DonorsChoose and its leader-in-chief, founder, and CEO Charles Best, have been repeatedly lauded for their im- pact and achievements. Among the most notable of these plaudits is the March 2011 recognition by Fast Com- pany magazine of DonorsChoose as one of the "world's 50 most innovative companies."1 A few months earlier, in November 2010, Fortune magazine named Charles Best to its "40 Under 40" list of the "hottest young busi- ness leaders on the planet."2 How did Charles Best and DonorsChoose achieve this stunning recognition? Best's collaborative leadership of this innovative nonprofit organization and his em- powerment of others-staffers, teachers, and donors- provide some instructive clues as to how these accolades have been achieved. As a leader, Charles Best possesses "infectious energy [that] reflects the good intentions at the core of [the or- ganization]." Good intentions are expressed in the mis- sion of engaging "the public in public schools by giving people a simple, accountable, and personal way to ad- dress educational inequity," and the vision of "a nation where children in every community have the tools and experiences needed for an excellent education."4 All the efforts to attain that vision and mission are infused with integrity. Best "is adamant about expressing kindness and ac- tive gratitude to those who support his cause.... Best and his staff don't let donors slip away into cyberspace after they click to give. He requires teachers to take pictures of the projects donors have enabled. His staff sends those pictures to the donors, along with thank-you notes from the children." This approach of having the recipients of funds express their appreciation to the do- nors pays off. For instance, one donor who supported a project that enabled students to visit an Ivy League col- lege was "so touched by the photos and cards... [he received,] that he has since become a repeat giver and sent friends to the site."7 Commenting on the strategy of expressing gratitude, Best observes, "You are doing more than turning your customers into advocates. You are turning your advocates into staff."8 Advocates for DonorsChoose have arisen in vari- ous ways and places. One such incarnation is that of the Internet bloggers. For example, Sarah Bunting, "who writes Tomato Nation, a culture and humor blog, of- fered to shave her head if her readers donated $30,000 to DonorsChoose.org.... The funds were raised within days." "DonorsChoose.org now features a 'Blogger Challenge' on its site where bloggers compete to raise money among their readers."10 From the beginning of DonorsChoose, teachers were. empowered to be innovative in their pursuit of effective methods for educating their students. One such example of empowerment is provided by Steve Oszust, a Bronx, New York high school science teacher, who is particu- larly adept at connecting with donors. Affectionately called "Mr. O." by his students, Oszust has a knack for using catchy headlines on his postings seeking support for projects. "No Bones About It", which headlines a post requesting funds for a model skeleton, is but one example of how he captures the attention of potential donors. His students are appreciative of his efforts: One student says, in "[o]ther classes, we hardly have any books. You have to leave them in the classroom. Mr. O. got us books you can take home and do practice ques- tions." Another of Mr. O.'s students points out, "[t]he school's very poor. When they donate stuff, we're like, 'Oh cool, where'd you get that from?"" 12 Although teachers like being able to design an in- novative or engaging project, or to have the books, supplies, and technology for more standard educa- tional efforts, some school superintendents have been reluctant to embrace DonorsChoose. Unfortunately, DonorsChoose could be viewed by some school super- intendents as a way for teachers to sidestep the public school's authority to provide funding for educational projects. 13 The success of DonorsChoose can be attributed, in part, to Charles Best vigorously embracing small do- nors and providing a user-friendly mechanism by which they are empowered to help make a difference in public education. "Giving through DonorsChoose feels as per- sonal as bringing cupcakes to your kid's classroom. You browse the requests... and send a donation to the one that appeals to you most. You can kick in part of the funding or all of it. Once the target amount has been met, DonorsChoose buys the materials and ships them to the school."14 DonorsChoose, like some of the other newer Web- based nonprofit organizations, is attractive to donors because it enables them to connect directly with their recipients.15 This is true with respect to donors be- ing apprised of the impact of their contributions. As standard practice, the class that benefits from a donation assembles a documentation packet that includes thank-you notes from the children, a letter from the teacher, and photographs of the entire class using the resource. The documentation packet goes to DonorsChoose, which sends it to the donor(s).16 Without a doubt, DonorsChoose is thriving, in part because of its transparency: It provides charitable do- nors with ample information about the exact use of their money.17 Of course, success and rapid growth-like that en- joyed by DonorsChoose-seldom occurs without en- countering some opposition. Among the naysayers are the traditional philanthropists. Conventional wisdom among these individuals asserts that requesting dona- tions to help meet the financial shortfalls of public edu- cation lets politicians off the hook. Moreover, according to these critics, attempting to fund the needs of public schools is a complex task. 18 Such critics are in the minority, however. Obviously, the selection of DonorsChoose as one of the "world's 50 most innovative companies" 19 and of Charles Best as one of the "hottest young business leaders on the planet" 20 provide powerful testimony to counter the critics. Or as Jonathan E. Beyman, a prominent busi- nessman in information management and an avid con- tributor to DonorsChoose, says of Charles Best, "I've his met lots of software guys over the years who age are off to make a billion dollars... I very rarely meet people who are going straight to heaven. Here's one of them."21 Discussion Questions 1. How would you describe Charles Best's approach to leadership? 2. What type(s) of followers would work well with Charles Best? What type(s) of followers would not work well with Best? 3. Why is effective communication essential for the operational success of DonorsChoose? 4. How does DonorsChoose empower staffers, teachers, and donors? 5. What impact does the empowerment approach used by DonorsChoose have on teachers and donors? 6. How does the empowerment of staffers influence teamwork dynamics at DonorsChoose? 7. Although there are some critics of DonorsChoose and, by implication, of Charles Best, Jonathan E. Beyman characterizes Best as follows: "I've met lots his of software guys over the years who are off age to make a billion dollars... I very rarely meet peo- ple who are going straight to heaven. Here's one of them." Do you think Beyman's description of Best is justified? Why or why not? SOURCE: This case was written by Michael K. McCuddy, The Louis S. and Mary L. Morgal Chair of Christian Business Ethics and Professor of Man- agement, College of Business, Valparaiso University.