DonorsChoose, an Independent Sector member since 2020, is an education nonprofit that proves anyone can contribute to change. Among a group of IS members supported by AT&T, DonorsChoose is committed to racial and socioeconomic equity in education. The organization’s innovative approach makes it easy for anyone to empower a teacher or classroom – moving our country toward ensuring that students in every community have the necessary tools and resources for an enriching education.
Alix Guerrier
With a new school year under way, we asked Alix Guerrier, Chief Executive Officer of DonorsChoose, how his nonprofit helps support our country’s public education system and connects the public to public schools, particularly those in low-income communities.
IS: DonorsChoose was founded in 2000 by Charles Best, a high school history teacher in Bronx, New York. What did he experience as a teacher that planted the idea that people might contribute directly toward resources needed by teachers and schools if they could see where their dollars were going?
AG: When he was a new teacher, our founder Charles Best would have lunchroom conversations with his fellow teachers about all of the books, musical instruments, and field trips they had in school — resources that they often found themselves buying for their students out of their own pockets.
Photo courtesy of DonorsChoose
As he was making copies of a book for his students one morning, he imagined that there must be people outside the school walls who would want to help teachers fund these resources, if only there were a transparent and expedient way to do so. In 2000, Charles launched DonorsChoose with the help of his students and a young developer he hired to sketch out the first iteration of our website. At that time, “crowdfunding” wasn’t yet a word, and DonorsChoose was one of the first platforms of its kind.
IS: Independent Sector focuses on creating a healthy and racially just nation where all people thrive, specifically targeting Native, Black, Latinx, Asian, and other communities of color. In the same vein, DonorsChoose is committed to achieving equity in education. Can you talk about the disparities in our nation’s public school system that led to your organization’s commitment?
Photo courtesy of DonorsChoose
AG: Our Equity Focus came from the need to more explicitly state the inequities that still exist in classrooms today. A study from EdBuild reported that school districts attended mostly by students of color receive $23 billion less in local and state funding annually, per-pupil, than districts attended mostly by White students, even when controlling for a district’s poverty level. While we’ve always been driven to support schools most impacted by socioeconomic inequity, we knew we needed to be more direct in addressing racial inequity in schools.
On our website, we now spotlight requests from “Equity Focus Schools,” where at least 50% of students are Black, Latino, Native American, Pacific Islander, or multiracial, and where at least 50% of students come from low-income households. Our donors and funding partners now have a way to support a teacher’s project at schools that historically have been the most underfunded in the country.
Photo courtesy of DonorsChoose
IS: Your nonprofit’s approach makes it easy for anyone to help a classroom in need. Public school teachers from anywhere in the U.S. can post a classroom project request, and then people who are interested can give an amount they are inspired to give. And DonorsChoose stays involved throughout to ensure the integrity of the process – from the initial request, to the project getting funded, to the teacher or school receiving the goods. It’s a fascinating approach. Can you tell us more about how it works?
AG: When a teacher submits a classroom project on DonorsChoose, we review the project and the resources they request. When supporters fully fund a DonorsChoose project, we ship the materials directly to the teacher’s verified school address. This ensures an easy process for teachers and ensures transparency for our supporters. What sets us apart from virtually every other crowdfunding platform is that we never send cash to the teacher.
Photo courtesy of DonorsChoose
We fulfill the request for them and deliver the resources directly to the classroom, which is a critically important feature of our site for both donors and school districts. Donors then hear back from the classrooms they support through “thank you’s” and photos, helping them appreciate the impact their donations are having.
IS: DonorsChoose’s Board of Directors includes many well-known and accomplished people. What is it about your mission that attracts the interest of such a prestigious group?
AG: Many of us have at least one teacher who has made an impact on our lives. Our board members and partners join us in our mission because they remember those teachers. They all also have a passion for education and what teachers represent for students. Three of our board members are, in fact, current K-12 teachers. Having their input and frontline wisdom, combined with the expertise and public acclaim of other members on our board, is crucial for inspiring the public and our partners to empower public school teachers through DonorsChoose.
Photo courtesy of DonorsChoose
IS: Your determination to provide transparency throughout the giving and receiving process is admirable and has won you well-earned acknowledgement and recognition. Tell us more about that.
AG: We lean into the fact that our donors want to know their dollars are being spent as they directed, which is why our accountability measures have earned us the highest seals of approval from Charity Navigator, GuideStar, and CharityWatch for more than a decade. DonorsChoose was the first charity to be named one of Fast Company’s “Most Innovative Companies in the World,” and we were also named as one of Oprah’s Ultimate Favorite Things. Several of our corporate and foundation partners have been recognized with Engage for Good Halo Awards for their work with us. We like to stay humble, but this recognition means so much to us because it shows the extra steps we take to ensure accountability to our donors and that teachers are valued by the nonprofit community.
IS: Many members of your staff come from the teaching profession, which is a valuable asset. And DonorsChoose was recognized as 2017’s Best Nonprofit to Work For by The NonProfit Times. What is it about DonorsChoose that makes it such an attractive place to work?
Photo courtesy of DonorsChoose
AG: We do so much to help our donors and partners see their impact on classrooms across America, and that’s true for our staff, too. In particular, our DonorsChoose colleagues who are former teachers understand the challenges educators face when they want to go above and beyond for their students. They understand what it’s like to try to get your hands on resources that make for memorable classroom experiences, and what it’s like to pay out-of-pocket for those resources. The desire to empower teachers and students, to help combat inequity in education, and to see the impact of our work firsthand helps us give our all to this work every day.
IS: As an Independent Sector member, how can being part of the larger IS community help advance DonorsChoose’s work?
AG: We know that the work we do at DonorsChoose does not exist in a vacuum. Our team acknowledges the ripple effects that education has on other facets of society, and in turn, the ripple effects those facets of society have on education. Thinking about these connections with an equity lens really highlights why it’s important for DonorsChoose to authentically function as a member of a community. Independent Sector encourages organizations to connect and learn from each other, and particularly learn how to better “ensure that all people in the United States thrive.” As a supporter of educators and their students, DonorsChoose is proud to be in the company of other organizations striving for an equitable future.
Highlights About DonorsChoose:
- 86% of all the public schools in America have at least one teacher who has created a project request on DonorsChoose
- DonorsChoose has mobilized 5.4 million citizen donors and dozens of generous corporate and foundation partners – who together have given $1.3 billion to support requests from teachers.
- Over 744,000 teachers have already had a project funded on DonorsChoose, helping make learning more engaging at more than 87,000 schools across the country
Learn about other Independent Sector members and becoming a member.
