DonorsChoose is an education nonprofit dedicated to ensuring every student in every community has the tools and experiences they need for a great education. Teachers across the country can request the materials their classrooms require, and donors and partners step in to fund them, bringing critical resources directly to schools.
For Will Luft, Senior Business Technology Associate at DonorsChoose, that mission is supported behind the scenes by technology. “At DonorsChoose, we make it easy for anyone to help a teacher in need,” Will explained. “Our platform connects teachers with donors and partners to fund projects and send the materials directly to their classrooms.”
In 2019, DonorsChoose transitioned to Euna Marketplace to modernize its procurement operations and better support its growing impact.
The Challenge: Why DonorsChoose Needed More Than ‘Good Enough’ Procurement
Before adopting Euna Marketplace, DonorsChoose had relied on the same eProcurement vendor for more than 12 years. The system had served its purpose, but as the organization scaled, it became increasingly clear that it was no longer the right fit.
“Our previous system worked well enough,” Will said, “but there were a few things that we felt could be improved. Some of the modules were outdated and losing support, and the invoice exception handling tools were challenging for vendors to use.”
The pain points weren’t limited to DonorsChoose’s staff. Their vendor community also struggled with the platform’s limitations. “Our suppliers were missing some useful features like imports, exports, and API options for creating return documents,” Will noted. In addition, maintaining pricing and contracts was cumbersome for both DonorsChoose and its vendors.
The nonprofit knew it needed more than just a functional system. It required a procurement platform that could grow with its unique business model and collaborate closely as needs evolved.
The Solution: A Modern Marketplace Built for Flexibility and Scale
As Will stated, “We needed a system that could handle the core functional requirements of sending and receiving purchase orders and other related information, but also a system that was flexible enough to work with our complex business model.” This led DonorsChoose to transition to Euna Procurement: Marketplace in 2019.
Adoption of Euna Marketplace across the organization was smooth. “It’s been great. It’s a much easier tool to use,” Will said. “It’s very user friendly, and whenever I’ve had to onboard someone, they pick it up quickly. That just shows how nice of a tool it is to use.”
The vendor community also embraced the change. “Once we made the full switch, we heard feedback from vendors saying it’s so much easier to use than the old solution,” Will shared.
The Results: Saving Time, Reducing Friction, and Expanding Impact
The move to Euna Marketplace has delivered measurable impact for DonorsChoose which ultimately translates into resources for classrooms. In the past fiscal year alone, the organization processed more than 1 million orders, which translated into 2.5 million items delivered to public school classrooms across the United States.
- 1 Million Orders Processed
- 2.5 Million Items Delivered to Classrooms
- 300+ Staff Hours Expected to be Saved
In addition to order fulfillment, DonorsChoose has also achieved significant efficiency gains in its procurement processes. “Over the past year, we have worked on our invoice reconciliation process, which was a very manual process in the past. With the new rules we’ve created in Euna’s system, we are hoping to save around 300 to 350 staff hours of work this year,” Will explained.
Beyond the numbers, Will emphasized the value of Euna’s support. “The team has been fantastic and super quick to help out, very responsive, and they really know the product,” he said. “I always enjoy working with whoever I end up talking with there.”
Conclusion
By joining forces with Euna Marketplace, DonorsChoose has modernized procurement, reduced manual work, and strengthened relationships with vendors. These efficiencies directly contribute to the nonprofit’s ability to deliver classroom materials at scale, helping teachers and students get what they need faster and with less friction.
As Will summed it up: “The Euna team has been fantastic. They’re responsive, collaborative, and always willing to build the features we need. That level of partnership is invaluable.”