A Sampling From My New Book

                
THE ESSENTIAL FUNDRAISING GUIDE FOR K-12 SCHOOLS (A 1-HOUR BOOK WITH MORE THAN 350 LINKS) 

To give you a feel for my new book before you order it, I thought that you might like to take a look at parts of the book. Here is a sample from Chapter 1. Note:  There are many more links in Chapter 1 than are listed here. Thanks for taking a look.

Best,

Stan Levenson

Chapter 1

Grants for Teachers and Schools

            K-12 classroom teachers are busy people. They need all the help they can get. I know this as a fact. I’ve been there, done that. My wife has been a teacher for many years. My daughter-in-law is a teacher. It’s a daunting task! Good teachers are constantly dipping into their wallets to pay for paper, pencils, pens, computers and other necessities not available in today’s schools. How can classroom teachers find funding for some of the basic necessities they need in their classrooms today? Also, how can classroom teachers find monies for some of the things that have been eliminated at their schools like music, art, P.E. foreign languages, and field trips? You’ve come to the right place! This chapter will lead you in the right direction and alleviate some of the budget strains that you face each and every day. Take a look below and feast your eyes on sites like DonorsChoose.org, Grants Alert, Education World Grants Center, The Foundation Center, eSchool News, and others.

DonorsChoose.org

             In 2000, Charles Best, a New York City public school teacher, spent a lot of time in the teacher’s lunchroom, talking with his fellow teachers about the books they wanted their students to read, the art projects they wanted them to engage in, and the field trips they wanted their students to take. They didn’t have the funding to do these things, so Best founded DonorsChoose.org out of his classroom. In 2007, this nonprofit organization expanded to serve every public school teacher in the United States

, and today it is one of the most successful fundraising programs in the country.

How it works: Public school teachers from every corner of America post short classroom project requests on DonorsChoose.org. Requests range from pencils for a poetry-writing unit, to violins for a school recital, to microscope slides for a biology class. Individuals can browse through the requests and give any amount online to the project that inspires them. Once a project reaches its funding goal, DonorsChoose.org sends the materials to the school. All donors hear back from the classroom they supported with thank-you notes and photos. At DonorsChoose.org, anyone can give as little as $1 and get the same level of choice, transparency, and feedback that is traditionally reserved for someone who gives millions. They call it “citizen philanthropy.”



            I became aware of DonorsChoose.org when they first started operating in New York City in 2000. Their motto was “Teachers Ask, You Choose.” This approach appealed to me so much that I personally became involved as a donor. The first project I funded was a second-grade reading project in the Bronx. They took my personal info and money online with my credit card. It was as simple as paying for almost anything online. The staff provided the classroom teacher with my name and also purchased the materials for her to implement the project. I got immediate positive feedback from the teacher and the kids, as they were in touch with me via the DonorsChoose.org website and thanked me profusely. I was also able to communicate with the kids via the teacher online. As a follow-up, I received wonderful thank-you notes with photos from the kids in the mail. I became so excited about DonorsChoose.org that I started mentioning it in my writings and talks and was hopeful that the idea would spread across the country. I continue to fund projects and encourage others to do so as well.

            Since 2000, the DonorsChoose.org community of more than 800,000 donors has channeled more than $105 million into classrooms in need and benefitted approximately 6.2 million students. K-12 public schools in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, including public charter schools, have been funded. You can be funded too! Below is the info you need to get started right now. You won’t be sorry!

Get Started Right Now with DonorsChoose.org

http://www.donorschoose.org/teachers

More Grants for Teachers and Schools

         In addition to DonorsChoose.org, there are many more funding opportunities for individual classroom teachers, schools, and school districts. The following links will save you time and energy and familiarize you with what’s out there.

Grants Alert

www.GrantsAlert.com

Education World (Grants Center)

http://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/archives/grants.shtml

The Foundation Center

www.foundationcenter.org

To order the book now, go to: 

http://www.amazon.com/Essential-Fundraising-Guide-K-12-Schools/dp/1500999970/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1414435896&sr=8-1&keywords=the+essential+fundraising+guide+for+k-12+schools

Welcome to Stan's New Blog

Hello. Welcome to my new blog. It comes at a time when my third fundraising book, The Essential Fundraising Guide for K-12 (A 1-Hour Book With More Than 350 Links) is to be published on Amazon.com. The book will be available as an e-book as well as a soft-covered book.

I thought it would be appropriate to start my first post with some of the testimonials that I have been receiving for my new book. I am very pleased about this and look forward to the book launch on October 15, 2014.

Acclaim for

The Essential Fundraising Guide for K-12 Schools

 “There is likely no one in the country who knows more about fundraising for public schools than Stan Levenson.”

“He puts 40 years of hands-on experience into a remarkable book. The Essential Fundraising Guide for K-12 Schools is absolute must reading— for classroom teachers, school administrators, and volunteers. There’s nothing else like it. It takes you by the hand and leads you through every step in a school’s fundraising program. It is fail-proof in building a successful design that ensures you of raising a great deal of money. There are 350 Links. The Blogs and Bibliographies alone are worth the price of the book. It’s a feast of helpful tips and information. Dr. Levenson says, “There is no better cause than public education.” He makes this come alive in his book.”

                        Jerold Panas, Best Selling Author and Founding Partner of Jerold                              Panas, Linzy & Partners

“Stan Levenson thought of everything. You’re in good hands. One book, and you’ll know exactly how to succeed in the savagely competitive education grants arena.”

                        Tom Ahern, Author, Making Money With Donor Newsletters; How                          to Write Fundraising Materials that Raise More Money; and Seeing Through a Donor's Eyes.

“The Essential Fundraising Guide for K-12 Schools is a great resource for the first-time and veteran fundraiser alike. Whether you’re looking for donors to fund a classroom project, or launching a capital campaign to build a new facility, Stan offers dozens of practical tips and know-how to make the most of your efforts.”

                       

                        Charles Best, CEO DonorsChoose.org

 “Legendary, fundraising and "friendraising" guru, Stan Levenson, has done it again! He's created another terrific tool to boost both awareness and skills in the competitive arena of school fundraising. The best school leaders and community advocates are always seeking ways to preserve and enhance educational quality for all children by boosting resources and winning new donors. This book unlocks a treasure-trove of proven best practices for creating a comprehensive school fundraising program and should be on the desk of every school development officer and savvy school leader.”                      

                        Howie Schaffer, President, Bonanza Communications, Founding                               Editor, PEN Weekly NewsBlast

“Stan has hit it out of the park again! His book puts in one place all the information that preK-12 staff would need, no matter the demographics of their campus/school, methods to obtain additional resources to meet their stakeholders' needs.  This is a book that both the first time "grant writer" and the twenty-year expert can benefit from reading.”

                 

                  Gary Lee Frye, Ed.D. GPC

                        Homeless Liaison / Grant Writer, Lubbock-Cooper ISD

                        Executive Director for Llano Estacado Rural Communities                                               Foundation. Lubbock, TX    

           

“Stan has been a real encouragement to me both personally and professionally through his books. As founder and executive director of the National School Foundation Association I sold his books both from our website and our national conferences as a trusted fundraising guide to our members. Thanks Stan for another great resource for the over 5,000 K-12 Education Foundation leaders in the US seeking to offer additional educational opportunities to their partnering schools.” 

                  Jim Collogan, President, ASA Strategic Funding

 I look forward to writing many more blogs in the future.

Best,

Stan Levenson