Posts in category Nonprofit Technology

Minnesota Program Expands Library and Reading Program With 274 New Books from First Book

Nov09
2011 Brian Minter Written by Brian Minter

The Page Education Foundation is a local nonprofit based in Minneapolis that helps young people from low-income families get to college, through financial assistance and mentoring. Those young people become Page Education Foundation Scholars, and the program requires them to commit to giving back by mentoring other kids in the community.

The people at Page Education Foundation does amazing work, and they’re part of First Book’s national network of 27,000 schools and community programs across the country.

Last year they started a pilot program, ‘Begin With A Book’, where the recipients of Page Education Foundation grants volunteered their time at other community programs reading aloud to younger children. The pilot program was a success, showing real impact on the lives of the younger kids, and so they looked for ways to expand.

Page Education Foundation Scholars and the children they mentor, with help from First Book and GrouponBut to do that, they needed books.

Having done some homework, they knew they could sign up with First Book to get new, high-quality books to start the library they needed to expand their program. To raise the money quickly from members of the community, they turned to Groupon, the online coupon company that provides “daily deals” in different cities.

Groupon, which also works with local nonprofits, set up an offer to let Minneapolis residents donate $10 toward the Page Education Foundation’s plan to build a library for its ‘Begin With A Book’ program. Over 130 people chipped in, raising $700 to pay for the books.

Page Education Foundation Scholars and the children they mentor, with help from First Book and GrouponBecause the First Book Marketplace is available exclusively to community programs and Title I schools, we’re able to provide new books at rates significantly lower than for-profit stores; our friends at the Page Education Foundation were able to get 274 new books to start their library.

“I’m so glad the Groupon campaign worked out,” said Eric Rahman, development coordinator at Page Education Foundation. “Now books can be introduced to hundreds of community sites across Minnesota and thousands of younger children can benefit from having a positive role model reading aloud to them.”

Posted in Book Recipients, Books & Reading, Education, Social Entrepreneurship, Volunteers - Tagged , , , , ,

First Book has eBooks!

Aug01
2011 Brian Minter Written by Brian Minter

First Book now offers ebooks on the First Book Marketplace

Invariably, when people learn about First Book and our mission of getting new books to kids in need, someone always asks: “What about electronic readers and ebooks? Why don’t you distribute those to kids from low-income families?”

Good idea! We’re pleased to announce that we are now able to offer over fifty electronic titles on the First Book Marketplace (our online site available exclusively to programs serving kids in need).

The titles are all from Britannica Educational Publishing, the folks who publish the famed Encylopaedia Britannica, and they cover topics ranging from sharks to space exploration. Each title also includes a “preview” option, so that teachers and program leaders can take a look at the content before they buy it.

We’re excited to offer these eBooks to the programs in the First Book network, and this is just the first of many steps we’re taking into the world of digital books and resources.

Posted in Books & Reading, Marketplace - Tagged , , ,

First Book Has a New Website!

Feb22
2011 Brian Minter Written by Brian Minter

The following blog post is by Kyle Zimmer, First Book’s president and CEO.

I am thrilled to announce the dawn of a new era at First Book:  the official debut of our brand-new website!

Visit our new site at http://www.firstbook.org/

Our old site had reached “vintage” status, so we hope you will find our new site faster, easier to navigate and much more useful. (We think it’s pretty nice to look at, too!)

READ MORE »

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5,000 New Books? That Would be a Wheel Tweet

Jan31
2011 Brian Minter Written by Brian Minter

First Book on Twitter

Pi Beta Phi is one of First Book’s strongest partners; they have worked with us since 2007, and their generosity and dedication have helped us get new books into the hands of thousands of kids from low-income communities.

Recently, Pi Beta Phi issued a challenge that was as easy as 3-4-5: If they could reach 3,000 followers on Twitter and we could get 4,000 followers on Twitter, they would donate funds to provide 5,000 brand-new books to kids in need.  (At the time, we had about 3,400 followers, so it seemed like an easy enough goal to reach.)

We threw the challenge out to our tweeps, and they really delivered! People don’t always have the time or resources to help in big ways, so they sometimes respond enthusiastically when given the chance to help in smaller ways. Many of our followers re-tweeted the request, but many more went above and beyond the call of duty, sending it individually to popular or influential friends of theirs on Twitter.

* Whoa, you lost me, First Book. For those of you not on Twitter, you can think of it as a network of overlapping circles. If we “tweet” something (post it to the First Book account on Twitter), all of our “followers” (the people who sign up to receive our comments) can see it on their own Twitter page. They can then “re-tweet” it, and share it with their own circle of friends and followers, sometimes adding a comment of their own. So the more a message is shared, the more people see it. Ta da!

We even picked up a couple celebrity followers – Alyssa Milano and Kirstie Alley. Both of whom – in addition to being lovely, talented and strong supporters of community service organizations – have huge followings on Twitter. Like, hundreds-of-thousands-of-people huge, all of whom were able to see the re-tweeted challenge.

Thanks to the efforts of our many dedicated online supporters, we hit 4,000 followers quickly, and kept going. At present, we’re up to 5,800, and Pi Beta Phi will be donating the funds to purchase 5,000 brand-new books for kids in need.

