Donors Choose and Classful are popular websites that allow individuals and businesses to donate to teachers and school-based projects of their liking. The funding can be used for anything from new textbooks to an important field trip and everything in between. Before we dive in, the major difference between DonorsChoose and Classful is that DonorsChoose […]
Donors Choose and Classful are popular websites that allow individuals and businesses to donate to teachers and school-based projects of their liking.
The funding can be used for anything from new textbooks to an important field trip and everything in between.
Before we dive in, the major difference between DonorsChoose and Classful is that DonorsChoose uses the funding to purchase school supplies for the teacher, and Classful gives the funds directly to the teacher.
Both of these platforms allow users to donate to causes that are important to them at schools all around the nation. These days, crowdfunding is an extremely popular concept, and it’s no surprise that underfunded schools are using it to improve their students’ education.
It’s estimated that teachers at over 80 percent of public schools throughout the United States have posted a fundraiser on Donors Choose. This immense popularity has led to the site becoming the most popular crowdfunding site for schools in the United States. Almost one billion dollars has been raised through this site and has gone toward projects in every state.
Donors Choose founded by a New York public high school teacher who couldn’t afford book copies for his class. After considering the amount of money spent on supplies at the school where he worked, he started Donors Choose. The website’s transparency proved a great hit; as of 2019, every public school in the United States can benefit from its service.
Classful is similar to Donors Choose in that it provides teachers with a valuable resource that can help them fund projects, field trips, or even school supplies they’d otherwise miss out on. The concept of funding teachers directly is new and innovative. Classful was created to fulfill the lack of funding in classrooms across the United States. Since studies have shown that over 94% of teachers purchase school supplies with their own money, Classful decided to help teachers raise the funding they need, unlike Donors Choose, which only provides materials. Classful believes that since teachers are already spending their own money on school supplies, they can be trusted to spend the funds received on the things they need. It is one of the quickest ways a teacher can procure funding for classroom supplies, technology, field trips, and more! And you can be sure the teacher receives the funding they need because they’re paid out on the day of receiving the donation.
Both sites provide an invaluable service for public schools all around the country — Classful allows private school teachers as well. Without them, many schools — and many children — would be unable to have a quality education that is among the best in the world.
Thanks to both of these sites, children have up-to-date textbooks and computers, among many other things. While some people may argue that field trips aren’t a vital part of education and that people may misuse these websites, the truth couldn’t be further than that. Field trips can enrich a child’s perspective on life and give them the inspiration they need to pursue a certain career.
Both websites fund virtually anything to do with education and can often provide a valuable lifeline to underfunded public schools. There’s not much difference in terms of projects these sites help fund, as both are focused entirely on improving the quality of education children receive by providing the resources teachers need.
In both cases, the majority of the money makes it to the causes that are being donated. Classful proudly states that its platform has a 0% rate for the teacher who registers on it. But it also notes that 2.9% + .30¢ of every donation is taken for merchant processing! Classful solely relies on tips – other than the processing fee. The service is free for donors and teachers. The rest can be spent as the teachers see fit, as they already know teachers spend their money on school supplies.
When you donate via Donors Choose, the money goes to Donors Choose plus 15% if the donor wishes to donate to Donors Choose. They purchase the goods and ship them directly to the school. While, essentially, they’re acting as the “middle man,” it’s a tried and tested process that has helped countless schools around the United States. Donors Choose been awarded the highest ratings from charity evaluators Charity Navigator and Charity Watch.
Both sites are full to the brim with worthy causes, and regardless of which site you choose to donate through, you’ll be helping improve the education of children and making it easier on teachers. Donors Choose the security of all purchases made through the company itself. Whereas Classful sends the money directly to the teachers to spend as they see fit, and by donating money through Classful, you can be sure that no matter how much or how little you donate, you’ll always be making a difference.
