DonorsChoose vs ImpactGuru

DonorsChoose connects donors with public school teachers requesting classroom resources. Teachers submit supply or project requests, donors contribute, and DonorsChoose orders and ships funded goods to verified teachers. Teachers can sign up and post projects for free. Classroom Essentials offers curated basic supplies with no minimum, shipping items as funding arrives. Classroom Projects use a catalog of more than 1 million products from over 20 teacher-favorite stores, including Lakeshore, Amazon, and Staples. These projects require a $100 minimum and can remain posted for up to four months; if the goal is missed, donors may redirect contributions to the teacher’s next project. Submissions are reviewed before posting, typically within five business days. Eligibility covers full-time educators at public or public charter schools working directly with students, subject to detailed rules. DonorsChoose says it vets requests, reviews student privacy, and requires permission for student photos. Teachers provide donors a thank-you package with two project photos.

ImpactGuru is an online technology platform that connects donors with people or organizations seeking funds. It supports medical, personal, social, creative and charitable campaigns. A fundraiser can be prepared by adding details, images, a story and supporting documents. The Campaigner app offers a personalized dashboard, donation updates, chat support, document uploads and withdrawals on Android and iOS; the platform also runs on the web. ImpactGuru says there is no set fundraising ceiling and reports campaigns reaching Rs. 14 crores. Contributions are treated as donations or gifts, not amounts that must be repaid to donors. Campaigns must first pass the platform’s approval criteria. Due diligence includes identity checks, hospital or NGO and beneficiary-account verification, document review and content moderation. The company also describes algorithmic fraud monitoring and review by an in-house trust team. It says support agents respond within 24 hours. A free plan is available, while payments carry a 3% processing and donor support fee; international card and cross-border fees may also apply. Recurring donations and card and wallet payments are supported.