Props to Donors Choose!
Awhile back Live Journal partnered with a group called Donors Choose and offered "gift certificates" to make a donation on their site. The site matches donors with teachers who have projects they need funded. You can search by area, or the type of school, or the subject, whatever. I used my gift certificate donation, and don't remember if I got any acknowledgment from the teacher whose project I helped fund. A few months later, I received a second gift certificate, and found another project to help fund. I received an e-mail thank you right away from the teacher, which I thought was nice. So last week in the mail I get a big, thick envelope from Donors Choose. Cynical me, my first thought is "great, now they've got me on their 'sucker list' and I'll be receiving solicitations from them all the time". But I opened it and it was not a solicitation, it was my official thank you from the second teacher, and her students. It included a letter from the teacher, photos of the kids using the parachute and other outdoor activity equipment she bought with the money, and hand written letters and drawings from the kids! It was so neat.
My first two donations were both a result of gift certificates, but after I got such a great thank you, I decided to continue to donate using my own money. It's nice to know I really made a difference!
Edited to Add: I was just on the Donors Choose site, and this teacher has other projects open for funding. I noticed there is a small picture of her class, and they are outside, with the parachute and other things purchased with the project I helped with! It's a tiny picture, and you can barely see the parachute, but here it is if you want to check it out or see what kind of projects are listed:
Would You Believe My Students Love Math???
My first two donations were both a result of gift certificates, but after I got such a great thank you, I decided to continue to donate using my own money. It's nice to know I really made a difference!
Edited to Add: I was just on the Donors Choose site, and this teacher has other projects open for funding. I noticed there is a small picture of her class, and they are outside, with the parachute and other things purchased with the project I helped with! It's a tiny picture, and you can barely see the parachute, but here it is if you want to check it out or see what kind of projects are listed:
Would You Believe My Students Love Math???