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Timely Support for Public School Educators

September 4, 2020/in Case Studies, News /by Brent Maas

If re-opening schools in the midst of a pandemic and reduced budgets weren’t challenging enough, school administrators and teachers are under added pressure to help students cope with and understand the issues of social injustice and racial tension that have drawn national headlines for the better part of 2020. Educators are challenged to better inform their students about the roots of racism in this country, how it is reflected in modern society, and help them gain the perspective and communication skills needed to advance institutionalized norms that strengthen social equity.

The need for funding and relevant materials to support these educational efforts is evidenced by the 2,600 “diverse books”-related projects currently seeking funding on the Donor’s Choose website, donorschoose.org. DonorsChoose is a non-profit organization that facilitates crowd-funding for public school teachers’ classroom needs, resource acquisition, and delivery. Since it’s founding 20 years ago, DonorsChoose has enabled almost $1 billion of funding for over 1.7 million projects on behalf of teachers in 85% of our public K-12 schools.

On August 7, Donor’s Choose welcomed their newest supplier, MahoganyBooks, an award-winning, Washington, D.C.-based independent retailer specializing in books written for, by, or about people of the African Diaspora. The announcement could not come at a better time.

Ramunda Young, co-owner and co-founder of MahoganyBooks, describes their offerings as “imperative for any student expanding their worldview and perception of other cultures. We’re thrilled to partner with DonorsChoose to ensure books with rich cultural content are accessible to teachers nationwide.”

The announcement noted that teachers can immediately choose from a curated list of books that are ideal for middle and high school students. More titles — including options for elementary students — will be added later this fall.

In less than a week following the announcement, 124 projects specifically seeking support for MahoganyBooks’ resources were posted to a dedicated funding page on DonorsChoose.  Thirteen of those requests have received combined funding totaling $1,534 through individual donations and the matching donations made by the Equal Justice Initiative in support of requests for a select list of books, including Just Mercy.

All of this was made possible through an introduction made by DonorsChoose procurement enablement partner, EqualLevel. EqualLevel and MahoganyBooks are both in the Washington, D.C., metro area. When DonorsChoose expressed their desire to enhance the diversity of their supplier base, EqualLevel’s CEO, Orville Bailey, recognized a win-win opportunity for his customer and the small, family-owned, mission-focused specialty book retailer that he knew.

The connection made would be more than the sharing of business contact information between the two potential partners. As the DonorsChoose-Mahogany Books relationship developed and was ultimately formalized, EqualLevel’s GO e-commerce platform provided Mahogany Books with a seamless connection with the DonorsChoose Marketplace.

In their August 7 announcement, DonorsChoose CFO and EVP of fulfillment, Geoff Hill said, “Our procurement partners at EqualLevel introduced us to Ramunda and Derrick Young and helped us launch MahoganyBooks as a vendor in record time this summer. We’re so proud to be able to offer our teachers the opportunity to request valuable classroom materials from MahoganyBooks, while at the same time supporting a Black-owned independent bookstore that gives back to the Washington, D.C. community. We can’t wait to see all of the teachers and students who will benefit during this back-to-school season.”

 

  • To learn more about DonorsChoose and support teachers’ educational resources needs, visit donorschoose.org.
  • Review the entire MahoganyBooks catalog at mahoganybooks.com.
  • To learn more about EqualLevel’s GO platform for suppliers and PunchOut enabled e-commerce functionality, visit EqualLevelGO, email info@equallevel.com or call (301)560-1492.
https://equallevel.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/DonorsChoose-1-scaled-1.jpg 1707 2560 Brent Maas https://equallevel.flywheelsites.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/1197025300847829.Oq83sobdrmEeVli8LKgm_height640.png Brent Maas2020-09-04 10:29:152020-11-23 12:51:16Timely Support for Public School Educators
procurement tool leading

Ohio Schools Council Way Ahead of the Service, Value Curve

August 12, 2020/in Blog, Case Studies /by Brent Maas

The Ohio Schools Council is not your typical cooperative program. What sets them apart from other K12-focused councils of government and national public sector group purchasing organizations? OSC understands that delivering the greatest member value cannot stop at their menu of contracted suppliers.

