We believe every child should have equal access to the tools they deserve to be successful in school.
With your help, we make this possible.
92% of classrooms have students whose families cannot afford school supplies.
Teachers and principals are filling the gap out of their own pockets.
our mission anchor
OUR MISSION
Powering today’s classrooms to prepare tomorrow’s graduates.
We offer the most flexible and accountable funding for teachers and schools through our proprietary, easy-to-use fundraising platform.
our work anchor
We help equip our nation’s kids for a better future.
WE CONNECT
Sponsors and donors to teachers and schools locally, nationally, and by area of interest.
WE SERVE
K-12 teachers and principals in public, private, and charter schools in any community across the U.S., including all U.S. territories.
WE OPERATE
A proprietary online platform that makes it easy for teachers and schools to register, receive funds, and order the supplies they want and need.
We are transparent and efficient.
As a virtual organization, we spend no money on warehousing, fulfillment, or shipping of products. We know where each donation goes and how it is spent. We offer comprehensive reporting of every supply purchased for every donation.
our impact anchor
We’re making a difference.
Years in operation
Classrooms adopted
Million students supported
Million raised to date
our programs anchor
How we help our nation’s students in need:
Teacher
Program
Teachers spend an average of $740 a year of their own money on classroom supplies. Since 1998, we’ve connected donors to teachers with grants, sponsorship, and crowdfunding.
School
Program
New in 2019, our fundraising platform is now available to public, private, and charter schools across the country. Schools are also eligible for our grants and sponsorship funding.
Spotlight
Funds
Power your passion for a subject or donate to where it’s needed most. Registered teachers and schools are invited to apply for Spotlight Fund grants.
Disaster Relief
We are uniquely well-positioned to provide effective support to schools and teachers affected by disaster. Our deliberate approach to evaluating need among our nationwide network of teachers enables us to distribute funds in a targeted manner, giving teachers and schools the flexibility to order exactly what they need, when they need it.
corporate sponsorships anchor
Corporate Sponsorship
We offer customized programs that engage our sponsors’ customers, employees, and vendor partners.
Click below to learn more.
Cause-Marketing Campaigns
- Fully integrated and customizable campaigns, unique to each sponsor.
- Evergreen, episodic, or seasonal activations that can take place during key-business times: Back-to-School, Teacher Appreciation Week, holiday, or other strategic times throughout the year.
- Local, regional, and/or national.
Teacher Program
- Sponsors support individual teachers.
- We identify and match teachers to sponsors based on sponsors’ objectives: key-business markets, curriculum focus, grade levels, or other sponsor criteria.
Surprise Adoption Events
- These in-school events provide sponsors with a highly engaging, in-person experience in their key-business markets.
- Sponsors present the donation at a school-wide assembly.
- Sponsors often invite local media, C-suite executives, and field employees to participate.
Spotlight Funds
- These funds focus on a specific subject or unique need: STEAM, New Teachers, Inclusive Classroom, Highest-Need, and Disaster Relief.
- Grants are awarded based on teachers’ or administrators’ proposals.
School Program
- Sponsors support individual schools.
- We identify and match schools to sponsors based on sponsors’ objectives: key-business markets, curriculum focus, grade level, educational innovations, or other sponsor criteria.
Teacher Appreciation Week
- Teacher thank-you eCard campaign, a thank-you movement the first week in May.
- Sponsors invite their employees, customers, and the public to send free thank-you eCards to all of the teachers in their lives.
All corporate sponsors receive unique, branded content from teachers and schools to use for storytelling and marketing their social impact.
Contact us to learn more.
in the news anchor
our blog anchor
See what’s new on our blog.
our team anchor
Our Team
Executive Director
EVP, Corporate Sponsorships
Vice President of Development
Director of Finance & Administration
Finance and Operations Associate
Director of Programs & Technology
Director of Marketing & Corporate Sponsorships
Program Coordinator
Program Associate
Account Manager
Graphic Designer
Communications Associate
Account Manager, Sponsorship
Our Board
Board Officers
Jen Swanson, Chair
Vice President, Digital Product Management
Optum Consumer Experience Group
Matt Johnson, Vice Chair
Partner: Creative & Strategy Director
GoKart Labs
Julie Krueger, Secretary
Retail Industry Director
Google
Kurts Strelnieks, Treasurer
Vice President
Star Bank
Board Members
Douglas K. Spong,
Chair Emeritus
Founder and CEO
The Doug Spong Co. LLC
Ami Miesner Anderson
VP Brand Marketing &
Performance
Tenet Healthcare
Jennifer Coates
Associate
Bowman and Brooke
Tim Moynihan
Director of Brand
Marketing
Petco
Erik Huckle
Senior Product
Manager,
Amazon Go
Amazon
Neely Tamminga
CEO
Distill
Patrick Strother
Founder and Chief
Marketing Officer
Strother Communications
Group
Martha Phelps
Counsel,
Davis, Wright Tremain
Scott Pansky
Senior Partner & Co-Founder
Allison+Partners
Ryan Vernosh
Principal
Maxfield
Elementary School,
St. Paul, MN
AdoptAClassroom.org Advisory Board
Dr. Hines and COMMON
Dr. Hines shares AdoptAClassroom.org’s commitment to teachers and children, particularly in under-served schools. She currently serves as President of the COMMON Ground Foundation and a member of both the Chicago Board of Education and the Obama Foundation. As a retired teacher and principal, Dr. Hines uses her 35 years of experience working in urban areas throughout the country to develop effective school leaders who will guide others to provide the best possible education for children least likely to receive it.
Bob Thacker
Emeritus Chair of External Relations, AdoptAClassroom.org
Executive Director of AdoptAClassroom.org (2013-2016). Prior to joining the nonprofit, as SVP of Marketing at OfficeMax, Bob supported AdoptAClassroom.org for nearly a decade with the retailer’s annual back-to-school cause-marketing campaign. Twice named one of Advertising Age’s Top 100 Marketer, Bob served as President/CEO of BBDO Minneapolis, VP of Marketing, Sears and VP of Marketing, Target (1989-98), where he launched the iconic brand’s first cause-marketing campaign, setting a standard for future retail cause-marketing.
Sheryl Crow
AdoptAClassroom.org National Spokesperson and Partner
As a former teacher, Sheryl knows first hand how hard it can be to get the supplies needed to help your students. Sheryl is passionate about education and a huge advocate for our teachers. She believes being a teacher is one of the most important jobs there is and they should treated as professionals and given the respect, support and supplies they need to educate our nation’s children.
Raise your hand to learn more.
Subscribe to AdoptAClassroom.org updates.