When I ran out of time to shop for my friend’s present during the holidays, I picked up a $20 gift card to Starbucks for him. He thanked me for it, even though I remembered a few days later that he hates coffee.

I admit that gift cards can sometimes be a thoughtless gesture, a less-than-impressive display of the time you have spent on a person. But when I received a $50 card from the Rubicon Project in December, I was impressed by both the message and intent of this gift. This giving card to DonorsChoose.org, a website that invites teachers in poverty-stricken areas to submit proposals for classroom materials and equipment, gave me the opportunity to improve the education system across the country. All I had to do was pick a project from the DonorsChoose website, and then my company would put $50 towards that cause.

I gave half my giving card to a first grade classroom in San Jose that was beginning a Reader’sTheater to help students practice their fluency. The other half I spent on an adult education course that helped immigrants, refugees, and permanent residents practice English.

Other team members opted to pool their resources in order to fully fund a project: Mallory and Craig helped a school finish their library. My two projects are still a few hundred dollars short of their goal but I have faith. You can help these project get off the ground by going to www.DonorsChoose.org and getting your company involved.