In 2018, the POP Project wrapped up our ninth installment (e.g. year in existence) as an Asheville-based volunteer nonprofit. POP sorted, packed, and delivered thousands of books to dozens of area organizations. We also held a number of volunteer opportunities, coordinated local activities to promote literacy, and participated in several strategic community collaborations.
All in all, it was a very successful year, and one we hope sets us up for some very exciting opportunities in 2019!
Like any great series, the 2018 installment of the POP Project was composed of certain key elements. Keep reading for our reports on:
- THE CHARACTERS: Our thanks to you for a successful year!
- THE SETTING: POP’s 2018 goals
- THE PLOT: Our best moments of 2018
- THE CONFLICT: Annual funding sources and holiday fundraising results
- THE RESOLUTION: Our book delivery programs and results
- THE NEXT CHAPTER…: A preview of POP’s goals for 2019 and how you can help
THE CHARACTERS: You!
Our tremendous thanks to YOU, our supporters, for a page-turning 2018!
Thank you to our donors, volunteers, social media followers, book donors, and amazing Board of Directors for all your help last year. We collected and sorted through thousands of books to determine their best homes. We delivered free books to dozens of locations in our community. And most importantly, we made a difference in the lives of thousands of local men, women, and children in Asheville, Buncombe County, and across Western North Carolina.
We couldn’t have done anything in 2018 without your help, support, and belief in the power of a good book. Here’s to an even bigger and better year of giving in 2019!
THE SETTING: POP’s 2018 Goals
As we kicked off 2017, POP had four goals for the year ahead. These goals set the scene for our work during the year:
- Better expand into surrounding counties in WNC.
- Hold our annual “Rethink Ink” book sale fundraiser.
- More programming for Banned Books Week 2018.
- Add additional drop box locations around Asheville.
THE PLOT: POP’s Top Moments of 2018
- Working with the AFD on 2 LFLs: POP was excited to add two more official Little Free Libraries to the Buncombe County community in 2018. We worked in conjunction with the Asheville Fire Department to install library boxes at AFD Station 2 in the Southside community and AFD Station 5 on Hendersonville Road. Located next to bus stops, they allow readers of all ages to grab something on the go.
- Coordinating 2 Stellar Days of Impact Deliveries: Over two afternoons in April and October, groups of corporate volunteers helped POP sort, count, pack, and deliver more than $8,200 of books to agencies around Asheville and Buncombe County—all in a matter of hours. That’s more than 25% of our annual total deliveries!
- Expanding Our Services to Include Comics: Comic books and graphic novels can be an important stepping stone in both early childhood and later-in-life literacy. Last spring, we decided that our storage and volunteer capacities now allow us to actively pursue donations of comic books and graphic novels. And what better day to kick off the initiative than Free Comic Book Day (May 5)!
- Holding Rethink Ink at The Hop: What’s better than an evening of books and ice cream? In August, The Hop graciously hosted our most recent Rethink Ink book sale fundraiser at their Merrimon Avenue location. Five tables of books were available for purchase, most for $1 and up, and both The Hop and Spellbound Children’s Bookshop donated a share of proceeds for the evening. In total, we raised more than $400!
- Connecting Students across Schools: This fall, the POP Project worked with the media coordinators of Hall Fletcher and Oakley Elementary schools in Asheville on a truly innovative idea. POP purchased four cases of Ghost (a 2016 National Book Award Finalist for Young People’s Literature) for the fifth graders at the two schools! The media coordinators passed out the books to their students, and the two schools Skyped with each other to discuss what they thought of the book!
- Participating in Asheville’s Give!Local Online Fundraiser: POP was one of 40 nonprofits selected for the fourth annual Mountain Xpress online fundraising program. Thanks to tremendous support, POP raised $1,000 over 60 days, which helps us kick off 2019 on the right foot!
THE CONFLICT: POP’s 2018 Finances
As with any nonprofit, finances are the main (and constant) source of friction. POP was very fortunate to begin the year with funds in the bank. But could we meet our 2018 fundraising goals?
Not quite. But we got close!
Our budget goal for 2018 was $3,000. Through fundraising, book sales, and individual donors, we raised $2,567.49, or 86% of our goal. (See below for the breakdown.)
Our spending was more conservative than our income. In total, we spent $2,009.88 on storage, general administrative costs, book programs, and shipping and travel. (See below for the breakdown.) That left us with a surplus in the bank. Together with our fundraising results, that means we’re able to start the year with $1,676.46 in operational funds, or 56% of this year’s budget goal of $3,000.
We wanted to start the year with half of our 2019 budget in the bank. We are so thrilled to have such a great start on the fundraising efforts for the year ahead!
In the end, here is how our income and expenses broke down in 2018:
BUDGET GOAL 2018 = $3,000
INCOME 2018 = $2,567.49 (86% of goal)
Non-Program Specific Grants (0%)
Private Donations/Give!Local (70.8%)
Fundraisers and Book Sales (24.1%)
Amazon Book Sales (5.1%)
Interest (<0.1%)
EXPENSES 2018 = $2,009.88
Book Program Expenses (16.1%)
General Administrative Costs (21.8%)
Storage Units (62.1%)
Shipping and Travel (0%)
THE RESOLUTION: POP’s Book Delivery Program Poised for a Great 2019!
