We work with public school teachers every day, and we occasionally hear from principals at the schools we support. We've created this page 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.
- District leaders, visit our administrators page or our principals page to see what other superintendents are saying about how our model differs from traditional crowdfunding and provides transparency, safety, and control for your district.
- Principals and school-level leaders, check out our principal page to learn more about how you can support your teachers and work with them on DonorsChoose.org projects. You can also sign up to receive our Principal Toolkit.
- Read our eligibility guidelines 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?
1. Review and share our fax notifications. As soon as we purchase the materials for a fully funded project, we send a fax to your 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.
2. Opt in to 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@donorschoose.org to set up email notifications).
3. View projects from your school using our search page. Fax notifications 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 to which the materials are shipped. 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, please follow our materials ownership policy and work together to determine the best course of action.
What happens if materials are lost or stolen after reaching my school?
If materials are stolen or missing from a school, teachers should let us know. With their principal's approval, we'll work to reorder the missing materials one time.
Principal approvals are important to help assure donors that they are successfully helping students at your school. If additional materials are lost or stolen at the same school, we reserve the right to suspend DonorsChoose.org activity at the school until we are assured by the principal that measures have been taken to securely receive donated materials. Read more about our lost or stolen materials policy here.
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.
Questions? Email us at principals@donorschoose.org