12 Days Of Charitable Giving: DonorsChoose.org

Today marks the second day of my 12 Days of Charitable Giving. To recap, I’ve asked a panel of judges to review a number of deserving charities as suggested by my readers. I’ll be posting one a day for – well, 12 days (I’m clever that way).

I encourage you to check out the charities voted “most deserving” by my readers and judges. Remember that these are just suggestions and, in most cases, we can’t personally vouch for the good work that these folks do. So be smart. And be generous.

Today’s featured charity was submitted by Caroline. Caroline writes:

“DonorsChoose.org is a simple way to provide students in need with resources that our public schools often lack. At this not-for-profit web site, teachers submit project proposals for materials or experiences their students need to learn. These ideas become classroom reality when concerned individuals, whom we call Citizen Philanthropists, choose projects to fund. Proposals range from “Magical Math Centers” ($200) to “Big Book Bonanza” ($320), to “Cooking Across the Curriculum” ($1,100). Any individual can search such proposals by areas of interest, learn about classroom needs, and choose to fund the project(s) they find most compelling. In completing a project, donors receive a feedback package of student photos and thank-you notes, and a teacher impact letter.”

A search at irs.gov (which I highly recommend any time you are considering making a donation) reveals that DonorsChoose.org is on the IRS list of charitable organizations.

You can read about our prior 12 Days’ picks here:

12 Days of Charitable Giving: Forget Me Not

Thanks to our guest judge, Madeline Martin, for choosing Donors Choose. Madeline authors One Vote Matters, a non-partisan blog that focuses on the business side of politics.