How many times have you heard teachers are not in it for the money? Every. Single. Day. However, its true! It is no secret that teachers are spending money out of pocket. However, you do not always have to! Crowdfunding is an amazing platform to get needed materials and supplies. Over the past six years I have received over $5,000 worth of supplies!
Now before you start crowdfunding be sure to check with your principal, data clerk, or grant liaison on what your district policies are. Ours has a list of procedures we must follow to even submit for crowdfunding. Once you have squared away what the district requirements are, you are free to choose your platform. My two favorites are Donors Choose and Amazon.
Donors choose is an amazing tool. It is free to sign up and very user friendly. You simply follow their directions to answer the corresponding questions. Every once in awhile a celebrity or major company will come along and fund your entire project! I always like to keep one posted in case this happens.Another Donors Choose hack is to wait until donations are doubled!. Typically this happens when your site first goes live. However, Donors Choose will occasionally have a week long offer for double donations. That is time to act! The only downside with Donors Chose is that are restrictions on which vendors you can shop from
Amazon is not only great for buying random items for your home. It also allows you to create a Wish list. You simply search what you want, add it your list, and wait for a generous donor to make your classroom dreams come true! I ALWAYS attach this link in the signature of my emails. This way student’s guardians always have access.