Donors Choose

Please Please Please....tell me that you know about Donors Choose!

This is a website that I have been using since 2006.  I have successfully written over 25 grant proposals that total over $6000 worth of materials.  Just from this website!

Hard to believe, right? 
Must be really hard right?
Must take a lot of time, right?

No, no, and no!

It is by far the easiest grant proposal I have ever written! 

You begin by creating a title for your project and then shopping online!  Sometimes, I do the shopping before I create the title!  What you ask for can range from water bottles to notebooks to sets of books and classroom furniture. 

If you have a classroom need and are tired of spending so much of your own money, this is the site for you! 

When you're ready to shop, you are sent directly to the vendor's website so all products and prices are well represented. My favorite is Lakeshore.

What sets this site apart from all the rest is their effort to advertise FOR you! The staff at Donor's Choose works hard to make connections with a variety of companies that will partly fund grant proposals.

 A number of my grant proposals started off on their site already half way funded by Perishing Square, Piggly Wiggly and even The Hootie and The Blowfish Arts Foundation.

I try to keep as many proposals active as I'm allowed.  And, I try to have one in each subject are too.  You never know what a donor may be looking for. 

And, speaking of these donors, they are REAL people!  So, in your write-up, you can "speak" honestly about your needs without educatioinal jargon and fluff.  The donors are regular,everyday people that just want to give what they can to public education.

I hope you'll visit the site today and get a project started!

Happy Grant Writing!

Applications and Proposals

Ever heard that quote, "A teacher's work is never done...?"  How true!  I am headed back to my classroom for a few hours today- by choice- because I have a few things I want to get ahead on. 

The first is an application to the STAR teacher program organized and put on by the Palmetto State Teachers Association.  The application is due by July 31st but involves much more on my part than I originally thought.  Both my principal and a colleague (thanks, Dorothy!) had to write a letter of reference for me and then I have to complete an application and answer an essay question!  I felt very strongly that this would be a GREAT professional development opportunity for me. 

Professional development of any kind has pretty much disappeared since budget issues began.  The kicker of this opportunity is that the Foundation for Professional Development pays for all the expenses!  Even for the substitute that will be required in my absence.  The conference is held in October at Seabrook Island near Charleston, SC.  I hate to be away from my classroom for any reason- but it promises to be a relaxing and renewing experience!  When complete, I've got to head over to the District Office.  I need Dr. Epps' signature too!

The second task I need to complete is a grant proposal to the Foundation for Fort Mill Schools.  This organization supports our schools in many ways and one of those is by offering $500 grants to one teacher at each school.  I tried for the first time last year and didn't succeed, so I am trying again!!  This time with a better idea!  I am hoping to purchase 3 Nooks from Barnes and Noble.  I can use these in the classroom, but more importantly, send them home with students that don't have a big selection of picture books or with those that have non English speaking parents. I'm going to call it, "Curl Up With A Good Nook".  I think that a catchy title is always important- kind of like a first impression. 

I have also got to give my classroom one more sweep and make sure it is in a "ready to use" type condition because starting next week it will be used for a special program taking place for 8 weeks this summer.  I'll be there for 4 of them. More details to come about that...