Giving members the ability to easily identify, compare and choose the products they need from multiple supplier catalogs AND have their purchases automatically routed for required approvals, purchase order creation and transmission goes far beyond what the vast majority of cooperatives provide their customers today. While the cooperative industry has been slow to adopt these functionalities, OSC has been providing its members’ online supplier transaction capabilities since the early 2000s. OSC recognized that introducing marketplace and procure-to-pay technologies would streamline their members’ buying and financial processes to shorten purchasing cycle times and give them greater visibility into savings opportunities.

In November 2016, OSC implemented its EqualLevel-powered marketplace, the eBuy Cooperative Purchasing Portal. eBuy gives members both source-to-pay functionality and a customer-friendly environment on par with consumer online shopping sites. Kelly Rocco, OSC program manager, describes eBuy as “a one-stop e-marketplace that’s so easy for members to use.  It’s like shopping on Amazon.” OSC has over 110 contracted suppliers in its online marketplace. From eBuy, members can purchase directly from multiple suppliers on one order or request quotes.

“Other [ERP and financial system] e-commerce solutions we looked at did not have the ability to search across supplier contracts and comparison shop. You had to go to each catalog one-by-one, take notes…Very time consuming and a lot of effort,” said Ms. Rocco. “Plus, for our members who want their own dedicated marketplace integrated into their financial system, we know EqualLevel integrates well with Tyler MUNIS, eFinance Plus, and [USAS] state software. That’s a huge plus for our members, and one reason we were recently contacted by a member who specifically asked for the EqualLevel marketplace.”

The Ohio Schools Council has many business services programs to support school operations. But by providing their members an easy-to-use, visually friendly online portal where they can easily compare products supported by system-identified savings opportunities, and transact with local and nationally-contracted suppliers, OSC takes an active role in connecting their members to greater efficiencies and real-dollar savings. A key message that Ms. Rocco takes on the road when she meets with schools and one that will be front-and-center in an upcoming webinar presentation this fall.

 

♦  To learn more about OSC and how they drive value for their members through the eBuy portal, reach out to Kelly at krocco@osconline.org or (216) 447-3100 x6101.

♦  To elevate your customer procure-to-pay experience with the ELSA-powered Marketplace, contact Cathy Boyd at cboyd@equallevel.com or call (216) 403-8900.

https://equallevel.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Leadership_IMAGE.jpg 1414 2121 Brent Maas https://equallevel.flywheelsites.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/1197025300847829.Oq83sobdrmEeVli8LKgm_height640.png Brent Maas2020-08-12 07:00:352021-02-02 13:32:53Ohio Schools Council Way Ahead of the Service, Value Curve
digital webinar

Big Savings Power for WCHCS – A Story of Digital Procurement Transformation and COVID-19

May 2, 2020/in Case Studies, Webinars /by EqualLevel

Learn how Washington Court House City Schools moved from a paper, labor-intensive requisitioning and PO process to a truly virtualized environment that is saving district dollars and time. They will explain their journey that began with the search for a solution to reduce paper and streamline processes yet has come to be much more. Hear how they have realized benefits that exceed the original goals that are serving them well during the COVID-19 crisis. The real virtuality WCHCS has achieved obeys social distancing guidelines and will make it much easier for the district to comply with future policy guidelines likely required.

https://equallevel.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/iStock-503137295-scaled-1.jpg 1707 2560 EqualLevel https://equallevel.flywheelsites.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/1197025300847829.Oq83sobdrmEeVli8LKgm_height640.png EqualLevel2020-05-02 18:36:372020-12-04 16:57:23Big Savings Power for WCHCS – A Story of Digital Procurement Transformation and COVID-19
procurement teamwork office

After Nearly Getting KO’d By Vendor Punchout, Plano Celebrates e-Procurement Win with EqualLevel

April 24, 2020/in Case Studies /by EqualLevel

The Plano Independent School District (PISD) is among the 20 largest districts in Texas. PISD serves a student body of more than 53K, encompasses 72 schools and 20-plus offices, and has an annual budget topping $750M. To put the district’s considerable size into perspective, with over 6000 teachers and staff, PISD has 20 percent more people on payroll than the city’s largest employer, Capital One.

https://equallevel.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/shutterstock_583521010.jpg 1335 2000 EqualLevel https://equallevel.flywheelsites.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/1197025300847829.Oq83sobdrmEeVli8LKgm_height640.png EqualLevel2020-04-24 09:15:212020-12-04 16:56:12After Nearly Getting KO’d By Vendor Punchout, Plano Celebrates e-Procurement Win with EqualLevel

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