The new school year has already begun for many teachers, and for others, it’s fast approaching. As you get your classroom ready for the year ahead, how do you make sure you get the supplies you need for your students?

In the first slowchat of the school year, hosted by teachers Lyndsay Nottingham and Sarah Thomas, we asked you to share how you use DonorsChoose.org to get the books, tech, supplies and trips you need for your class. Read on for nine of the Teacher2Teacher community’s responses and share your own in the comments below.

1. “I pay close attention to Almost Home [offers], match offers, use social media, friends, family, parents.”—@onotazz
2. “I share my @DonorsChoose projects on Facebook and luckily people I know donate to the cause!”—@teachic87
3. “A well-written essay speaks volumes to potential donors. Discuss standards with students, then ask how they could demonstrate knowledge. Let them help you plan. Keep costs low, use partner funding opportunities, state specifics of what students will learn and why you’re requesting”—@thisDianeNorris
4. “Best time to create and post projects is when match offers are available. That way you only have to fundraise half.”—@osoriogloria745
5. “Use your impact letter and photos to allow donors to see they really have made a difference for your students.”—@Edu_Excellence
6. “Get involved with Giving Pages and make connections. You never know where you may meet a potential donor.”—@KatieFarr5
7. “Ask students what they want and write a student-led project.”—@jillsciteach
8. “I use @DonorsChoose to purchase instruments and materials for my music classroom! I share projects on social media to help fund!”—@emilyfetcho
9. “I ALWAYS have a @DonorsChoose project up, since there may be flash funding…”—@WorldLillie

Don’t miss this week’s slow chat about building personal learning networks—use #T2TChat to join in the conversation with hosts Lyndsay Nottingham and Sarah Thomas. And don’t forget to follow us on Twitter if you don’t already!