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Posted by Intern Crew on
Thursday,
July 29, 2010 at 3:53pm
It’s been a busy past few weeks for interns in all departments. Just mere weeks from the annual back-to-school rush, we’re working hard to make sure all systems are ready to go. Jade is perusing the photos on our site to ensure our teachers and students are safely represented in an educational (and not eHarmony) sort of way. Marie, meanwhile, is “analyzing usability testing videos.” We’re not sure exactly what that means, but she claims it will make the site easier to use! Janice wowed the entire Vendor Relations and Fulfillment Team with a superb special request projects presentation, and CJ is channeling his inner-teacher and assembling Report Cards for all of our vendors.
We also spent some time this week on a very different type of “team building” project – building furniture! In the end, despite enduring jokes tossed our way like “How many interns does it take to put together a shelf?” and hiccups such as upside down cabinet doors, we surprised everyone by producing some respectable furniture!
Ben, developing his gameplan
Janice, Jade, Danielle, and an adorably-sized hammer
We’ll leave you with a haiku in honor of the fast approaching fall:
Almost back to school
Get those project requests in
Make your students smile!
-Alexandra, Amani, Ben, CJ, Clare, Danielle, Jade, Janice, Lisa, and Marie
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Posted by Anna on
Wednesday,
July 28, 2010 at 11:05am
This year, DonorsChoose.org celebrates its 10th Anniversary and we want YOU to help us celebrate! Starting this fall, people across the country who love DonorsChoose.org will host “Education Celebrations” to inspire more people to support public school teachers and kids.
We’re proud of our impact over the last ten years, but we know there’s still tremendous unmet need in our public schools. And we know that word of mouth is the main way people learn about DonorsChoose.org. We’re launching Education Celebrations to make it fun and easy for our supporters to help us spread the word!
Education Celebrations can take any form – think potlucks, barbecues, house parties, happy hours, coffee shops, etc. All that’s needed is a group of people interested in learning how to make direct, immediate impact for students in need.
We’ve put together a toolkit to help you plan an Education Celebration:
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Posted by Neeta on
Wednesday,
at 10:05am
So, you’re hosting an Education Celebration! You can use our website’s Giving Page functionality to invite guests to support the projects that interest you most, and track your progress. Here are quick instructions to set up a Giving Page:
Enter in the title, and customize your message for your readers and friends. You can enter any information you want to share about the details of your Education Celebration event.
Select a “Giving Group” if you want to publicize your page to other site visitors. You’re welcome to choose not to publicize your page, but you can also join the “Events & Promotions” Giving Pages.
Add a JPG or GIF image for your page. Your image should be at least 260 x 170 pixels high.
Choose which types of classroom projects you’d like on your Giving Page – whether you’re jazzed about Music & The Arts, Kindergartners, or projects in Arizona!
You should be all set! If you have any questions, you can always contact our team.
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Posted by Nicole on
Monday,
July 19, 2010 at 2:59pm
As a founding partner of the Fuel Your School program, Chevron has generously committed to make a charitable donation of up to $1 million to help fund classroom projects in select counties in California for the new Fuel Your School program.
Running September 1 through September 30, 2010, Fuel Your School will donate $1 to fund classroom projects every time consumers purchase 8 gallons of fuel or more at any of the participating local Chevron stations in Alameda and Contra Costa counties. Up to $1 million in funding will be provided toward classroom projects thanks to Chevron’s generosity and interest in furthering education. Teachers at approximately 640 participating schools in Alameda and Contra Costa counties can prepare by registering with DonorsChoose.org. Doing so will provide teachers with the opportunity to make them among the first to view the project-eligibility criteria when it is released.
DonorsChoose.org and Chevron are working together to determine the specifics of eligibility, so teachers interested in this offer should not submit projects until the details are announced. Teachers, here’s how to get the details as soon as they become available:
If you are not yet a registered teacher on DonorsChoose.org, go ahead and sign up; details will be announced in the teacher newsletter.
Like us on Facebook, where updates will be posted.
Remember that if you submit a project in advance of the program dates, it may not be eligible for funding. Check out the program website at www.fuelyourschool.com to learn more.
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Posted by Nicole on
Tuesday,
July 13, 2010 at 10:34am
Fibers.com is partnering with DonorsChoose.org to support great classroom projects. Starting today, Fibers.com will match donations to innovative enrichment projects they hand-select from across the country. Fibers.com is a site that gives customers the opportunity to design and order customized products – t-shirts, hoodies, and many other comfy things. With their innovative site, every design on the site is customizable, allowing you the freedom to stretch your creative vision to its limit.
