We’re Bound to WNC: POP Project’s 2024 in Review

For 15 years now, the POP Project has tied ourselves to Western North Carolina agencies and organizations who have boots on the ground helping our neighbors with important needs. Our contribution may appear thin compared to the bulk of the work being done, but like a book’s binding, we believe it plays an integral role in the success of the whole. We also believe in those various organizational ties and are proud of our strong connections to them.

Just as importantly, POP’s success is bound to the success of the community around us. As a 100% volunteer run organization, everything we are able to accomplish depends on the dedication of the many people who choose to put in time toward our mission.

We thank everyone who has continued to support us in our mission: to spread the power and possibilities of literacy through greater access to books.

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Keep reading or skip straight to these sections of our 2024 Year in Review:

• AT A GLANCE: Highlights from the year
• SUPPORTERS: Our thanks to you!
• DELIVERIES: Book program mission and results
• FUNDS: Annual budget breakdown and fundraising results
• RESULTS: POP’s organizational goals, and how well we did on each
• MOVING INTO 2025: How you can help

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AT A GLANCE: Highlights from 2024

At the start of 2024, we knew we needed to dedicate some time to revamping our volunteer programming. As the cornerstone of our ability to work toward our mission, keeping our volunteers organized, motivated, and supplied with the resources they need was key to bringing our pandemic-era book delivery numbers back to a healthy running average. To that end, we chose to focus on independent, long-term volunteer opportunities and implemented the following updates:

• Individual and group volunteer training sessions.
• Updated delivery lists, call scripts, and sample emails.
• Better communication among fellow volunteers.
• A resource webpage with detailed information and updates about our programs and responsibilities.
• Group volunteer social events.

Over the course of the year, we also:

• Strengthened connections with nonprofit leaders and book givers throughout WNC.
• Secured a Platinum Seal of Transparency on GuideStar, the most widely adopted symbol of transparency in the U.S. social sector.
• Audited our Little Free Library program to assess the current needs of LFLs under POP’s care.
• Participated in a public book fair event at The Whale, featuring a variety of book and book art vendors.
• Updated our website’s hosting and server placement for better performance and user experience.
• Were chosen by New Belgium staff for the second year in a row as a local nonprofit to watch through their Liquid Center Annual Donations Program!

Overall, this was a successful year for POP. (Read past annual reports.) We have more active volunteers poised and ready for deliveries than ever before. As a result, we delivered more books than we have since 2019, our 10th anniversary and our highest delivery year on record. Our income and expenses were pretty well matched, despite the fact that we fell short on our annual fundraising goal. And we met and exceeded two of our four organizational goals for the year.

Moving forward, we remain bound to the community and our simple, yet meaningful purpose to deliver free books to those in need. We look forward to a fresh year of creating connections with area agencies, businesses, and individual supporters. And we persist thanks to the dedication of an amazing group of volunteers and board members.

In short, we’re stocked with tons of new and gently used books ready to find great new homes, and we’re focused on our mission: to spread the power and possibilities of literacy through greater access to books.

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SUPPORTERS: Thank You!

At the POP Project, we like to tout the fact that we’re 100% volunteer led. What that really means is that without the dedication of our volunteers, a couple of whom have been with us since the beginning, we wouldn’t be able to meet any of our goals. We need their help, support, and belief in the power of a good book.

Thank you also to our various private donors, several of whom have offered their support for a number of years in a row. And a big thanks goes to New Belgium Brewing and our representative there, Beks Dodds, for choosing us as a beneficiary of the 2024 New Belgium Liquid Center Annual Donations Program. 

Collectively, you’ve made it possible for POP to continue our free services into our 16th year in 2025!. Here’s to another great year of expanding the power and possibilities of literacy!

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DELIVERIES: Book Program Results

Before 2020, POP was proud to deliver an average of 5,000–7,000 books per year to local agencies and organizations. During the pandemic (2020–2022), our numbers dipped considerably, but rebounded as of 2023. Deliveries in 2024 were on track with those numbers and our historic average.

Our 2024 deliveries totalled 5,761 books, a value of $28,805.