2018 was another big year for book deliveries by the POP Project, though it didn’t set any records. Turnover in the county corrections system and the dissolution of lending library at several key delivery points meant that we were not able to deliver books to a number of locations frequented in past years.
However, we sorted, packed, and delivered a significant number of books to local area schools, children’s programs, housing and healthcare centers, food pantries, Little Free Libraries, and detention centers to serve the people most in need of a greater access to books.
In addition to overall quantity, our goal was to make at least 10% of our book deliveries to organizations in Henderson, Madison, Haywood, and Transylvania Counties. We got close (559 books out of 6,096), but were not able to meet that goal. However, in 2018, we did expand our Little Free Library program to nearly double the amount of books distributed in 2017. In the end, those changes brought an increase in breadth and scope to our delivery program that we plan to continue through 2019.
Our 2018 deliveries totalled 6,096 books, and had a value of $30,480. Compared to 2017, the number of deliveries was down by 20% to 79 and the number of locations to which we delivered was down by 32% to 27.
Here’s a breakdown of the number and type of books delivered for 2017 as compared to the previous two years:
| 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | |
| Schools and Children’s Programs | 2,921 | 3,446 | 3,288 |
| Community Nonprofits, Housing Centers, and Organizations in WNC | 2,663 | 2,406 | 1,512 |
| State Prisons; Local Jails and Detention Centers | 774 | 498 | 271 |
| Little Libraries | 396 | 533 | 936 |
| Comic Books & Graphic Novels | n/a | n/a | 19 |
| Other | 75 | 126 | 70 |
| TOTAL FREE BOOKS DELIVERED: | 6,829 | 7,009 | 6,096 |
2018 Book Delivery Locations
Asheland Ridge Healthcare Center
Asheville Fire Department – Station 2
Asheville Fire Department – Station 5
Buncombe County Detention Facility
Centro Comunitario Hispano AME
Craggie Correctional Facility
Deaverview Apartments
Neil Dobbins Rehab Center
Eblen Intermediate School
Erwin Middle School
Erwin High School
Food for Fairview
Four Seasons Hospice Home Store
Charles George VA Medical Center
Green Opportunities
Hall Fletcher Elementary School
Hominy Valley Community Market
Johnston Elementary School
LEAF
Leicester Elementary School
Literacy Council of Buncombe County
Madison County Partnership for Children
Madison Middle School
United Way – Homework Diners
Verner Early Learning Center
Western Carolina Rescue Ministries
YMCA Youth Services Center
Writing our Best Installment Yet in 2019!—and How You can Help
POP made a significant impact to our community during 2018, but we still have a long way to go before everyone in WNC has sufficient access to books. We want to keep expanding our donation base, programs, and volunteer opportunities for the coming year, and we need help doing it.
Here are just a few of our goals for 2019, along with ways you can help us meet them:
Better expand into surrounding counties in WNC:
GOAL: In 2019, it is our goal to make at least 10% of our book deliveries to organizations in Henderson, Madison, Haywood, and Transylvania Counties.
HOW YOU CAN HELP: Do you know of any shelters, development centers, detention centers, food pantries, or healthcare facilities in these counties that could benefit from a few good books? Let us know how we can help.
Hold our annual “Rethink Ink” book sale fundraiser:
GOAL: POP accepts almost all kinds of books, and so we have collected many that we currently cannot find homes for. Our “Rethink Ink” fundraiser serves as one of our largest fundraising events of the year.
HOW YOU CAN HELP: Can you suggest public, accessible locations that would be good spots for our 2019 “Rethink Ink”?
More programming for Banned Books Week 2019:
GOAL: Banned Books Week is a national week devoted to showcasing the power of the printed word. This year, we want to host a great community program around Banned Books Week by creating events and partnering with local organizations who work to ensure that banning books becomes an idea of the past.
HOW YOU CAN HELP: Help POP bring Banned Books Week to life in Asheville. Contact us about organizing an event or participating as a local business.
Add additional drop box locations around Asheville:
GOAL: Our sincerest thanks to the Literacy Council, United Way, and Mountain Xpress for their continued support of the POP Project by hosting drop boxes in downtown Asheville, where book donors can come to drop off a handful of books at a time. This year, POP would like to make drop boxes available to people on all sides of town.
HOW YOU CAN HELP: Contact us if your business or organization in north, south, east, or west Asheville is interested in hosting a drop box.
Additional Ways to Help POP
The POP Project works to make sure no book goes without a home, goes unread, sits on a shelf and collects dust, and that all of the books with which we are entrusted are used for constructive, personal expansion.
In addition to the goals listed above, there are many more ways to ensure that POP continues to make a positive impact on our community. Please consider donating time, money, or ideas that will directly impact our programs.
Help us meet our $3,000 fundraising goal for 2019! Make your one-time or recurring donation today!