Step 1 to a Successful Textbook Fundraiser - Engaging Donors

In my book, a successful textbook fundraiser

• Shows students their potential to make a difference in the world, 
• Contributes financially to great causes, and
• Reduces waste/maximizes value by putting unused books in others' hands.

But, how do we achieve this? After you've committed to a cause, how do you actually run a fundraiser that accomplishes these goals?

Step 1: Engaging Donors
When all is said and done, the mission of Compassion by the Book (my nonprofit, textbook fundraising organization) is about people. You can't raise anything without donors. Clearly It all starts with sharing the idea and vision of your textbook fundraiser. Engaging donors is not a one-size-fits-all task and takes all sorts of methods, from emails to the sharing of a personal testimony to an announcement at a club meeting (personal invitations seem to be the most effective).

The most important step is sharing the vision, but you must convey three crucial pieces of information: A) the cause(s) they can support, B) how they can join, and C) how they know they can trust you (i.e. how do they know the money goes where you say it will).

Responses will vary. Some students will offer to donate before you even have the chance to ask, while others need longer to digest the information before they decide whether they can help. Start with your close friends. Your friends and your friends' friends are connected to you and trust you, so they will give you the time of day. The worst they can do is say no. My experience is that your enthusiasm and passion will rub off and as you demonstrate how easy it is to get involved and show the good a donation does!

Your invitation to donate a book shows your passion, turns unused resources into aid for good causes, and opens the eyes of another to their own potential!

What is the next step? How do you turn good intentions or interest into action? Share your ideas or experience in a comment!

Measured Success

From August 4 to September 20, I listed your donated books on Amazon and pursued buyers at the Colorado School of Mines (hereafter, Mines) campus. I am pleased to announce that 150 books were sold and $6,000 raised!

Nine organizations/groups participated and their causes include but are not limited to, American Red Cross, a local nonprofit effort (to be chosen by students at Regis University), World Vision, and several InterVarsity Christian Fellowship chapters in Colorado.

I've included some basic charts with an overview of sales and income to explain the nature of textbook sales.

 

As you can see from the graph "Books Sold", the greatest number of books sold in one day is 16 and the least is 0 (the average is 3.25). The highest concentration of books sold occurred between August 19th and September 1st (average of 6). Sales of textbooks is cyclical, with a greater demand during the beginning of semesters and quarters. Textbook sales on Amazon are variable because there are competitors adding supply and changing their prices daily, which affects the visibility of your products on the Amazon search page. For example, in a high demand time, a book may be listed as the lowest option on Amazon for $50 and in two weeks, when demand is less, the going price for the same book may only be $25. Either the price must be adjusted to remain competitive or you have to wait for the high demand time to return (which, may be never, if a new edition comes out). 

The graph above illustrates how the total books sold increases more rapidly in late August and tapers off after the first week of September. I attribute that to higher supply (and lower demand) after September 8, which resulted in the fundraiser's listings becoming uncompetitive. A simple fix is to readjust the prices, but if the books will be worth more again in December it may be worth waiting.

The chart above ("Daily Income") shows the daily income of the books sold. The highest income came on August 20th when I sold eight books on the Mines campus for an average of $90 per book. I have learned from my experience that in-person sales result in greater income and less risk than Amazon sales.

In the chart "Percentage Revenue" I wanted to illustrate how significant in-person sales were to fundraising this semester. Sales on the Mines campus accounted for 21% of the revenue and only 15% of books sold (25 of 157). The average revenue per book from sales at Mines was $50 and the average revenue per book due to Amazon sales was $36.

The success is staggering, but these figures do not even begin describe the full potential of your donated textbooks. I estimate that there are close to 1,000 books still in inventory that must be put to further use by either being sold in a book sale, donated to a library, recycled, or through other means.

I am glad that all the efforts of students donating books has made such a great difference! I look forward to the college students of the U.S. meeting their potential and far exceeding my expectations again!

Textbook Fundraising: the blog's purpose

Now that I have started this blog, I will define its purpose and goals.

1. Spread the idea of textbook fundraising
Textbook fundraising is an idea. And a good one too. But ideas don't act on their own; they require people to act on them. First, people need to hear the idea and be convinced to act. This blog is meant to convey the idea that college students can begin changing the world for the better by the simple donation of textbooks.

2. Share my experience ("expertise") with others
I have one year of experience in textbook fundraising, which in my estimation is more than almost anyone else in the world (at least for purely nonprofit purposes). That said, I have some tips that might be useful for the upstarting fundraiser that can spare them trouble and lighten their load.

3. Process a method to assist willing fundraisers
Students may have textbooks and they may be willing to donate them, but they may not have time or energy or resources to conduct their own fundraiser. It is my goal to enable students who want to make a difference by helping them start and sustain a fundraiser with tutorials and programs or by offering to be seller on their behalf. That said, I currently intend to create a nonprofit organization to carry out such tasks.This blog will document the process of the nonprofit's development/collaboration to advance this practice.

4. Engage others in this process
This is a team effort. Please share your thoughts, experiences, concerns, etc. in a comment or email to me (kurtis.griess@gmail.com). I would love and appreciate your help.

What is textbook fundraising?

Textbook fundraising is very much like a bake sale, only imagine selling a cookie worth up to $100! It is the sale of a resource (that is, used textbooks) for the sake of raising money for a cause.

Who can fundraise?

• Textbook fundraising is optimal for college students, since they have textbooks or have friends who do.
• Others can do this too, but they must be able to demonstrate their credibility and accountability to the students they work with. Don't blindly trust a person or organization with your precious textbooks. If you want your books to go to good use, make sure you know or research who is selling them first.

How to fundraise?

• First, you need a cause. We all can find something or someone that needs our help! What are you passionate about? Who do you want to help? (Note: this should not be yourself)
• Second, you need textbooks. Gather your textbooks and/or your friends. Make sure to tell them what your cause is and thank them for donating!
• Third, find a market. You may sell them to the school bookstore, but often there is a better deal to be found. If you can connect with friends or other students needing the book you can sell it to them directly. Otherwise, Amazon or another online marketplace will help.
• Last, you must give the money away. This is the best part! All your hard work goes to improving the world. Share your story with those who donated by sending them a copy of the receipt or telling them how much you were able to raise and give away!