That total came from 133 deliveries to 30 locations, the majority of which were in Asheville and Buncombe County.

Here’s a breakdown of the number and type of books delivered in 2024 as compared to the previous two years:

	2022	2023	2024
Schools and Children’s Programs	50	1,023	152
Community Nonprofits, Housing Centers, and Organizations in WNC	355	1,185	2,182
Little Libraries	1,260	2,505	2,763
Comic Books & Graphic Novels	249	358	664
Other	116	(1,770)*	0
TOTAL FREE BOOKS DELIVERED:	2,030	5,071	5,761

* These books were removed from our inventory, and so do not count toward our delivery goals.

2024 Book Delivery Locations

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FUNDS: POP’s 2024 Finances and Fundraising Results

Regretfully, it costs money to give away free books. The vast majority of our budget each year goes to storage costs, with minor administrative fees making up the rest of our expenses. What offsets these costs is the generosity of our private and corporate donors. We couldn’t keep our mission going without your financial support!

2024 Income and Expenses

BUDGET GOAL 2024 = $3,000

ACTUAL INCOME 2024 = $2,459.39

Here’s how our incoming funds broke down:

• Corporate Giving – 66.14%
• Private One-Time and Recurring Donations – 31.11%
• Fundraisers – 1.79%
• Book Sales – 0.96%

EXPENSES 2024 = $2,522.07

• Book Storage and Transportation – 91.12%
• Administrative Costs – 7.69%
• Bank Fees – 1.19%
• Staffing and Salaries – 0.00%

Fundraising Highlight

New Belgium Liquid Center Annual Donations Program: The POP Project was so excited to have been chosen as a beneficiary of the 2024 New Belgium giving program for the second year in a row! Throughout the year, guest donations are pooled and awarded to Asheville-area nonprofits, and POP was chosen as a 2024 recipient. 

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RESULTS: POP’s 2024 Organizational Goals

Each year, we set a handful of goals related to deliveries and volunteer work in addition to our financial goals listed above. Here are the 2024 goals, as well as how well we did with each:

Set up a “volunteer hotline” to make it easier to activate our volunteer team when needed: 

GOAL: After 15 years in operation, it was time to revamp our volunteer programming, including outreach and organization. POP is a 100% volunteer-led nonprofit, so making sure our volunteers have the training and resources they need to succeed is of utmost importance. 

RESULTS: We have already seen that the changes now in place are creating a more cohesive, more efficient, more connected, and more fun volunteer experience.

Make 15% of deliveries to surrounding counties in WNC: 

GOAL: Each year, it is our goal to make at least 15% of our book deliveries to organizations in Henderson, Madison, Haywood, and Transylvania Counties. 

RESULTS: As it turned out, most of POP’s deliveries in 2024 were concentrated in little free libraries around Buncombe County. There were a couple out-of-county deliveries, but not amounting to 15%.

Include 500 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 2024, we committed to a goal of finding new homes for 500 used comic books.

RESULTS: WE DID IT! 2024 marked the first year in POP’s history when we delivered more than 500 comic books. We still have many more to offer. If your organization would benefit from free comic books, let us know!

Deliver 1,000+ books to jail and prison libraries: 

GOAL: Delivering books to jails and prisons has been a core part of POP’s mission since the very beginning. In recent years, our prison deliveries have dwindled, and it’s time to reprioritize this goal.

RESULTS: Unfortunately, our current level of volunteer staffing did not allow us to pursue this goal. We will try again in 2025!

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MOVING INTO 2025: POP’s Continuing Goals and How You can Help This Year

Help the POP Project meet our goals for 2025!

Each year, we try to improve our book delivery base, programs, fundraising, and volunteer opportunities. Our goals for 2025 are: 

• Continue giving to surrounding counties in WNC (15% or more of our book deliveries to organizations in Henderson, Madison, Haywood, and Transylvania Counties).
• Include 500+ comic books among our book deliveries.
• Deliver 1,000+ books to jail and prison libraries.
• Hold at least 6 volunteer events.

To reach these goals and continue making progress this year, we will need your help. 

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 Western North Carolina 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 $3,000 fundraising goal for 2025! 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.