Donors Choose Bloggers Challenge Is Back!

Last October this community here at AVC raised almost $20,000 for classroom projects in needy schools around the country. We fully funded 43 separate projects and partially funded another 7. Almost 100 different readers participated. We won the technology category of the blogger’s challenge, beating out TechCrunch, Engadget, All Things D, and many others.

So it’s time to defend that victory. I have a feeling the competition is going to be tougher this year. Scoble and Julia Allison have joined the fray according to Fortune. But I am up for the challenge if you are.

I’ve kicked things off by giving $200 to this great project in Greensboro, NC where we are going to buy a music class 30 Xilopipes. But please do not give directly on that page.

The way we win this is by doing all of our giving via the AVC giving page. I will add some more projects to the giving page and if you have projects you’d like to see on the giving page, send me the links to them and I’ll add them. I am emphasizing technology and music learning projects on the giving page but I am happy to feature other great projects for all of us to give to.

IMPORTANT: Donor’s Choose, which runs this whole thing, is a great organization. When you give to a classroom project via Donor’s Choose, you are not giving your money to anyone. Donor’s Choose actually purchases the items the classroom needs and sends it right to the teacher. So those Xilophones will get bought by Donor’s Choose and sent to the classroom in Greensboro, NC. There’s a ton of technology automation involved. This is a "fraud free" way to give to needy classrooms and I love that.

I am going to add another widget to this blog for the month of October, it will look like this, but it will be a skyscraper instead of a rectangle.

 

So every time you visit this blog, you’ll see the Donor’s Choose widget and hopefully will be inspired to give some more.

That’s the story. It’s up to all of us now to defend the technology blog title and maybe we can even make a run at Sarah Bunting/Tomato Nation which raised over $100,000 last year. Now that’s amazing.

#stocks#VC & Technology

Comments (Archived):

  1. Chip Griffin

    Another great way to help Donors Choose is to vote for them in the American Express Members Project. Donors Choose is one of five finalists and will get $1.5 million if they get the most votes. You have to have an AmEx card to vote, so go ahead and participate in this challenge, but also vote for them over at MembersProject.com. (I have no affiliation with Donors Choose other than being a donor myself.)

  2. CDC

    Hey Fred, I run a sports blog and want to get Donors Choose to add a category for sports blogs in the Blogger Challenge (so we can compete against the other sports bloggers). I tried emailing them without any luck. Can you provide any assistance with getting in touch?

    1. fredwilson

      I’m on it.

  3. Cory Levy

    Awesome project!

  4. Curt Viebranz

    Fred, I’m in. Nice effort by you. Thanks.

    1. fredwilson

      Thanks curt!

  5. greenskeptic

    Excellent, Fred. I’m so glad to see you’re doing this again.I had such a great experience trying to help you meet the challenge last year. In fact, I often use it as an example of how philanthropy can be “hacked.” For readers who need a testimonial for DonorsChoose.org, here’s the story of my marvelous encounter with the org: http://bit.ly/38SOaQ

    1. fredwilson

      Its disruptive technology and I love that

      1. greenskeptic

        Me too. Trying to do something similarly disruptive to green energy investing.BTW, are you guys planning a follow-up to Hacking Philanthropy? That was a great session.

        1. fredwilson

          Not likely, although we would gladly give the hacking philanthropy name to someone who would turn this into an annual or even more frequent event. Not that it’s even our name!

  6. Amanda

    Hello,I am one of the teachers that benefits immensely from Donors Choose! Teaching at a public charter school in DC, DonorsChoose.org has been one of the only ways to get materials, books, instruments, and other equipment for my students. My students have learned so much more because of the resources that people have generously donated to my classroom. I looked today and saw that one of my proposals is being promoted –for more books for my classroom library– I can’t thank you enough for your help!

  7. Sarah

    Fred – I can’t thank you enough for funding my project for the xylopipes. We have a brand new school, but our county did not live up to its duties to provide instruments in the music classroom. I told the students I had today of your generosity and they cannot wait for the instruments to come in. To know there are people out there like you who value music education and give students an opportunity is breathtaking. I have two goals when for my students when they leave music: To love it and to be able to read it. I figure if they have those two things, they can go anywhere they want in music for the rest of their lives. I just wanted to say thank you. I will keep in touch and send some pictures and notes from the kids as soon as possible. I have one other project, to obtain some percussion instruments, if you wouldn’t mind passing the word along. The ID is 206379. Thanks for all you have done!

    1. Sarah

      I’m sorry I made a mistake the ID I gave was the one you funded. Could you help advertise for 206481? Thanks again Fred!

    2. fredwilson

      Just send me a picture of the kids playing them and I’ll hang it in myofficeIt will make my day

  8. Pam Breitberg

    Thank you so very much for promoting my project listed at Donors Choose. Your help to make people aware of specific classroom needs is greatly appreciated by myself and my students. (We’re the “GIS Technology and Insect Study). Without others’ support learning science using today’s technology is very limited and shallow experience for our students.

  9. Bari

    Thank you for selecting my project! The globe and U.S. map rug will enable my students to dream big and realize that we are all connected. These items will foster an interactive learning environment. Your assistance will help to create a global community of eager children. Thanks again! It truly is a small world after all. 🙂

    1. fredwilson

      Getting smaller every day it seems

  10. Elizabeth

    Fred,Thanks so much for selecting my Music Alive! project. I recently did a study with my 8th grade students on music across different generations. We listened to popular music from the past 100 years, and then I had my students choose a piece and list what they thought made it popular to that generation. We even talked about historically what was affecting that generation, and how that influenced their musical tastes. We then looked at a popular song that my students enjoyed, and made a list of reasons why they enjoyed that music.My students were shocked to see the lists were the same! Their parents and grandparents, seemed to like music for the same reasons they did! For a 13 year old this is a BIG revelation! Music Alive uses current artists and musical ideas that will help my students make these same types of connections on a more personal level. Most people don’t realize how music can affect student learning and development.Thanks for your support!

    1. fredwilson

      It’s all of us that should be thanking you for making a career out ofteaching, it’s a labor of love for those who do it best

  11. Mrs. C

    Thank you so much for this challenge. I am one of the teachers who benefits from Donors’ Choose. I as so glad that with donors’ help, we can give our students some of the same amenities that other schools around the nation are blessed with. Thanks again for your support of our projects and know that it is greatly appreciated. Mrs. C in Oklahoma

    1. fredwilson

      I love hearing from all you teachers. Its great!

  12. Ms. A

    Thanks for promoting my project! FROM: 1st grade teacher (Ms. Armstrong) (DonorsChoose.org)

  13. Louise

    I have been begging anyone that would listen to donate to my Donors Choose project # 185605. Even though it is not related to music or technology, it is a worthwhile cause, and I would appreciate your consideration of it. It is for start up materials for a remedial intervention reading program for First graders. Our community was hard hit by Hurricane Katrina and any donations would help. Thank you and God Bless!