DePaul Bookworms Children’s Book Drive

Project Description

Our team participated in a book drive which focused on collecting children’s books donated to underprivileged children in the Chicagoland area. We also had options for individuals to contribute a monetary donation for those who did not have children’s books to donate. For our book drive, we collected the books in a box at our workplaces and used Facebook Marketplace to reach out to a broader audience. The collection box had a flyer with information about our charity, Bernie’s Book Bank. The flyer also contained a code that could be scanned and a secure link that individuals were able use to make a monetary donation. Facebook Marketplace was the best source of used books, and we collected about 3,000 books. Our team also volunteered to help sort and scan the books at the charity’s facility.

Description of Charity

Bernie’s Book Bank is a local organization with headquarters in Lake Bluff, IL. The charity serves the Chicagoland area and supports childhood literacy. Lower-income children do not always have access to books and Bernie’s Book Bank’s mission is to “Enable positive life experiences through books and book ownership.” The children served are infants through sixth grade. Every year, each child served receives a bag containing eight new or gently used books. The organization holds daily events in which volunteers gather and help to sort, scan, sticker, and bag the books. The volunteer sessions are 1.5 hours long and are a wonderful way to directly help the cause. We found the volunteer session to be a fun team-building event that allowed us to get to know each other better while giving back to our communities.

Analysis of Success Measures

Our Team’s goal was to collect a minimum of 250 books and a maximum of 750 books. Our actual book drive collection was close to 3,000 books. The monetary projection was a minimum of $250 and a maximum of $800. The actual monetary donation was $750.

Lessons Learned

Proper delegation allowed for empowerment of team members, increasing collaboration and strong results. An effective communication plan and weekly meetings allowed for timely progress and staying on track. We were able to talk through any problems or obstacles quickly and efficiently. Starting early and planning early alleviated scheduling concerns. We also learned the importance of marketing/awareness and using social media more for monetary donations. Technology (links/codes) not working was a risk we did not consider, but this risk should always be planned for. Testing of technology should be done in advance to ensure everything works properly.

Advice for Future Teams

Starting early and staying organized is what made our project successful. We would advise other teams with a similar project to set up clear communication expectations and hold regular team meetings.

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