061: Supporting Our Nation’s Poorest Public Schools — DonorsChoose.org with Katie Bisbee

Teachers are stretched thin in resources — how DonorsChoose.org aims to change that.

Katie Bisbee has been a part of DonorsChoose.org for the last 10 years. In her role as Chief Marketing Officer, she and her team engage over 2 million donors and teachers to rally up support for public school classrooms. The teachers care so much and they often go out of pocket to make sure their students have the right tools they need to excel and grow. With the help of DonorsChoose.org, teachers can focus on giving their students the best materials without worrying about their personal finances. Find out more about this education charity on this week’s episode.

Key Takeaways:

[2:40] DonorsChoose.org is Stephen Colbert’s favorite charity.

[5:10] How did Katie get involved with DonorsChoose.org?

[9:15] Before going to business school, Katie worked for a direct service non-profit and often felt guilty leaving for the night, even after working an 18 hour day.

[11:10] Katie joined DonorsChoose.org 10 years ago. Last year, the organization was able to deliver $104 million to classrooms all over the United States.

[16:50] How did DonorsChoose.org get started?

[18:00] DonorsChoose.org is very transparent, which is why so many celebrities have gotten behind the charity and donated.

[21:15] Let’s shift gears and talk about the values that drive businesses, people and corporations, supporting DonorsChoose.org.

[23:45] A majority of us have had one or more teachers that have touched our lives in a profound way.

[30:00] Charles Best, the founder of DonorsChoose.org, has always valued feedback. He is committed to making his cause the best it can be.

[37:05] About 3/4 of classroom projects that get posted on the website end up getting fully funded.

[41:40] What kind of celebrity testimonials has Katie and the organization received?

[45:55] What’s next for the organization?

[49:35] It’s such a shame that the United States has 40 million people, 16 million of those are children, who are food insecure on a daily basis.

Mentioned in This Episode:

Giving Back Podcast

Donorschoose.org