According to KXLY.com out of Spokane, Washington, GoFundMe partnered with National PTA for a fundraising campaign to thank teachers. The “Thank a Teacher” campaign is a national initiative to support K-12 teachers across the country. The crowdfunding site pledged to match the first $100 in donations each to campaigns by and for teachers during Teacher Appreciation Week, May 2 through May 8.
The money can go to new textbooks, a computer, or even art supplies — it doesn’t matter what the money is used for, as long as it is used to benefit teachers, schools, and students.
CEO of GoFundMe, Rob Solomon, said that too many teachers spend their own money on school supplies, and the teachers shouldn’t be forced to spend their own dollars because school budgets are dwindling.
The new initiative hopes to solicit donations to bridge the gap.
GoFundMe has also partnered with ClassDojo, a communication platform for teachers, parents, and students. Another partner is School Specialty, a leader in school supplies, school furniture, and education products.
These partnerships highlight the company’s focus on education and its commitment to improving education funding around the U.S. In the last year along, the amount of money raised for education campaigns on GoFundMe is over $60 million from over 750,000 donations to salute teachers, students, and schools across the nation.
America’s schools are constantly underfunded, leaving teachers to spend their money to help students. Educators purchase their own supplies to bridge resource gaps to ensure their students receive the best education possible. Teachers spend $1.2 billion out of their own pockets each year on classroom supplies, which means each teacher spends approximately $500 of their own money.
I love that GoFundMe has made it a priority to support education and teachers in our country. Teachers work so hard, and selflessly spend their own cash to support and help their students succeed. I think this fundraising campaign to purchase school supplies is such a great idea. I am confident that teachers across the country are so thankful for what GoFundMe and its partners and doing and I hope we see this fundraising campaign happen year after year.
