Each year, DonorsChose does a Blogger Challenge, where they harness the power of the internet to bring money to deserving classrooms in public schools across the U.S. In the past we have wimped out and supported other bloggers, but this year we’re stepping up to the plate. Big time.
It’s a simple and compelling model: individual classrooms isolate a pressing need, and donors can choose which projects to support. We’ve picked out a number of great projects that will help students learn about science in fun, hands-on ways, and we’re going to be adding a few more soon.
We’ve set a fundraising goal of $10,000 over the next month. That sounds like a lot, but it is enormously less than the capacity of our readers; we get about 5,000 hits per day, so that’s a pitiful $2/visitor. But most visitors, we understand, are wimps. So if we get $20/person from the 10% of visitors who are not wimps, we hit the goal. But it’s okay to go over! If we fall short, you should all feel embarrassed.
Mostly we just want to crush the folks at ScienceBlogs, who have put together their own challenge. Crush them, I say. Sure, they have a zillion blogs, several of whom have many times our readership. So what? This is a matter of how awesome the reader are, not how many of them there are. We will also be asking other friendly bloggers to either set up their own donation pages, or hop aboard our bandwagon — if anyone wants to advertise the challenge, we can list them as an affiliate on the challenge page.
And don’t think that we don’t appreciate your efforts. Once all is said and done, we’ll put up a post that lists and explicitly thanks anyone who donates more than $100 (unless you ask not to be listed). And if anyone donates more than $500, I’ll send a copy of my Teaching Company Lectures on dark matter and dark energy. Which aren’t cheap, let me tell you.
Reading through the list of projects is guaranteed to break your heart. In a world where we can “lose” $15 billion through fiscal malfeasance in Iraq, it’s painful to see public-school teachers go begging for a frikking LCD projector or a couple of microscopes. It’s not that hard to click the link and send a few dollars their way. The classrooms make a special effort to write back to every donor to thank them — it will put your heart right back together again.
October 1st, 2008 at 2:27 pm
“Mostly we just want to crush the folks at ScienceBlogs”
sir,
well i never! where your sense of fair sport.
sincerely, c.v. snicker
p.s. though to be fair, i wish you will in this gallant endeavor!
October 1st, 2008 at 2:42 pm
TOMATO NATION WILL CRUSH THEE!
But, you know, I like you and all so I’ll split my usual donation.
October 1st, 2008 at 2:49 pm
“At the university level, US education is the best in the world”
~ Sean Carroll
Like the US economy is the best in the world?
October 1st, 2008 at 2:51 pm
[...] One easy way for our generous readers to contribute is to visit the page set up by our friends at Cosmic Variance, and choose to contribute to one (or more) of the worthy causes listed there. If you need more [...]
October 1st, 2008 at 3:08 pm
B, I have no idea what you are trying to say. First, this post concerns elementary and secondary schools, not universities. Second, no, the US economy is certainly not the best in the world, nor did I ever claim it to be. Third, I didn’t think it was especially controversial to claim that US universities were great, while pre-university education is incredibly bad. Certainly the standard lists of top world universities are dominated by schools in the US. But I’m no expert, and if you would like to argue otherwise using evidence and stuff, I’d be happy to listen.
Can’t we at least play nice in a thread about donating to worthy charities?
October 1st, 2008 at 3:17 pm
Only 5,000? Google reader shows you have 159,849 subscribers.
Which made me a gleeful science-groupie when I noticed it, incidentally.
October 1st, 2008 at 3:49 pm
Thanks for the support, Janiece! Unfortunately, your good taste is more elite than you might be led to believe; as far as I can tell, those Google Reader stats are just a random number.
October 1st, 2008 at 5:31 pm
[...] own blog. I’m going to point you all to one of my favorite blogs: Cosmic Variance. They have prepared their own challenge as Sean describes here: It’s a simple and compelling model: individual classrooms isolate a pressing need, and donors [...]
October 1st, 2008 at 11:50 pm
Mostly we just want to crush the folks at ScienceBlogs
Let’s not forget the real enemy: the mommy blogs. Who, at the moment, are smoking ScienceBlogs like a sausage in this challenge.
October 2nd, 2008 at 1:18 am
Is that the best you can do to avoid being crushed? Take it out on the mommies?
As Allyson predicted, it is those tomato people who are really kicking our butts.
