Why do I have to spend points to submit a project?
Certain types of projects require much more time and money to fulfill. For example, it takes a DonorsChoose.org staff member only 2 minutes to fulfill a request for materials totaling less than $400, but it can take 30 minutes to fulfill a class trip. If every teacher submitted a field trip at DonorsChoose.org, we would not be able to fulfill projects in a timely manner, resulting in poor service for our teachers and causing us to spend a great deal more money for our operating expenses (money which could otherwise go to teacher projects).
We absolutely DO want you to submit field trips, class visitors, and special requests. We just can’t flood our system with more labor-intensive projects because it would prevent us from serving you well. By earning and spending points for your project submissions, you enable DonorsChoose.org to be sustainable. And of course, the more points you earn by submitting timely, compelling donor feedback, the more trips, visitors, and special requests you can submit!
