Cents in Action: Elizabeth Monda

Welcome to the first Cents in Action post! Each Sunday, we will feature a member of the PledgeCents Community on our blog. We want you to get a feel for the type of people who raise money on PledgeCents and see what a difference every cent makes to them and their students! Enjoy our first Cents in Action post, and check back every Sunday evening for a new featured educator!

Meet Elizabeth Monda, a current Teach For America staff member and former 4th grade teacher at Corning Achievement Elementary School in Memphis, Tennessee. Elizabeth was the very first educator ever to use PledgeCents to raise funds for her classroom, so it only makes sense that she be the first educator featured in our Cents in Action blog posts!

Elizabeth has created three causes on PledgeCents and raised a total of $4,215 from 41 investors! The money she raised on our site was used for a community demonstration garden, study carrels, and a laminator. The diversity of Elizabeth’s causes demonstrates exactly what we hoped PledgeCents would be when we created it--a place any K-12 educator can go to raise funds for any classroom need.

Elizabeth was kind enough to share some of her thoughts and experiences regarding teaching and PledgeCents. Here is just some of what she had to say!

How long have you been a teacher, and what is your favorite teaching moment from your career so far?

I have taught for 2 years. In my classroom we had a motto, make every minute count. One of my many favorite moments in teaching occurred while I was recording my lesson in order to observe myself later on. While watching the video that night and critiquing much of my lesson I was lucky enough to catch a conversation between two of my students. In this conversation one student asked if her partner needed help in which he replied, “I’m finished, I’m making every minute count”. It was humbling and motivating to witness that camaraderie and love of learning come through in my students!

How much of your own money do you think you have put toward your classroom and students in any given year, and what have you spent it on?

In the beginning of the year much of my own money is spent on setting up the classroom. This can range anywhere from prizes and decorations to supplies and manipulatives for curriculum. As the year goes on, the expenses are generally spent on more basic, yet necessary supplies that dwindle and can not be replaced by the students such as paper, pencils, tissues and dry erase markers.There are also more personal purchases such as jackets, clothes or gifts for students in need. On average I likely spend roughly $300-$400 per year, and I am fortunate to teach at a school that does provide us with financial support for the classroom.

With so many fundraising options out there, why did you choose to work with the PledgeCents team?

Simple, the PledgeCents team is committed to making your cause a success! It is not just a website to promote your cause but comes with a dedicated team that helps with a lot of the leg work needed to raise money.

How did your students react when they received the resources PledgeCents helped you acquire?

Some causes were different than others. When we finally raised the money for our community garden they were so excited to get out there and finish what they started! Test dividers, as you can imagine, did not thrill them as much but were a necessity for me to ensure reliable data.

What would be your advice to another teacher who is considering using PledgeCents?

Do it, PledgeCents gets teachers!

What did you personally do to market your cause? What worked? What did not work?

There were a few different things I leveraged to market my causes including social media, newsletters, phone calls, thank you notes, and district communication. Out of everything, one thing I think worked best was personal emails to anyone and everyone. I did this for my second cause and it was funded in under 24 hours!

(And our very favorite question…) If you were one school supply what would you be and why?

I would be a personal dry erase board. This is because it is by far the most loved by students and investing supply of them all.

Thanks so much to Elizabeth for sharing her experiences with us, and we wish her the best of luck with her new position at Teach For America!