The Story of Compassion by the Book

The idea for Compassion by the Book emerged from the clutter on my bookshelves in August of 2009. I was cleaning my room, so I sold my old textbooks and I was struck that I had been wasting money for years. I suddenly realized that I was probably not the only one . My first instinct was greedy. "I bet I can sell my friends' books and make a lot of money." Something inside me obliterated that instinct mid-thought and replaced it with "No, you should actually try to get some books to raise money for something greater than yourself." I knew this was right. I gave it a go.

I didn't really have expectations, but I asked some friends and created a Facebook Event to ask for books on behalf of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, to raise scholarship money for students to go to conferences. Eight of my friends donated books and everyone was surprised by the $1200 raised for conferences.

After those results, I had to ask, "Why limit it to InterVarsity?" Well, why limit it to Colorado School of Mines? There are students at every school that have books going unused. I realized that this idea should be shared and that it could make a huge impact in so many great causes. I talked with some other student organizations at Mines and at nearby Regis University and started textbook fundraisers on behalf of the earthquake in Haiti. All in all, we raised $13,000 between all the fundraising initiatives.

Early in 2010 I decided to start a nonprofit to share this idea and help students across the U.S. make a difference. As the fundraising efforts and successes grew, so did my confidence and my commitment to spreading this idea. Starting a nonprofit has not been easy, but if its impact so far is any indication, I think it is worth it. I know it has certainly changed my life.

Colorado School of Mines at InterVarsity's 2009 Fall Conference -
Textbook fundraising afforded at least six of these students to attend!