Donors Choose

So now that you’ve got your DonorsChoose.org gift card, what should you do with it?

Start by telling your child or children what the organization does and how the process works. Older kids should be able to grasp the big idea — and the need — right away. Younger kids may need an explanation: Some schools have more books and computers and money for field trips than others. This isn’t fair. And we can help by giving some money to teachers who need it for specific projects.

Then, it’s time to sit down as a family and pick a project from among the thousands on the site at any given time. Here are some ideas for helping a child narrow down the choices.

LOCATION
One possibility is to help teachers and students in your own community or one nearby. Another is to help a school in a city or town that’s been on your mind or in the news. Donors poured tens of thousands of dollars into projects in Ferguson, Missouri, recently.

NEED
DonorsChoose.org’s search tool allows you to search for projects in the “highest poverty” area. You can also search on “most urgent,” which includes projects in areas with severe need that are closest to the expiration date for funding and/or only need a bit more money to be fully paid for.

TOPIC
If a child has a special interest, you can focus on that. You’ll be surprised at how granular the site gets. One year, my daughter was obsessed with tie-dying; sure enough, we found an art teacher who needed money for a t-shirt project. Favorite school subjects like music or math have scores of options. My wife and I, journalists both, have also given money so students can have subscriptions to various publications.

MONEY
You can search for projects by “lowest cost” to stretch your $27 as far as it can go. But by all means, spend more than that! While the $27 from your gift code is not tax-deductible, any donation beyond that will be.