make much-needed resources a reality for Houston ISD students. Click here to view all the teacher projects matched by The Simmons Foundation.
Houston ISD teachers: Be sure to take advantage of this wonderful opportunity. Kick off the new school year by posting projects for your classroom needs on DonorsChoose.org!