October 2nd, 2008 at 1:38 am
Tomato Nation is unbeatable. (Last year, Claire Danes was in their corner with signed DVDs and such.) I, for one, welcome our tomato overlords.
But the mommy bloggers are beatable. At some point, they have to put down the keyboard to wipe noses, kiss boo-boos, and supervise the construction of dioramas.
You identify a challenge that can be met efficiently. This is why our understanding of equilibrium thermodynamics is so much better than our understanding of far-from-equilibrium thermodynamics. Cosmic Variance and ScienceBlogs must make common cause against the mommy blogger juggernaut, else we are doomed.
October 2nd, 2008 at 7:44 am
Hi Sean,
Yes, my comment is off-topic and I apologize for it. The above is a quotation I took from a recent NewScientist article. According to that quote you didn’t say US universities are great, but that “US education is the best in the world” without even attempting to explain that claim, and according to what criteria. One can debate endlessly what some ‘standard list’ measures about scientific success. My reference to the economy was supposed to say I’m stunned about the level of arrogance in that statement that dismisses literally all the rest of the world, and I’m wondering how come you’re so incredibly self-convinced. I should probably add, this is not the first time I come across a statement like this. There have been previous instances where US citizens told me the university education in the USA is of course better than everywhere else. (It typically turned out then these people haven’t ever even been outside the US, at least I am pretty sure you have seen other parts of the world.) Are you really surprised, Sean, that I am pissed off by superficially dismissive and self-celebratory statements like this? Sorry to rain on your parade. Best,
B.
October 2nd, 2008 at 11:38 am
Will you be signing those DVDs?
How much would one have to donate for a dinner with you and the mrs? Or just the mrs …?
October 2nd, 2008 at 11:50 am
Yeah. You guys need prizes. Everyone loves prizes!
October 2nd, 2008 at 12:01 pm
Anyone who gives more than $1000 is invited to a party at our place.
October 2nd, 2008 at 1:11 pm
Brave, brave man.
October 3rd, 2008 at 1:41 am
[...] to raise money from blogs. This year our friends at Cosmic Variance have taken them up and put together a list of worthy causes in math and science that are in desperate need of funding. Take a look at their [...]
October 3rd, 2008 at 8:29 am
[...] of science, but his heart is in the right place. Unfortunately, he gets no respect. But you can help Scienceman. These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web [...]
October 3rd, 2008 at 9:23 am
Support today’s youth so that at least a few of them
grow up to be smarter than the vast swamp of morons
surrounding us now and then they can finally get rid
of them.
Jesus once said the poor will always be with us.
So will the morons, sadly enough.
October 3rd, 2008 at 12:01 pm
[...] like. Since I don’t have a completely monstrous readership, I’ll toss my support to the team at Cosmic Variance. They are, after all, my [...]
October 3rd, 2008 at 12:08 pm
I also participate within Tech Bloggers and I am proud of it to help kids in need!
http://www.tinyurl.com/donorschoose
October 3rd, 2008 at 2:05 pm
[...] http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2008/10/01/donorschoose-challenge/ [...]
October 5th, 2008 at 6:14 pm
The reason Tomato Nation does so well is that Sars has no fear of abject humiliation. Two years ago, she shaved her head. Last year she spent a day dressed in a tomato costume and performed a dance inspired by Claire Danes’ character in My So-Called Life in Rockefeller Center (which is how Claire Danes got involved). This year she promises to protest at the White House dressed in the tomato costume.
October 28th, 2008 at 6:38 pm
[...] a great program, and you feel great after you donate. It’s the swank $200 donations that get all the glory [...]
November 11th, 2008 at 10:49 am
I’ve written two donor’s choose proposals and both were funded. One was for that elusive LCD projector, another was so we could do a unit on model rockets. My students would have NEVER gotten those opportunities if it weren’t for a place like Donor’s Choose. It is THE best site for teachers, hands down. You should have seen my kids when I told them that 10 people chose to give up their money – money that could have been used for gas or a vacation or for clothes – and chose THEM instead. I got the biggest smiles I’ve ever seen. Please consider donating, your affects are so far reaching.
November 30th, 2008 at 4:05 am
“Our understanding of equilibrium thermodynamics is so much better than our understanding of far-from-equilibrium thermodynamics.”
HAHAHAHAAAAAH!
That was excellent !