DonorsChoose
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| Non-profit organization | |
| Founded | March 26, 2000 |
| Headquarters | New York City, New York, U.S. |
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Key people
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Charles Best, Founder |
| Revenue | $77,873,828 |
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Number of employees
|
88 |
| Website | donorschoose.org |
DonorsChoose.org is a United States–based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that allows individuals to donate directly to public school classroom projects. Founded in 2000 by former public school teacher Charles Best, DonorsChoose.org was among the first civic crowdfunding platforms of its kind. The organization has been given Charity Navigator’s highest rating every year since 2005.
DonorsChoose.org was founded in 2000 by Charles Best, a social studies teacher at Wings Academy in The Bronx. Charles and his colleagues often spent their own money on school supplies for their students, and discussed materials they wished they could afford in the teachers’ lunchroom. Charles envisioned a platform for individuals to connect directly with classrooms in need, providing materials requested by teachers. With the help of his students, he built the first version of the site in his classroom and invited colleagues to post material requests. Charles anonymously funded the first 10 project requests to demonstrate the effectiveness of the site.
In 2003, the Oprah Winfrey Show featured Charles Best in a segment on Innovative Teachers, which aired on June 20. Traffic generated from the show crashed the site, but viewers donated $250,000 to classroom projects. The sustained exposure from the Oprah Winfrey Show allowed DonorsChoose.org to expand from the New York City region to key metropolitan areas across the country.
In 2006, following the destruction of hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the site opened to public school teachers in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Texas. In 2007, the site opened to every public school in the United States.
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Wikipedia