Bookshop.org, the online bookstore that supports independent bookshops, has launched a resource pack for charities and NGOs (available here), encouraging them to become affiliates and start fundraising with every direct book sale.
Bookshop.org’s model is all about giving back to everyone who supports book culture. As well as authors, influencers and media organisations, charities too can become Bookshop.org affiliates and earn an industry-leading 10% whenever someone buys a book from their shopfront, with a matching 10% going to the independent bookshops affiliated with Bookshop.org.
Joining Bookshop.org’s affiliate programme is free, quick and easy to do. By selling books on Bookshop.org through their affiliate links, charities can add an extra source of fundraising, while supporting Bookshop.org’s 600 and more affiliate bookshops.
Charities that are already Bookshop.org affiliates include literacy charities (such as The Reading Agency, Centre for Literacy in Primary Education, The National Literacy Trust, World Book Day and Empathy Lab), nature and environmental groups (The Shark Trust, Bumblebee Conservation Trust, Bat Conservation Trust), social justice movements (Global Justice Now, Refugee Support) and organisations that use books to support the poorest and most vulnerable members of our society (Give A Book, Bookbanks, ShelterBox).
On their dedicated storefront, charities are also able to share information about their work & mission and links to their website and social media, as well as curate hand-picked booklists of titles that are close to their heart, to raise awareness of their cause. Examples of booklists include: Books That Challenge Gender Stereotypes (Scottish Book Trust), Books For Young Bat Lovers (Bat Conservation Trust) Prison Reading Groups, (Give a Book) and The Authors of Tamesis Street (ShelterBox, featuring books by some of the contributors to the climate change story Tamesis Street).
Bookshop.org has been spearheading a number of fundraising initiatives in partnership with charitable organisations, including Read It Forward with BookTrust and Scottish Book Trust, donating to the two charities 10% from the sale of all children’s books during the month of February. Meanwhile, the Books That Give campaign saw 10% of select Independent Alliance title sales donated to Bookbanks, a charity that provides free books at foodbanks across the UK.
Emily Rhodes, Founding Director at Bookbanks, said: “Partnering with Bookshop.org has been hugely positive, and we’ve loved the ease with which we’ve been able to become part of the Bookshop.org community. We’ve been able to curate and share book lists that reflect our mission at Bookbanks, bringing books to food banks. It’s great to know that sales of books through our affiliate account support us AND independent bookshops.”
Marc Lambert, CEO of Scottish Book Trust, commented: “We’ve really benefited from being a Bookshop.org affiliate, which has featured on our book lists for some time, and also partnering with them for the Read It Forward initiative in February of this year. As well as being able to share lists of books that help to transform lives through reading, it’s great to know that sales of books through our page benefit not only our charity, but also independent bookshops, which all makes an important contribution to reading communities.”
Nicole Vanderbilt, Managing Director of Bookshop.org UK, said: “As a B Corp, our driving purpose is to create public benefit, and have a positive impact on communities, customers, and the planet. That’s why we felt it was important to create a resource pack for charities. When they become affiliates, they can earn 10% of any direct book sales on our platform to put back into in their own efforts – while a further 10% goes to our affiliate bookshops. Through our charitable drives with BookTrust, Bookbanks, the Women’s Prize Trust and more, we’ve seen the tangible impact of our support. Bookshop.org customers buy their books from us because they know that where they spend their money matters, and we want to encourage as many charities as possible to use us as a (further) force for good.”
Readers can support a charity of their choosing if it’s affiliated with Bookshop.org by purchasing books directly from their links, or using their specific Bookshop.org storefront, often found by searching the charity name on the website.
