My Stand-off with DonorsChoose.org

I had a bad experience using DonorsChoose.org.

I posted a proposal to acquire class sets of The Complete Cartoon Guide to Genetics in hopes that it would promote scientific literacy in my genetics classes. The proposal was funded in less than a week and the week after I received my books.

The problem.

The students wanted no part and would not participate in writing thank you letters or even returning the permission slips to take photographs of them using the materials. When I e-mailed the situation to DonorsChoose that the students are unwilling to participate in any form of thanks (which shocks me), they responded to take pictures of the materials without the students. Mind you, by the time I received this suggestion it's summer break and the books are locked up in a locker somewhere for safekeeping.

I e-mailed them back and said that since it's summer break and the materials have been locked up I would no longer be able to send the thank-you package. I even offered to apologize to the donors in person should they desire it but I could offer nothing in return aside from my own personal letter of thanks for class materials.

The thing about the DonorsChoose site that really annoys me is that their accountability system is streamlined to satisfy the donor regardless of the satisfactory use of the materials in a classroom. So while I'm trying to convince the students that it's a very noble act to donate their hard-earned money to help them learn some genetics, DonorsChoose.org sent letters and faxes to my principal, assistant principal, my co-workers, and I wouldn't be surprised if they sent letters to my parents to get me to send a thank-you package that I had already informed them was not on the way. That really ticked me off, because no non-profit is going to get me into administrative hot water because they don't understand the impracticality of gratitude in this population of students.

As of now, DonorsChoose has cut me off from creating any new proposals (per my request since I wouldn't want them sending any more faxes or letters to my co-workers and administrators). I requested the complete deletion of my account but they don't seem responsive to that. Which means that this non-profit is creating a black-list of educators who they know were not able to fulfill the accountability requirements for a fully-funded proposal. Why do they need my name and address? Who knows. I have no intention of creating any new proposals through this organization.

Users beware of DonorsChoose.org.