Get on Board: Things To Do
Get Ready for the Borders 2007 Holiday Campaign! The 2007 holiday season is upon us and we are thrilled to announce the third annual Borders holiday-giving campaign!
This year's campaign will begin November 1, 2007, and run through December 24, 2007. In the coming weeks, we will be posting materials to the Online Resource Center, sending emails with campaign details and ideas, and hosting a conference call opportunity for new Advisory Boards to learn more about our partnership with Borders and the possibilities offered by this campaign.(Read More)
A New First Book Catalog Option: The First Book Marketplace!
First Book is excited to announce that for the first time, Advisory Board Recipient Groups will be able to use their catalog funds to order books from the First Book Marketplace if they so choose. As of November 1st, all Advisory Board Recipient Groups will be able to order books from the First Book Marketplace as a complementary offering to the catalogs already provided by Random House, Scholastic, and our other publishing partners. Note, this will not change the $500 limit that is placed on Marketplace orders placed by the Advisory Boards, but instead will allow the Recipient Groups to order directly from the Marketplace using catalog funds if they wish. If you have any questions about this change, please get in touch with your Community Development contact.
Food for Thought: Things to Know
ABs in Shape Summer Promotion winners announced. Thank you to all Boards who stayed active over the summer and participated in the ABs in Shape summer promotion. Each Community Development Manager tallied up the totals for the Boards in their region for fundraising and catalog book granting. Congratulations to the winning Boards who each received a donation of several Borders gift cards to grant to local Recipient Groups of their choice. For a full list of winners, click here.
First Book completes review of Cheerios Spoonful of Stories Children's Book Contest entries. The Cheerios Spoonful of Stories Children's Book Contest came to a close on September 7, 2007. Nearly 1,000 stories were submitted online by aspiring children's book authors from all over the country. The winner of the contest will have their book reviewed for a potential book deal with Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing and Cheerios will provide cash prizes to the top three finalists. (Read More)
FBU Heads to the Home of "The Boss" Members from nine First Book Advisory Boards drove great distances and battled Jersey traffic to attend the First Book University - Jersey City Seminar on September 24th. They were welcomed by Bruce Springsteen on the iPod along with First Book staff members.
There was a great level of enthusiasm throughout the day as volunteers asked many questions and garnered ideas from one another. They learned - or reviewed - some of the basics about First Book through a lively game of Jeopardy, exchanged ideas on recruiting and retaining quality members, and participated in a book granting party. Participants also chose between two break-out sessions: Tips for Grant Proposal Writing or Partnering with Local Businesses.
Long-time AB member Jean Kammer of First Book-Wayne/Pike helps Andre Morris of First Book-Hudson County walk through a book grant application
Lorenzo Richardson, chair of First Book-Jersey City received a Hero Award for the dedication he has shown to his community as well as for helping to organize the Seminar.(Read More)
Spotlight of the Month
Spotlight: First Book- Huntingdon County, PA parties with fundraisers galore! First Book- Huntingdon County, PA found a wealth of wonderful members and volunteers to host ten fundraising parties throughout the community to benefit the Advisory Board this past spring and summer. The beauty of these events was that each hostess had the freedom to design their party in a way that best suited their interests and schedule. Party themes included a luncheon, book club, morning walk and breakfast, dessert party, bridge, cocktail party, bridge and dinner party, and book swap.
This year's events raised double the amount of donations than the parties did previously and the Board more than doubled their goal for the year. Hundreds of people contributed to the Advisory Board and over 75% of the individuals were new donors to First Book- Huntingdon County.
First Book sends a special thank you to Kim Richardson and Ellin Jaeger for their tireless efforts to make the events a success. Congratulations, First Book- Huntingdon County for a job well done! Party on!
Help us recognize the accomplishments of individuals and Advisory Boards by nominating your Board - or other members - for a Spotlight Award. Spotlight Awards will be posted on the First Book Blog, included in the ABs-in-Action, and highlighted on the Online Resource Center.
Please use the nomination form on the Online Resource Center to nominate your Advisory Board, your Board's chair, or other Board members. It's a wonderful opportunity to receive national recognition among your First Book peers, and a great way for all of us to say thank you for a job well done!
