To achieve their educational goals, students in need must have access to the right mix of resources. These resources include school supplies, transportation, and tuition. Many children with no money to afford these resources are forced to drop out of school. A sponsorship program gives them access to the resources they need to succeed.
Learning for Life
The Learning for Life program aims to provide extra assistance to children in low-income areas who need it the most. This program helps these children achieve their educational goals by providing them with the right resources. For example, children in sponsor programs have access to school supplies, transportation, and other necessities. Yet, without extra support, they are often forced to drop out of school.
The Children’s Scholarship Fund is another way to help needy students reach their academic goals. In the US, as many as 50% of low-income students drop out of school before graduation, which can be detrimental to their prospects. To make a difference, many organizations have launched sponsorship programs to help these students achieve their academic goals.
STAR Sponsorship Program
The STAR Sponsorship Program provides partial scholarships to low-income school children. It matches the student with an adult sponsor who pays a portion of the student’s tuition. The student’s family is responsible for the rest of the expenses, including the uniform and books. Sponsors are often individuals who are concerned about the child’s academic performance and want to help. In exchange, the student receives a partial scholarship for private school tuition. Some sponsors include XTO Energy, the Amon Carter Foundation, Luther King Capital Management, Baylor Agerton Trust, Sorrells Enterprises, and the Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth.
The STAR Sponsorship Program pairs a student with a sponsor who shares the same values and believes in the importance of good education. This relationship fosters trust and motivates the child to achieve their full academic potential. Students regularly send letters, photos, and schoolwork to their sponsors, encouraging them to do well in school. In addition, the STAR Sponsorship Program monitors each student’s academic progress and provides regular updates to sponsors through quarterly report cards.
Brand scholarships
Sponsoring high school scholarships is an excellent way for companies to promote their brand and raise awareness among high school students. There are 16.8 million high school students in the United States, and by offering scholarships to deserving students, brands will increase brand awareness among these students, their families, and their friends.
Brand scholarships can be customized for a specific purpose or cause. For example, Hyundai Motor America offers five $10,000 scholarships to female students to encourage them to pursue STEM education. Similarly, MacKenzie-Childs awards four $5,000 scholarships to African students to encourage them to pursue their dreams and develop their creative abilities.
Donors Choose
A teacher whose students are struggling with academics and financial need used an outreach strategy to get donations from private individuals. He used a small, specific ask to convince donors to donate $10 to help a student become the class hero. He included real student handwriting in his appeal, which brought the request’s simplicity to immediate effect.
Educational kits and games have been popular requests for DonorsChoose. These resources keep students interested in learning content and are especially useful for remote or hybrid learning environments. While the number of projects involving needy students decreased by 10 percent this year before the pandemic, the demand for these items is growing.