Charles Best is an American philanthropist and entrepreneur. He is the founder and CEO of

DonorsChoose.org DonorsChoose is a United States-based nonprofit organization that allows individuals to donate directly to public school classroom projects. The organization has been given Charity Navigator's highest rating every year since 2005. In January 2018 ...

, a

crowdfunding Crowdfunding is the practice of funding a project or venture by raising money from a large number of people, typically via the internet. Crowdfunding is a form of crowdsourcing and alternative finance. In 2015, over was raised worldwide by cro ...

platform for K-12 teachers serving in US schools, and the founder of , a crowd-sourced writing style guide.

Education

Best graduated

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal ...

from

Yale College Yale College is the undergraduate college of Yale University. Founded in 1701, it is the original school of the university. Although other Yale schools were founded as early as 1810, all of Yale was officially known as Yale College until 1887, ...

in 1998. He also holds a certificate in fundraising management from the

Harvard Kennedy School The Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), officially the John F. Kennedy School of Government, is the school of public policy and government of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school offers master's degrees in public policy, publi ...

Career

Two years after his college graduation, Best launched DonorsChoose.org while serving as a high school history teacher in the Bronx. Best founded the organization after seeing first-hand the limited resources and opportunities available in his school. The site allows teachers to post project requests for classroom supplies, resources, field trips and class visitors. Once donors fully fund a project, DonorsChoose.org fulfills the project request by purchasing the materials and shipping them to the classroom. By 2014, more than half of all US public schools had at least one teacher create a project request on DonorsChoose.org, and more than a million people gave over $200 million to classroom projects reaching 10 million students.

Awards and honors

Oprah Winfrey Oprah Gail Winfrey (; born Orpah Gail Winfrey; January 29, 1954), or simply Oprah, is an American talk show host, television producer, actress, author, and philanthropist. She is best known for her talk show, ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'', b ...

named DonorsChoose.org one of her "Ultimate Favorite Things" in 2010. In 2011 and 2014 ''

Fast Company ''Fast Company'' is a monthly American business magazine published in print and online that focuses on technology, business, and design. It publishes six print issues per year. History ''Fast Company'' was launched in November 1995 by Alan Web ...

'' named Best’s organization one of the "50 Most Innovative Companies in the World," making it the first charity ever to receive this recognition. ''

Fortune Fortune may refer to: General * Fortuna or Fortune, the Roman goddess of luck * Luck * Wealth * Fortune, a prediction made in fortune-telling * Fortune, in a fortune cookie Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''The Fortune'' (1931 film) ...

'' magazine named Best to its "40 under 40 hottest rising stars in business" for three consecutive years. In November 2013, he received the John F. Kennedy New Frontier Award, an honor for young Americans who are changing their communities and country through their commitment to public service. (Past recipients include

Wendy Kopp Wendy is a given name now generally given to girls in English-speaking countries. In Britain, Wendy appeared as a masculine name in a parish record in 1615. It was also used as a surname in Britain from at least the 17th century. Its popularity ...

and Cory Booker.) In 2014, Best received the S. Roger Horchow for Greatest Public Service by a Private Citizen as part of the Jefferson Awards. Best was named an

Ashoka Fellow Ashoka (formerly branded Ashoka: Innovators for the Public) is an American-based nonprofit organization that promotes social entrepreneurship by connecting and supporting individual social entrepreneurs. Their stated mission is "the creation of a ...

in 2006. Fellows are leading social entrepreneurs recognized for their innovative solutions to social problems and potential to change patterns across society. Best has also served on the board of directors for

GuideStar Candid is an information service specializing in reporting on U.S. nonprofit companies. In 2016, its database provided information on 2.5 million organizations.Wyland, Michael. "GuideStar Introduces Program Metrics Section for Nonprofit Profile ...

and iMentor.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Best, Charles Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Harvard Kennedy School alumni Yale College alumni American Internet company founders American philanthropists American social entrepreneurs Ashoka USA Fellows