The POP Project has experienced a series of ups and downs in recent years. (At least, as far as our delivery numbers go.) From our best year ever in 2019 to the lows of COVID in 2020, then back up in 2021, we entered 2022 expecting a year of balance.
In truth, 2022 was not the apex of POP’s success, nor was it our nadir. Much about POP remained stable throughout the year. But by year’s end, we saw our expenses climb while our deliveries fell again (though, not nearly so far as in 2020). POP’s outside volunteer opportunities remained on hold, surely contributing to our lackluster numbers. However, with a strong history behind our organization, we have high hopes for the year ahead.
As you read through our year in review, it will look like we struggled with several of our goals. Even so, we stand upon a strong support system, namely our recurring donors and long-term volunteers. We thank you for standing with us as we continue to climb uphill.
Keep reading or skip straight to these sections of our 2022 Annual Report:
- SUPPORTERS: Our thanks to you!
- DELIVERIES: Book program mission and results
- FUNDS: Annual budget breakdown and fundraising results
- RESULTS: POP’s additional 2022 objectives, and how well we did on each
- WRAPPING UP: Final thoughts on 2022
- DIRECTING 2023: POP’s goals for this year and how you can help
SUPPORTERS: Thank You!
The POP Project is excited to start 2023 on firm footing, thanks to your generosity!
Thank you to our 2022 recurring donors, social media followers, and amazing Board of Directors for your continued support. Because of you, we were able to continue our mission for the 13th year. It’s not always easy to keep a volunteer-led organization plugging along, but our consistent leadership and ongoing support from volunteers and donors keeps us going year after year.
We need your help, support, and belief in the power of a good book. And you delivered in 2022. Here’s to another great year of expanding the possibilities of literacy in 2023!
DELIVERIES: Setting a New Baseline for Book Deliveries
Before 2020, POP was proud to deliver 6,000–7,000 books per year to local agencies and organizations. After a year of lockdown and several years of instability, our book deliveries are still not back up to average. But we have the inventory to get us there!
Our 2022 deliveries totalled 2,030 books, a value of $10,150.
That total came from 48 deliveries to 17 locations primarily in Asheville and Buncombe County.
Here’s a breakdown of the number and type of books delivered in 2022 as compared to the previous two years:
| 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | |
| Schools and Children’s Programs | 0 | 882 | 50 |
| Community Nonprofits, Housing Centers, and Organizations in WNC | 292 | 1,706 | 355 |
| State Prisons; Local Jails and Detention Centers | 280 | 0 | 0 |
| Little Libraries | 388 | 601 | 1,260 |
| Comic Books & Graphic Novels | 3 | 66 | 249 |
| Other | 80 | 429 | 116 |
| TOTAL FREE BOOKS DELIVERED: | 1,043 | 3,684 | 2,030 |
2022 Book Delivery Locations
Asheville Fire Department – Station 2
Asheville Middle bus stop
Buncombe County Partnership for Children
Deaverview Apartments
First Resources Center
Hall Fletcher Elementary
Hominy Valley Community Market
The Hop
The Hop West
Lake Julian Park
Leicester Elementary
NC Counts
Odd’s Cafe
OnTrack Financial Counseling
Private LFL (8 Wilburn Road)
Verner Early Learning Center
YWCA
FUNDS: POP’s 2022 Finances and Fundraising Successes
As much as we believe it should be otherwise, it’s not free to give away free books. The great majority of our budget each year goes to storage costs, with minor administrative and fundraising fees making up the rest of our expenses. And what offsets these costs is the generosity of our many regular and recurring donors. We couldn’t keep our mission going without your financial support!
2022 Income and Expenses
BUDGET GOAL 2022 = $3,500
INCOME 2022 = $2,821.72
Through fundraising and one-time and recurring individual donations, we raised $2,661.28 or 76% of our total budget goal. The remainder of our income came from a few book sales on Biblio.com, as well as gifts from AmazonSmile and PayPal’s Giving Fund. However, we were unable to meet our budget goal, and fell short by around $700.
Here’s how our incoming funds down:
- Non-Program Specific Grants – 0%
- Fundraisers and Give!Local – 73.0%
- Private One-Time and Recurring Donations – 21.3%
- Book Sales – 1.0%
- Corporate Giving – 4.7%
EXPENSES 2022 = $4,176.92
With only a few exceptions, our spending was once again limited to our storage fees. In total, we spent $3,695.92 on storage alone. Our other expenses covered general administrative and fundraising costs, book programs, shipping and travel, and bank fees. Unfortunately, that total exceeded both our budget and the income raised for the year. By the end of 2022, we dipped deep into our reserve savings to cover remaining expenses.
- Administrative and Fundraising Costs – 10.9%
- Book Storage and Transportation – 88.9%
- Staffing and Salaries – 0%
- Shipping and Travel – 0%
- Bank Fees – 0.6%
2022 Fundraising Successes
The POP Project brought in money from several different sources for 2022.
Give!Local 2021: The Give!Local fundraising program leading into 2021 was very successful. Thanks to local donors, POP raised $2,060 during the 2021 Give!Local campaign, exceeding our goal. Those funds were allocated to start the year in 2022.
