The Entrepreneur’s Studio S2 E06 | Charles Best | From Classroom To Crowdfunding: The Story Behind DonorsChoose |
Charles Best is the founder of DonorsChoose, a nonprofit organization that connects teachers in need of classroom resources with donors who want to help.
Charles launched DonorsChoose in 2000 while teaching history at a Bronx high school. His efforts began as a local, independent passion project among peers but went on to be named one of the 50 most Innovative organizations in the world.
Today, half of all the public schools in America have at least one teacher who has created a classroom project request on DonorsChoose.org, and more than 5 million people have donated, providing books, art supplies, technology and other resources to students in low-income communities.
In this episode, Charles shares the story of what motivated him to take on this philanthropic work as well as the unwavering determination that guided him from grassroots marketing techniques to gaining national attention from The New York Times, Newsweek and Oprah.
Key Points:
- 3 Innovations of crowdfunding, digital marketplace and cause marketing
- The importance of correct branding from the start
- Increasing brand awareness through partnerships
This is part one of our conversation with Charles Best.
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