Daph@DonorsChoose

I'll be attending BlogHer 2009 on behalf of DonorsChoose.org, a non profit that connects public school teachers in need of classroom resources with donors who want to help. Last year, BlogHer was instrumental in raising thousands of dollars to support classrooms and we thought it was fitting to pay it forward by coming out to say 'thanks' for spreading the word. If you see me at the conference, please say 'hi!' I'm looking forward to sharing our site with you and to meeting all of the awesome women (and men!) who make the BlogHer community as vibrant and *amazing* as it is.

More info on the Social Media Challenge below--

SOCIAL MEDIA CHALLENGE DETAILS

During the month of October, hundreds of bloggers will partake in the DonorsChoose.org Social Media Challenge, a philanthropic “smackdown,” aimed at inspiring online communities to support classroom projects. It’s a friendly but fierce competition, to find out which bloggers have the most engaged and philanthropic readership. More than 165 bloggers, ranging from Craigslist.org founder Craig Newmark, to VC Fred Wilson and Mommy Blogs rallied for the cause, offering to perform various stunts to encourage their readers to donate. All told, they raised over $275,000 for educational projects to benefit nearly 67,000 students in low-income neighborhoods around the country. This year’s challenge promises to have an even bigger impact… Interested in participating? Email challenge@donorschoose.org

ABOUT DONORSCHOOSE.ORG

DonorsChoose.org, a nonprofit website, is a simple way to provide students with the books, technology, and supplies that they need to learn.  At DonorsChoose.org, innovative teachers propose ideas for classroom projects, such as “Magical Math Centers” ($200) or “Big Book Bonanza” ($400). Individuals around the nation can search student projects by areas of interest, learn about classroom needs, and choose to fund the project idea they find most compelling. Whether it's books or beakers, for second graders or sophomores, in Honolulu or Hartford there are thousands of classroom needs represented. Donors receive classroom feedback including photographs, student and teacher thank-you notes and an expenditure report showing that their gift was spent as directed.

DonorsChoose.org has been highlighted as “the future of philanthropy” by The New York Times.  Since being founded by a high school teacher in 2000, DonorsChoose has delivered more than $35 million in resources to over 2 million students across the country.