The Power of Engagement

Ok...the opening General Session was excellent!  Charles Best, leader of DonorsChoose.org, explained how a simple idea for funding public school projects has turned into a major source of funding for teachers and students across the country.

A high school social studies teacher in the Bronx, Charles Best shared constant conversations with his fellow teachers about the projects they wish they could do with their students, the books they wish they could buy, the field trips they wish they could take. Missing from the equation was the money to fund the extensive wish lists.

Taking a low-tech approach using the universal currency - free food - Charles tapped his mother to make desserts, telling fellow teachers that eating the free food required that they visit a simple website he had created and post their most cherished classroom project wishes. He then anonymously funded the projects himself (as a young, single teacher, he had a little more disposable income on his hands than most).  To his surprise, the teachers were so excited about the results, they began to believe, to see real potential in the idea.  More and more teachers posted their own wishlists.

Students got excited, too, and Charles tapped student volunteers to write letters, asking for donations to support projects.  It worked. His student letter-writing campaign generated DonorsChoose.org's first $30,000 in support. They were off and running.

What makes DonorsChoose.org so different?  Donors can go onto the website and see all the projects, all of which have been thoroughly vetted and approved by volunteers before they hit the site.  Donors choose projects to support, using whatever criteria have meaning for them. Many donors support projects because they resonate strongly with them based on experience or emotion.

The point is...the donors choose how the money is applied. And then, rather than disappearing into a black hole or receiving an impersonal form thank you letter, donors receive notes and pictures from the classroom, and have the opportunity to respond back, essentially creating a short-term dialog with the teachers and students in the classroom.

The end result is that the donors are involved in the process, even those who can only give very small donations. They are engaged.  Totally connected. Emotionally involved.  And it works.

What does that have to do with us? 

Don't we look for engagement? Whether we're running a coprorate-sponsored fund raiser or hoping to engage learners in the classroom or online, we want engagement, involvement, personal investment and comittment. 

What can we learn from the DonorsChoose.org experience?

While you're thinking about that, visit DonorsChoose.org. See if there's a project there that speaks to you.

More to come...

Linda