As we say on Twitter: First Book supporters FTW!

Posted in First Book Partners - Tagged , , , , , , ,

Join the Cheerios 6 Million Minute Read-A-Thon!

Mar15
2010 Written by Mary Beth F.

Thanks to the Cheerios® Read-A-Thon, now when you read together with your child, you can help provide a new book to a child in need. Through the Read-A-Thon, Cheerios is encouraging individuals to pledge to read to your kids for at least 15 minutes a day by today, March 15th.

If they reach their goal of 6 million reading moments pledged by the end of the day, Cheerios will donate 250,000 books to First Book to benefit the kids who need them most.

Visit Cheerios on Facebook and select “Get Started” to make your pledge today!

Posted in Books & Reading, Literacy, Philanthropy - Tagged , , ,

Help us Receive $200,000 through Members Project from American Express and TakePart.com

Mar08
2010 Written by Melinda H.

First Book is excited to be one of 50 cause-related charities showcased in this year’s Members Project initiative from American Express and TakePart.  Participants to the site can vote once a week for a charity, and every three months, the charity that garners the most votes will win $200,000.

For First Book, this funding would provide 100,000 new books to kids living in high poverty communities throughout the U.S.

We applaud American Express and TakePart for taking corporate social responsibility to a new level.  Not only is the funding commitment important, but participants will be able to engage more fully with the featured causes.  After voting for First Book, TakePart.com’s social advocacy platform will allow you to connect with other like-minded participants online and find literacy-related volunteer opportunities in your community.   It’s corporate responsibility 2.0.

Please help First Book reach more kids with wonderful new books. Visit www.takepart.com/membersproject and cast your vote for First Book!

Posted in First Book Events, Literacy, Philanthropy - Tagged , , ,

First Book Founder Kyle Zimmer Shares Stage with World Leaders

Feb01
2010 Written by Joan S.

Our own social entrepreneur and founder, Kyle Zimmer, joined world leaders in Davos for the World Economic Forum last week. She presented an IdeasLab primer on the First Book Marketplace, in a session moderated by J. Gregory Dees, Professor, Practice of Social Entrepreneurship, Fuqua School of Business, Duke. Watch the presentation below and read more about Kyle’s inspiration for First Book after the jump.

READ MORE »

Posted in Marketplace, Social Entrepreneurship, Video - Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Bloggers Support First Book In Blogathon 2009

Jul15
2009 Written by John T.

Blogathon 2009Looking for a great way to raise money for a great cause such as First Book?  Several bloggers will be raising money for First Book in the upcoming Blogathon, to take place on July 25th, 2009.  If you are unfamiliar with what a Blogathon is, it’s essentially like a marathon without the running part. Blogathon 2009 is a 24 hour event during which participants blog every half hour to raise money for the charity of their choice.

So what brought bloggers to support First Book? One of our blog supporters, Erica Watson, from the Quirky Charm blog, had a chance to tell us all about her love for books.  “Books played a huge roll in my childhood. They were cherished friends who gave me comfort, joy, and adventure. Reading is still dear to my heart, fiction to non-fiction and everything in between,” she says.

Through Erica’s love for books, she has a vast awareness for the need to put books in the hands of all children. “A good book can make all the difference on a tough day. Through books we can relate to people through time and space. Books can reassure us, they can guide us, they can give us inspiration. It breaks my heart that there are so many who don’t know this simple pleasure, especially children,” she mentions.

With your help, and the support of bloggers like Erica, First Book can provide even more books to the kids who need them most. If you would like to support Erica in her blogging efforts, please visit her at Quirky Charm.  To learn more about participating in Blogathon, please visit the official Blogathon 2009 site.

Posted in Books & Reading, First Book Events, Philanthropy - Tagged ,

Follow First Book on Twitter

Jul13
2009 Written by Katie B.

twitter-logo_follow usStay connected to all that’s happening at First Book by following us on Twitter – a site for friends, family and fans to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent answers to one simple question: What are you doing?

Our resident tweeters, Aesah, Joan, Linda and Nisha, will keep you up to date on the latest First Book happenings as well as book news and articles.

So what are you waiting for? Follow us @firstbook.

Our resident tweeters: Aesah, Joan, Linda and Nisha.
Posted in General - Tagged ,

Unveiling the Recipient Group Online Resource Center

Jan14
2009 Written by Matthew W.

In an effort to serve our Recipient Groups better the First Book Help Team is proud to unveil a brand new Web page for organizations serving children in need.

The Recipient Group Online Resource Center, found at http://www.firstbook.org/rg, is a gateway to all of First Book’s resources and literacy campaigns including links to register and update your information with First Book, purchase the latest award-winning books at 50-85% off list price on the First Book Marketplace, and access news about the first Book Bank distribution of 2009 (which will be announced via email to registered First Book Recipient Groups in the first quarter of 2009).

We hope the Recipient Group Online Resource Center makes it easier for you to help your kids be enthusiastic about reading in 2009!

Posted in Book Recipients, Marketplace - Tagged ,
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