We recently invited second grade teacher Melissa, high school special education teacher Emily, and veteran donor Susan to our offices to offer some insider information about the DonorsChoose.org model. Our panelists answered a series of questions to help us learn more about their experiences using DonorsChoose.org – their likes, dislikes, and general thoughts about the process. Here is what we learned:1) The most popular way in which teachers and donors learn about DonorsChoose.org is through word of mouth: a co-worker, friend, or in the case of teachers, seeing the boxes of supplies coming into the school’s office.2) Teachers return to DonorsChoose.org because having a project funded (for supplies, field trips, or fun activities) makes them feel empowered as a teacher and allows them to teach in more creative ways.3) Donors typically give to higher poverty areas, projects asking for basic supplies (pens, pencils, basketballs, etc.), or to projects that are in line with their passions or interests.4) Teachers and donors would be interested in interacting more after a project has been fully funded and completed – beyond the impact package. Teachers would like to be able to share more feedback with their donors after a project has been completed: photos, successes or failures, what they learned, or even videos showing the learning process. Donors want to see and hear how their donation has impacted a classroom.Thank you so much for your time and thoughts Melissa, Emily, and Susan!
