Book'em
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Books for Nashville's Kids
Book'em's Books for Nashville's Kids program provides books for children and teens who do not have any or many age-appropriate books of their own in their homes. We partner with agencies serving children in need and provide books to special events, classrooms, and anywhere the gift of a book can impact a child. Last year, Book’em furnished more than 77,400 books to children and teens through about 100 programs and organizations. Books are collected through in-kind donations from businesses, congregations, organizations and individuals. Some groups conduct book drives on our behalf, while others ask guests to bring books for children and/or teens to their birthday parties or other celebrations. Some people clean off their shelves of like-new books that they are ready to pass on. Book'em greatly appreciates all those who donate books.
When books arrive at our office, they are counted and sorted by age range. Thank you emails are sent to the donors, inventory figures are entered into our database and books are shelved awaiting distribution. Volunteers handle most of these duties. Then, these volunteers and staff also help with preparing books to be distributed based on requests received from agencies, nonprofits, preschools and schools to give to the economically disadvantaged youth that they serve.
Reading Is Fundamental
In late 2006, Reading Is Fundamental Nashville and Book'em merged to better serve children. In 2017-2018, Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) provided 210 volunteers who read to 220 classrooms with students in pre-kindergarten through fourth graders in 13 Title I elementary schools in Metro Nashville Public Schools. Each volunteer reads aloud to and interacts with the students in his/her assigned classroom five times a year (or more). During these visits, they also bring new books for each child, so these children receive five new books for their homes. Each child selects his/her own book from a great variety of age- and reading-level appropriate books. Most of the books include parent reading tip sheets so parents have some guidance on how they can help their children develop a love of reading. For the 2018-2019 school year, several grade levels at four additional schools from our waiting list were added to our RIF program. We're thrilled that our community is involved with RIF to the degree that we were able to add more classrooms this year.
In the past, our RIF program received a matching grant from the national nonprofit, Reading Is Fundamental, to purchase books. This federal funding was eliminated in 2011, but Book'em continues to purchase new books at discounted prices and find the funding necessary to provide these meaningful and needed services.
Ready for Reading
Ready for Reading places reading volunteers in community pre-schools and early learning centers that serve low-income families. Some volunteer readers also read in public schools.
Most volunteers read aloud one-on-one or with a small group of preschoolers about once a week. Volunteers attend an orientation training where they learn how to use the dialogic techniques of reading to preschoolers. Research shows that this interactive method is very successful with this age group. Volunteers can take books from our Books for Nashville's Kids program to give to the children with whom they read. Two years ago Book'em started a pilot program with one of MNPS' early learning centers. Volunteer readers are visiting their assigned classrooms about once a week to read and interact with the children. Additionally, Book'em is providing books for each child four times a year before each vacation break, so the students have books to read at home. This school year, we added another MNPS early learning center to this program, at the request of MNPS.
Read Me Week
Read Me Day is an event highlighting the importance and fun of reading. Book'em partners with a Title I elementary school to be our spotlight school. The Read Me Day committee plans ways to help celebrate reading and books. At the request of MNPS, Book'em coordinated four Read Me Day celebrations during Read Me Week. One school was selected in each of the district's quadrants to host and participate. Book'em is celebrating in four schools again in 2019. The celebrations are taking place over the course of Read Me Month - throughout February and into early March.
During a school-wide assembly program, students showcase their enthusiasm for books and reading. Community members from many different walks of life attend the program then walk to the assigned classroom with the students to read to them. Every student selects a book to take home with them. The community volunteers have the opportunity to share their love of reading and see how excited the students are about reading. The Mayor, Director of Schools, some MNPS Board members, other government officials and many more usually participate in Read Me Week.
Where we work
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Login and updateAwards
Affiliations & memberships
Center for Nonprofit Management Excellence Network 2004
Volunteer Administrator's Network 2007
Metro Nashville Public Schools/Chamber of Commerce Alignment Process 2005
Community Resource Center - Nashville 2004
Hands On Network 2005
CABLE 2004
Alignment Nashville 2005
Tennessee Literacy Coalition 2004
Nashville Area Association for Young Children (NAAYC) 2007
Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce 2015
External reviews
Photos
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Book'em seeks to provide children with books of their own and reading role models to help motivate and excite them about reading. These are important elements to developing literacy skills. Many children do not own any books. Many households have no reading materials in them. We must get more books into the hands of families who need and want them. We must provide children and youth with choices about what they want to read, so they will read. We must also provide role models who love reading and children and will encourage them and model great reading to them.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Book'em provides thousands of books to children and youth in Nashville, TN who need them. In 2017, we distributed about 77,000 books. We also provide reading role models for elementary and preschool classrooms. In 2017, about 230 adults shared their love of reading with about 4,000 economically disadvantaged students.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Book'em has a strong reputation and record for success in our community. We are lean, efficient and targeted with our resources. We continue to meet more of the need in the community each year by providing more books and reading role models where they are needed. We build strong partnerships with others in the community who are also working toward helping children develop their literacy skills.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
In 2010, Book'em distributed 34,500 books. In 2017, we distributed 77,000 books. In 2010, we provided about 110 reading role models. In 2017, that figure was 230. We've expanded our programs at the request of our community. We work closely with our partners to fill gaps. We remain lean with only 1 full-time employee and 3 part-time employees. We are committed to providing more books and reading role models in the future because that is what our community is asking us to do.
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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Book'em
Board of directorsas of 10/18/2019
Mr. Scott Craddock
CoreCivic
Term: 2019 - 2020
Cindee Gold
Community Volunteer
Mark Claypool
ChanceLight Behavioral Health & Education
Robin Born
Community Volunteer
Amanda Reinbold
McNeely, Pigott & Fox Public Relations
Ralph Thompson
ChanceLight Behavioral Health & Education
Chris Boyd
The Fowler Group of Raymond James
Jacquese Groves
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Drew Smith
Oracle
Jennifer Chalos
Jennifer Mason Chalos Consulting
Mary Ferrara
HCA
Nathan Webb
Belmont University
Mary Doctor
Table Group Consulting
Scott Craddock
CCA
Lynsey Roberts
Kraft CPAs
Sharon Michie
Rotary Club of Nashville
Joyce Fox
Community Volunteer Retired
Katlin Pendleton
HCA
Sanju Pratap
MyHealthDirect
Lindsay Bryant
Smith Seckman Reid (YLC Intern)
Michael Sheridan
Quovant
Robert Martin
Meridian Law