Don’t go shirtless! The more shirts bought, the more projects Fibers.com funds. We all wear shirts, right? (Hopefully at least sometimes!)
Teachers: stay tuned for a design competition launching September 13. The challenge will be to create a teacher t-shirt - you’ll have a chance to win a $500 DonorsChoose.org gift card and other fun prizes.
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Posted by Anna on
Monday,
July 12, 2010 at 5:52pm
This will be quick, but Adam Lambert told us he wanted to thank you for supporting arts and music classroom projects at DonorsChoose.org during the Glam Nation tour. He sent us the following video taken backstage before a recent show.
Well, you heard him…it’s time to Glam A Classroom! Visit the Glam A Classroom Giving Page to get started. You can also text LAMBERT to 30644 to find out more.
And don’t forget, there are some great prizes at stake!
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Posted by Zach on
Friday,
July 9, 2010 at 10:23am
If you’re a frequent visitor to DonorsChoose.org, chances are you’ve stopped by on occasion and discovered that things look… different. A new button here, a new photo there, and sometimes an entirely re-designed homepage. We are constantly tweaking, enhancing, and upgrading our site to make it easier for both donors & teachers to use – with the end goal always being to raise more money for classroom projects nationwide.
Just about every two weeks we launch a site update. These updates usually include many small changes and fixes, as well as a few larger and more noticeable ones. We’re gonna start outlining the biggest updates and changes here, to help give you guys a bigger window into the work we do, and the changes you see. Sound like a plan?
Ok. So on Tuesday of this week we released an update that included three fairly big items. These are:
1) Automatic Facebook updates for teachers
2) Redesigned project pages 3) Change in the project cost calculation / optional donation
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Posted by Anna on
Wednesday,
July 7, 2010 at 10:44am
Well, then you’ll LOVE Adam Lambert’s Glam A Classroom campaign! Throughout Adam’s Glam Nation tour, fans can join Adam in support of arts and music classroom projects across the country. 390 Lambert lovers (aka “Glamberts”) have already raised $20,960, but there are many more projects to fund! And, just in case helping students wasn’t enough, it gets better – Adam will reward certain lucky supporters with some glammed-out prizes!
For every donation to DonorsChoose.org through Glam A Classroom, regardless of amount, donors will be entered to win one of 15 gift cards to the Adam Lambert Official Store. At the end of the campaign, the top 25 givers overall will receive a custom poster and a gift card to the Lambert Store.
Congratulations to the following members of the Glam Nation who have already won gift cards to buy Lambert themed items (maybe a pair Adam Lambert Eye Fingerless Gloves?):
Linda from Longmeadow, MA, via the Glamfest MGM Foxwoods/Adam Lambert page.
Rezan from Denver, NC, via the Adam Lambert Network page.
Nina from CA, via the Hoopla Magnet Glam Nation page. Congrats!
Shew from Florida texted “Lambert” to 30644, donated, and won!
Suzanne from New Mexico also texted “Lambert” to 30644, donated, and won!
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Posted by Intern Crew on
Tuesday,
July 6, 2010 at 9:13am
This summer there are lots of fantastic interns joining the DonorsChoose.org team. We hail from hometowns and colleges all over the country (and even outside the country!), but we’re all excited to be part of this incredible organization for the next several months!
Despite our status as lowly interns, everyone at DonorsChoose.org has gone out of their way to make us feel welcome. Whether we are having tutorials, listening to speakers, or chowing down at intern lunches, there’s plenty of learning and fun to be had. Tragically, however, our days are not all glamorous, for we’ve also been getting down and dirty with many data-filled Excel spreadsheets. We even produced some debatably-clever haikus and looked awesomely awkward while reading them in front of the entire staff!
From Facebook ad campaigns to Customer Relations, we’ve got our hands in all sorts of exciting projects. Check back throughout the summer to hear our stories (the good and the bad)!
- Alexandra, Amani, Ben, CJ, Clare, Danielle, Jade, Janice, and Marie
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Posted by Dan on
Saturday,
July 3, 2010 at 10:11am
Last week, nine of our friends from Barclays Capital came to our New York office to volunteer their time and talents helping us screen and process thank-you packages from classrooms.
In addition to volunteering, Barclays has funded nearly 100 classroom projects in NYC and Jersey City, NJ!
Not only are they generous, but they’re good-looking too!
Thank you, Barclays Capital, for all of your support!
