Dive Brief:
- Teachers have access to a range of crowdfunding platforms — including DonorsChoose.org, AdoptaClassroom.org, GoFundMe.org Classwish.org and Tilt.com — and with donor expectations likely falling back on the school, a broader policy is a must.
- District Administration reports the West Ada School District in Idaho requires crowdfunding ideas to be approved by the executive director of the district’s education foundation first, and best practices include coordinating fundraising efforts so teachers aren’t competing for the same pool of resources.
- Schools have also instituted policies that require donations to be made by check, made out to the school rather than a teacher, and West Ada offers teachers model crowdfunding proposals from which to build their own pitches.
Dive Insight:
A report from The NDP Group last year surveyed public and private school teachers in the K-12 system, finding 91% buy school supplies with their own money. There are simply things teachers want to do in their classrooms that they cannot ask students or administrators to pay for. Tight budgets across the country have prevented teachers from doing all the innovative projects they want to, making crowdfunding requests for 3D printers, art supplies and even money for field trips common. District Administration reports nearly two-thirds of schools nationwide have had at least one teacher request money for a project through DonorsChoose.org, the original crowdfunding site for teachers that launched in 2000. The types of requests teachers make online are a reflection of a school, a good reason for administrators to stay in the loop.