Recurring Donations: Thanks to a few key supporters, POP could count on recurring donations throughout the year. These donations help us plan and budget for the months ahead because we know we can count on those funds. (Become a recurring donor today!)
Biblio.com: POP lists a very limited number of antique and collectible books on Biblio.com, an international online marketplace specializing in rare and collectible books that was founded right here in Asheville, NC. In 2022, we sold two books through the site.
AmazonSmile: Shoppers who confirm “The POP Project” as their charity of choice at smile.amazon.com/ch/27-1146752 help POP raise funds year round. AmazonSmile donates a portion of eligible purchases to POP’s mission, which amounted to $31.78 in 2022. (Amazon is sunsetting their philanthropic program on February 20, 2023.)
Give!Local 2022: Thanks to our most recent end-of-year fundraising efforts, POP raised $2,390 through Mountain Xpress’s Give!Local platform—the most money yet! The money will go toward our 2023 operational budget goal of $4,000. Here are a few highlights of the fundraising season:
- Total raised through Give!Local: $2,390
- Total number of donors: 32
- Number of new donors: 5
- Percentage raised toward 2023’s $4,000 budget: 59.75%
We wanted to start the year with half of our 2022 budget in the bank. We are so thrilled to have such a great start on the fundraising efforts for the year ahead!
RESULTS: POP’s Additional 2022 Objectives
This time last year, we set a handful of goals to complete by the end of 2022. As you can see from the results, we were unable to meet all of our goals. Our progress was hampered by lack of volunteer hours and reach. Some goals will carry over into 2022.
Continue giving to surrounding counties in WNC:
GOAL: In 2022, it was our goal to make at least 15% of our book deliveries to organizations in Henderson, Madison, Haywood, and Transylvania Counties.
RESULTS: In 2022, our donations were almost exclusively focused on Buncombe County agencies. We did, however, donate $500 of books to NC Counts, based in Raleigh, NC.
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.
RESULTS: Unfortunately, this did not happen. We will try again in 2023.
Include 250 comic books among our book deliveries:
GOAL: Comic books and graphic novels can be an important stepping stone in both early childhood and later-in-life literacy. For 2022, we committed to a goal of finding new homes for 250 used comic books.
RESULTS: This is one we should have kept a better eye on at the end of the year. Believe it or not, we delivered 249 comic books around the area in 2022. But we have a couple thousand more that are ready to find new homes in 2023. If you need comic books, let us know!
Replace 2 of our Little Free Libraries in Buncombe County:
GOAL: We have new Little Free Library boxes positioned to replace two of the nine LFLs we manage in the area. New boxes mean better protection for the books within, and hopefully more books available to people in need.
RESULTS: Remarkably, all our LFLs are still holding strong! We’ll keep an eye on them and have new boxes ready to go when we see one or two that are ready to be retired.
WRAPPING UP: Our Final Thoughts on 2022
The POP Project suffers from the same ailments as all volunteer-led nonprofits. As volunteer interest ebbs and demand wanes, so does progress toward the mission.
POP is so proud to have grown from an inkling of an idea prior to 2009 to our best year ever in 2019 through our “10 for 10” initiative. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, we have struggled to get back to our previous level of deliveries. But at the start of 2023, we find ourselves poised for success. All we need is a few dedicated, long-term volunteers to help us push the mission forward. (Become a POP Project volunteer.)
Even so, 2022 was a year of many successes. We delivered more than $10,000 in FREE books to local agencies and communities in need. We met our most ambitious Give!Local fundraising goal to date. And we start the year with a remarkable amount of inventory. We have so many books ready to find great new homes!
POP is at its best when we’re active in the community. We pull energy from engaging with our supporters (you!), volunteers, and book recipients to focus on our mission: to spread the power and possibilities of literacy through greater access to books.
Let’s see what we can do in 2023.
DIRECTING 2023: POP’s Continuing Goals and How You can Help in 2023
Help the POP Project meet our goals for 2023!
We want to bring our book delivery base, programs, and volunteer opportunities back up to their pre-pandemic heights in 2023. To do that, we will need your help.
Our goals for 2023 are:
- Continue giving to surrounding counties in WNC (15% or more of our book deliveries to organizations in Henderson, Madison, Haywood, and Transylvania Counties).
- Hold our annual “Rethink Ink” book sale fundraiser.
- Include 500 comic books among our book deliveries.
- Lessen up our storage fees by downgrading to a single 10’x10’ unit and a smaller monthly bill.
How You Can Help
The POP Project works to make sure no book goes without a home, goes unread, or sits on a shelf and collects dust, and that all of the books with which we are entrusted are used for constructive, personal expansion.
Please help us meet our goals by supporting our efforts to connect with local agencies in need of books. 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 (or comic books)? Please reach out if your place of business is in need or if you have any leads.
In addition, there are many more ways to support POP’s mission and help us make a positive impact on our community. Please consider donating time, money, or ideas that will directly impact our programs.
Help us meet our $4,000 fundraising goal for 2023! Make your one-time or recurring donation today!
Donations can be made via PayPal on our site or mailed to the POP Project, PO Box 18653, Asheville, NC 28814. The POP Project is a 501(c)3 organization. Please consult your tax advisor about deductible donations.