The first thing that drew me to this was the title. “I can’t learn in silence” made me think this was about trying to accommodate to students different learning styles, which I support. The request was not related to individual, stylized learning as the title suggested (to me) but instead was about needing headphones for her math classroom because of a new math program the school has implemented that needs headphones to utilize the program to its full potential. I think the need is a good one, with the teacher emphasising the school’s Title I status and the emphasis that the children are working towards a college education. The request will affect 40 students, which is a decent amount of students affected for the relatively cheap goal of $216. What I think this request is lacking is more information about the use of the headphones. She mentions the math program, but doesn’t mention how the headphones will be used in the program. Without that information about the program, I think the need is not clearly expressed to the viewer and, in some way, diminishes the need of the headphones for the students
Again, what drew me to this was the title pun “trap-ed” when she is requesting trapezoid desks for her students. I liked the wordage used in the request; the teacher describes herself and her job as a teacher of students with special needs. While this request isn’t as “flashy” as some of the other requests, I liked it because I think the new desks will have a multitude of effects on the students that will better their learning. While there are only 20 students affected by the request, I think the desks can be such a benefit to the students by providing more space for them to learn and will affect everything they will do in the classroom. Also, the desks will be useful for multiple years and will hopefully last a long time so the amount of students affected will grow each year. With a request of $1,033, the amount is a little high, but I think the need is good and the teacher provided an effective request for the funds for her students.
The title of this request drew me in with focus on gender in “Boys want to have technology.” Curious about why boys specifically needed it, I looked at this request. It ended up being because her classroom consists of all boys, but I thought the emphasis in the title felt misplaced. The request was for 5 ipads, with protective cases and headphones to help the students learn using technology. The language of the request seemed knowledgeable, but kind of felt like the teacher was using pedagogy buzzwords to explain why the students needed technology to learn. She states the Ipads will be used as an “alternative” mode of instruction, which makes me wonder how often the Ipads will be utilized in the classroom and how exactly they will be utilized. The request seemed impersonal, and would only impact 7 students currently. For the price of $1,824, the request seems high for only affecting 7 students and not providing examples of how the students will actually use the technology, making this the request I would be least likely to support.
Based on the requests I reviewed, here’s what I would suggest in writing a Donor’s Choose grant request.
Again, what drew me to this was the title pun “trap-ed” when she is requesting trapezoid desks for her students. I liked the wordage used in the request; the teacher describes herself and her job as a teacher of students with special needs. While this request isn’t as “flashy” as some of the other requests, I liked it because I think the new desks will have a multitude of effects on the students that will better their learning. While there are only 20 students affected by the request, I think the desks can be such a benefit to the students by providing more space for them to learn and will affect everything they will do in the classroom. Also, the desks will be useful for multiple years and will hopefully last a long time so the amount of students affected will grow each year. With a request of $1,033, the amount is a little high, but I think the need is good and the teacher provided an effective request for the funds for her students.
The title of this request drew me in with focus on gender in “Boys want to have technology.” Curious about why boys specifically needed it, I looked at this request. It ended up being because her classroom consists of all boys, but I thought the emphasis in the title felt misplaced. The request was for 5 ipads, with protective cases and headphones to help the students learn using technology. The language of the request seemed knowledgeable, but kind of felt like the teacher was using pedagogy buzzwords to explain why the students needed technology to learn. She states the Ipads will be used as an “alternative” mode of instruction, which makes me wonder how often the Ipads will be utilized in the classroom and how exactly they will be utilized. The request seemed impersonal, and would only impact 7 students currently. For the price of $1,824, the request seems high for only affecting 7 students and not providing examples of how the students will actually use the technology, making this the request I would be least likely to support.
Based on the requests I reviewed, here’s what I would suggest in writing a Donor’s Choose grant request.
- A good title. The title is what will draw people in to read your grant request. Out of the many available options, I was most drawn to ones I thought were funny or clever, but the point is to be different enough to stand out and draw people into clicking on your request.
- Make the request personal. If someone is giving money to help support a classroom, they will want to feel like they’re making a difference to individual students for the better. Without some personal details, I am less likely to support because it’s more difficult to empathize with the students’ needs. With more personalization, I think people would connect with the teachers and students more and be more likely to support the grant request.
- Make sure to include what exactly the purchase will do. People are going to be more likely to support if they feel like their money will make a real difference. Putting ipads in a classroom is always great, but without knowing what the Ipads will do or how they will help decreases my desire to support. I want to support to someone that has a goal and knows what they are doing, so make sure to show that to the reader.
- Provide a good picture of your students (if allowed). Related to the 2nd suggestion, the more I feel like I’m making a personal impact on someone, the more likely I am to support. By including a picture, put faces to the students and would feel more likely to support their education.
- Choose to request funds for something that will impact a lot of students. I’m more likely to support something that will have a larger effect than a smaller. While supporting smaller groups is necessary and helpful, a larger area of effect will make your request seem more impacting and may increase funding.
