After four years and many thousands of books, Drew Snider knows a thing or two about how to run a successful book drive. In fact, his annual book drive for Dream Big at Coastal Credit Union brings in more and more books each year. So how does he make the magic happen — and how can you do it, too?
Here are Drew’s secrets to success:
Communication: Each year, Coastal sends an email to all 100,000 of its local members inviting them to donate their books at their local branch. Coastal also shares news about the book drive on social media. Using our book drive toolkit has been helpful, as it provides signage and language that can be used in the announcements and at the branches. How can you reach as many of your contacts as possible to tell them you’re collecting books?
Visibility: Coastal’s very visible collection barrels are available in all their branches right after the winter holidays and all the way up until MLK Day, so members are reminded each time they visit their branch that they can bring their book donations. (In fact, as Drew explains in the video below, book donations have a tendency to show up all throughout the year since people have come to know him as the guy who collects books!) What’s the best way for you to make sure everyone sees how they can donate books to your drive?
Shared values: Coastal Credit Union’s members have a relationship with their credit union — and they trust that donating books there means they’ll be put to good use. Drew explains that members love knowing their donations are going to the right place because they trust Coastal to forge good partnerships in the community. Because Coastal chooses to support Book Harvest, their members also feel good about making that choice. Why do YOU choose to run a book drive for Book Harvest, and how can you share that with your contacts?
How can you run a successful book drive for Dream Big? Follow Drew’s tips: communication, visibility, and sharing why YOU choose to support Book Harvest! Visit our book drive toolkit to see the five easy steps and access all the tools you need, including downloadable graphics and template language. There are so many great places to run a book drive: your workplace, school, neighborhood, congregation, service group, sports team, and gym are just a few possibilities. Once you’ve selected the spot for your book drive, don’t forget to complete the registration on the toolkit so we can add your book drive to our Dream Big list!