What's the most efficient way to help local schools financially?

March 16, 2021 1:07 PM

I have some money I'd like to give to local K-12 schools that serve underprivileged kids. What approach will get the best bang for the buck?

I like in a relatively poor area with a lot of kids at or below the poverty line. I'd like to take a couple thousand dollars (let's say $5K over the course of the year) and do something to help improve the schools that serve them. I do not have kids and have no specific affiliation or interest in any given school. I know it's not a ton of money that will have a huge impact on any school's budget, but what's the best way to maximize impact?

One approach would be to go through Donorschoose and just support a lot of little projects - at least as of last night, most of the listings in my area were mostly asking for funds for library books, though that may be an artifact of covid shutting down in-person classes for the most part.

I live in an area that has school lunch debt assigned to students - I could simply help clear some of that out.

I could donate the money directly to schools - Would it be better to spread $1K to five schools or pick one school per year and give them the whole amount? I'd also feel a little better if I knew my contributions were going to academic support rather than the football team or whathaveyou, though I'm cognizant of how budgets/pools of money actually work and would not want to try to attach any legal requirements to the donation that it could only be used for such and such that would make accepting it more trouble than it's worth.

posted by Candleman to Education (15 answers total)

As a parent of a 7th grader who has only ever been in title 1 schools (in her school, 70% of kids from homes with income below poverty line) and who has been on the school leadership team, looking at budgets... I would give 1K to 5 schools. A little really does go a huge way in these schools, and can be the difference between providing programs for a whole grade or not.
posted by gaspode at 1:12 PM on March 16, 2021 [4 favorites]

I have been in a similar situation and unfortunately the less needy schools seem to be the ones that have a ton of Donors Choose projects, though you can filter by need. I would find Title 1 schools and ask to speak with whoever is in charge of getting parents signed up on food stamps. Our school has a "Parent Resource Center" which is really one person who knows everyone and everything going on in the whole school and community. If you can fnd someone like that they will almost certainly be aware for opportunities for high-impact donations. Title 1 schools do get extra federal money for mental health and other things, but they can definitely use some arts funding. If you don't want to support sports, I would go for elementary or middle school, sports isn't that big a thing.
posted by wnissen at 1:30 PM on March 16, 2021

I work for a school district with a couple Title 1 schools. I would not donate money directly to the school or district itself - as you mentioned, it will get thrown in the general pool and who knows what it will be spent on.

Instead, if you can find enough schools in your area on Donorschoose, I'd go that way. You want to get this money into a classroom - something like a few hundred dollars translates into many novels and library books and would make a considerable impact on the classroom. The other thing you could consider is finding out if the schools/teachers have any "wishlists" set-up and buy them the equivalent value of those things.

Thank you for your kindness - every bit makes a difference in a school with limited resources.
posted by _DB_ at 1:31 PM on March 16, 2021

Given that teachers have to foot the bill for supplies in their classrooms, I’d find some way to get the money to them. Maybe establish a general supply endowment that teachers can take a set amount from for use in their classrooms?
posted by Thorzdad at 1:56 PM on March 16, 2021 [1 favorite]

I would reach out to a principal at a local Title 1 school and ask for suggestions. They may need winter clothes for kids, stocking the school food pantry, lunch debt wiped out, scholarships for after-school sports programs, etc. They will definitely know how to best serve their school. This is very kind of you.
posted by notjustthefish at 2:00 PM on March 16, 2021 [5 favorites]

If I were you, I'd give $4k along the good directions that the previous commentators had mentioned, and see if there is a good education advocacy organization to give $1k. It's often very hard for public interest advocacy groups to raise money that they can spend on lobbying, and in the long run, poor schools need better state and local policy, in addition to direct giving. If you want to direct message me, I'm happy to help identify some in your area.
posted by mercredi at 2:04 PM on March 16, 2021 [2 favorites]

Less resourced schools without plentiful PTA budgets are often really hurting for the activities that make school fun - instruments in class, cool after-school opportunities, etc. The teachers similarly don't have as much financial support as wealthier schools.

I like notjustthefish's idea of reaching out to principals. Here are some ideas on what to offer.
- paying for all field trips for a year ($5K would likely be more than this amount)
- creating a special teacher supply fund
- buying instruments for the music teacher (for example, you could buy all the 4th graders recorders or ukuleles)
- making a large, one-time purchase of PPE supplies (masks, tables, etc.) if the schools are going back now
- buying a new graphic novel collection for the school library
posted by JuliaKM at 2:06 PM on March 16, 2021 [1 favorite]

I would pick a school and give it to directly to them, and trust them to use it effectively. They know what their needs are.
posted by robcorr at 2:06 PM on March 16, 2021 [1 favorite]

PTA groups often organize the things that are being mentioned on this thread. Talking to the principal and/or PTA president would be good starts on figuring out where the money would do the most good.
posted by tchemgrrl at 2:06 PM on March 16, 2021

When we were in the same situation, wanting to donate to a less-resourced elementary school in our area, we talked directly with the principal who to our delight had already consulted with their social worker about the best use for the money. After talking with him about their plans, we were confident the money would be put to good use and so placed no restrictions on the donation.
posted by DrGail at 3:04 PM on March 16, 2021

I did a DonorsChoose at my Title I school. It was for $1200, which is a drop in the bucket for a school district of any size (even if it's not a rich district), but it made a huge difference for us (I am a "specials" teacher, so I teach every kid in the building). I contribute to DonorsChoose projects near me, in part because I had such a good experience.

The reason I like DonorsChoose is that teachers know what they need. Administrators sometimes do (mine did!), but it's not as reliable. (Principals are generally going to have a better sense of what's needed than higher level folks, but you still sometimes want that ground-level perspective.) I also love JuliaKM's suggestions.
posted by goodbyewaffles at 4:55 PM on March 16, 2021

To echo JuliaKM's response--from my own experience in a severally under resourced district with a title I school, $5000 is both a drop in the bucket for any moderately sized district but, on the other hand, that amount of money would cover one or several line items for consumable costs within a building that are likely on the chopping block this year due to COVID budget constraints. Think woodshop supplies, general classroom supplies, instrument repair, sheet music, art supplies, home ec supplies, etc., etc. These are all $1000-$5000 line items.

(Note that things directly related to COVID can be shoved onto grants this year thanks to the three rounds of federal funding. Think PPE, cleaning supplies, classroom tech for hybrid and remote learning, etc. So, at least in my district, there's not as much need for that right now.)
posted by damayanti at 5:06 PM on March 16, 2021

I would go the Donor's Choose route. I have seen too many principals who do not prioritize teacher's needs, and end up spending donations on things they prioritize instead of what individual teachers want. I used Donor's Choose when I was a school librarian and it allowed me to get things that I used year after year, and really cherished having in my library.
posted by momochan at 5:20 PM on March 16, 2021 [2 favorites]

I'm not crazy about the Donors Choose route, because the teachers and staff who post requests on it are not necessarily the teachers and staff who most need the help. My district has a foundation that I donate to annually; I trust them to spend the money well.
posted by The corpse in the library at 11:07 AM on March 17, 2021

One great way for school funding is to personally visit each school and see what they require. If you only donate money, chances are that the money can be misused. Visit schools and ask the administrator or the principal and ask them about any requirements. For example, a school might be in dire need of sports equipment, but due to lack of funds, they are unable to afford them. What you can do is,, make a checklist of those items and buy them for the school and give it to them rather than directly handing over the amount.
posted by chocolatenights at 7:20 AM on March 19, 2021