Community isn't just a word; it's an action. And every day at DonorsChoose, we see the ways donors, partners, and teachers take action together to build a nationwide community that gets every student what they need to learn, grow, and thrive. It's no wonder that when we get our most generous partners together every spring, we all leave feeling connected, inspired, and clear about the work ahead.
In April 2026, our Partner Summit in Los Angeles gathered corporate social responsibility, education, and philanthropy leaders to dive deep and collaborate on solutions for the challenges our country's teachers face. Here are some of our favorite moments from the event!
Learning from the data
DonorsChoose data teaches us crucial information about students' needs on a hyperlocal basis. Our CEO, Alix Guerrier, pinpointed one such finding within recent data: that when it comes to child hunger, teachers are on the front lines. Hunger-related requests on DonorsChoose are surging, and the trend shows no sign of slowing down.
DonorsChoose data doesn't just teach us what each community needs – it also provides hyperspecific impact numbers, which our partners use to prove the ROI of their giving and advocate for continued support.
Other data trends and insights we dove into tied back to the need for support around students' basic needs, navigating AI in the classroom, and workforce development.
Learning from teachers
Visiting local classrooms is always one of the highlights of our Summit, and this year was no exception. Our trip to Venice High School expanded our understanding of classroom needs, provided an up-close look at how DonorsChoose benefits communities, and had us connecting with the teachers and students who receive our support.
Later, during our teacher panel hosted by W. Kamau Bell, educators shared aspects about their schools that would be hard to guess while just driving by — like how tight knit the families are with one another, just how many languages the students speak, and that teaching in the neighborhood you live in means getting to form meaningful relationships with young learners and families everywhere, from the classroom to the corner store.
Learning from each other
This year, we were thrilled to invite three DonorsChoose partners to share their expertise and perspectives in our partner panel. Stacey Classens (3M), Kendra Horn (Oklahoma City Public Schools), and Stuart Brown (Inspire Brands) discussed why place-based philanthropy matters to their work — "Local knows what local needs," Stacey said — before breaking down the impact that 3M, Oklahoma City Public Schools, and Inspire Brands have had on our country's students through partnerships with DonorsChoose.
That sentiment was echoed in the fireside chat with Greg Behrman of NationSwell as he spoke on how to stay cutting-edge in today's evolving and complex CSR landscape. Peer learning, service, and corporate courage were the main themes here. Greg emphasized the importance of listening with humility and learning from the ones on the ground.
At the end of our time together, many participants noted all that they'd learned from one another, from employee engagement strategies, to prioritizing teacher-led initiatives, to how to better leverage their partnerships with DonorsChoose.
Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts, to each and every one of our partners.
Whether you attended our Partner Summit or you're looking forward to attending the next one, we're blown away by how special this partner community really is. We’re especially grateful to our host, Riot Games, for making this day possible in their beautiful headquarters.
We can't wait to keep building a better future for educators and students with you, one action at a time!
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