Start Your Own Book Drive
Potential donors for your book drive include local preschools, schools, churches, service clubs (e.g., Rotary), libraries, sports teams, Girl and Boy Scouts, and even fitness centers.
Collecting children’s books is a very joyful, happy process that makes people want to enthusiastically jump on board! Here are some tips for being successful:
- Have a large, attractive, colorful, marked box in a central location that is easy for people to get to
- Make the collection time-limited (e.g., 1-2 months)
- Have a short flier explaining why books are being collected and who they will be shared with. On the flier, have a contact person with contact information (like an email).
- If possible, donate the books locally to groups of children that your audience of donors cares about. For example, the books collected by the Orangevale Rotary go to the Orangevale Food Bank. People are most enthusiastic if books stay local and connected to them somehow.
- Be sure to pick up the books on a regular basis. Don’t let that box overflow and make a mess!
- Challenge your group to collect a certain number (e.g., 500-1,000 books). People love a numerical goal.
- Keep reminding people—announcing the book drive one time will not be sufficient.
- At the end of the book drive, celebrate with a treat! Share information about where the books went. If possible, share pictures of children who have received the books.
Sample flier: (1/2 page on colored paper is best—don’t overload people with too much information)
CHILDREN’S BOOK PROJECT: LOVE, TALK, READ
YOU can make a difference!
If parents love, talk to, and read with their children daily, the future can be brighter! We are collecting new and gently-used children’s books (ages infant-12 years) to share with low-income children and young people in the greater Sacramento area. Statistics indicate that the average middle-class child has 13+ children’s books in the home. In low-income neighborhoods, there is ONE book for every 300 children. According to the Department of Justice, over 70% of America’s prisoners cannot read above a 4th grade level. Thank you so much for cleaning out those closets and bringing books! They are distributed to places like Head Start, Mustard Seed School for homeless children, Crisis Nursery, and other places.. For more information, please email Kaitlin at kpsantos@gmail.com.
Books can be donated to the booth on Senior Square at Casa Roble Fundamental High School
from October 5, 2022, to November 15, 2022
Thanks so much