Rapid Response: Fast pivots for changing needs w/DonorsChoose Charles Best

Care Packages

DonorsChoose has launched an innovative Care Package Initiative to support students in high-poverty communities during the pandemic. Charles Best explains that teachers can now send personalized education care packages directly to students' homes, a significant shift from their traditional model that required shipping to verified school addresses 1. This pivot allows teachers to quickly identify and fund the resources their students need, such as books and hygiene items, ensuring continuous learning from home.

We've been in a mad dash to develop a mechanism for public school teachers in high poverty communities to send their students personalized education care packages containing the stuff their kids need to keep learning from home.

--- Charles Best

The initiative is already operational, with major support from donors like Bill and Melinda Gates, who have provided matching grants to boost contributions 1.

   

Remote Tools

To facilitate remote learning, DonorsChoose has developed new tools that empower teachers to provide essential resources to students in underserved communities. Charles Best describes the creation of an education-only gift card that allows teachers to purchase necessary items while adhering to guidelines, such as buying books but not romance novels, and groceries but not candy 1. This system ensures that resources are appropriate and mission-aligned, with instant funding and direct shipping to students' homes.

What we need is for teachers to be able to identify just the resources their kids need to keep learning from home, to instantly verify that those resources are appropriate and on mission.

--- Charles Best

Additionally, the platform fosters community support by enabling donors to contribute to projects for teachers and students they have never met, making it a magnet for low-income and rural communities 2.