Most library fundraisers ask your community to buy something — a book off a table, an item from a catalog, a raffle ticket. A Read-A-Thon asks people to do the one thing your library already exists to encourage: read. Readers log the minutes they spend reading, and their family and friends sponsor that reading with online donations. The more your community reads, the more your library raises.
That makes it the rare fundraiser that advances your mission while it funds your budget. There are no boxes in the back room, no order forms going home in backpacks, and no cash drawer to reconcile. Whether you are stocking a school library's shelves, supporting a public library's programs, or backing a literacy nonprofit, the activity is the same — and it is one your readers actually want to take part in.
Built for every kind of reading community
A Read-A-Thon is not just for K–8 schools. It fits anywhere people read — and each kind of reading community has a dedicated guide that tunes the model to its setting.
School libraries
Fund the collection, replace worn titles, and build reading habits in the same campaign — without competing with the PTO's other fundraisers. School library fundraising →
Classroom libraries
A single teacher can stock their own shelves with the same model — students read, families sponsor, and the room keeps 75–80% with nothing to buy up front. Classroom library fundraising →
Public libraries
Raise for programs, materials, and events with online donations that reach your whole community, not just families who can visit in person. Public library fundraising →
Friends of the Library groups
A low-lift fundraiser for volunteer-led groups. No shifts to staff, no inventory to store — setup takes about ten minutes. Friends of the Library fundraising →
Literacy nonprofits
A campaign that advances your mission, not just your budget. The fundraising activity is the very thing your organization exists to grow. Literacy nonprofit fundraising →
Summer reading programs
Fund the program that fights the summer slide while it runs — entirely online, for a season when no one is in the building. Summer reading program fundraising →
Why a reading fundraiser is the natural fit for a library
Most fundraisers ask a library to step outside its purpose — sell a product, run a raffle, staff a sale. A reading campaign does the opposite: the activity that raises the money is the exact thing your library exists to grow. Every minute a reader logs is both a donation earned and a reader reading.
Three things make the fit unusually clean for a library specifically:
- The mission is the method. You are not pulling your community away from reading in order to fund reading — the fundraiser is reading. Nothing you do for the money works against the outcome you care about.
- There is nothing to sell. No catalog, no inventory, no boxes in the back room, and no cash or checks to reconcile. Donations arrive online, which suits a small library staff or a volunteer board with no warehouse behind it.
- Your library keeps 75–80% in cash. With no publisher split and no product to buy down, the large majority of every donation comes back as flexible cash you direct wherever the need is greatest.
That combination — mission-aligned, product-free, and high-margin — is why a reading campaign anchors more library budgets than any book sale.
Up and running in 10 minutes
No contracts, no minimums, no boxes in the back room.
1. Sign up free
Create your library's page in a few clicks. Our team sets up your main fundraiser and hands you the dashboards — no credit card, no setup fee.
2. Readers log minutes
Readers pick what they read and track minutes — not pages — so every reader can take part and succeed, from kindergarten to adult patrons.
3. Donations roll in
Family and friends donate online from anywhere. We handle payment processing; you watch the totals climb in real time on your dashboard.
No upsells, no add-ons
Here is what you get from day one, at no extra cost:
- Printed flyers & posters
- Pre-written emails
- Real-time dashboards
- Payment processing
- Online prize store
- Hands-on support team
- Mobile sharing tools
- Disney trip giveaway
Match the fundraiser to your library: margin vs. volunteer effort
Every library fundraiser trades off on two things that matter more than any other: how much of each dollar you keep, and how many volunteer hours it costs to run. Score your options on both, pick the best as your main event, then add at most one low-effort supporter alongside it — not five things at once.
| Approach | Margin kept | Volunteer effort | Best as |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading campaign (Read-A-Thon) | 75–80% | Very low | Main event |
| Online auction or gala | High, minus item cost | Moderate (sourcing) | Supporter |
| Direct giving day | Nearly all | Low | Supporter |
| Traditional book sale | Most of a low total | High (sort, haul, staff) | Tradition, not workhorse |
| Book fair / catalog | 40–50% | High | Only if you love it |
The pattern that holds up: one high-margin, low-effort main event, plus one passive supporter that catches dollars the main event misses. For the full menu grouped by type, see our library fundraising ideas guide. If you are weighing whether to keep your book fair at all, our book fair alternatives comparison ranks the swaps by exactly these two numbers.
Library fundraising ideas that actually work
Start with the Read-A-Thon as your anchor, then layer on ideas that fit your community.
1. Run a Read-A-Thon as your main event
The highest-leverage idea on the list: readers log minutes, sponsors donate online, and your library keeps 75–80% in cash. It needs no inventory and sets up in about ten minutes — everything else here works best layered on top of it.
2. Add a reading challenge with a class or branch goal
Give readers a shared target — total minutes, books, or genres explored — and a visible progress tracker. Challenges turn a fundraiser into an event the whole community rallies around. See reading challenge ideas →
3. Offer reading incentives and rewards
Small milestone rewards keep readers motivated through the full two weeks. In a Read-A-Thon, readers earn store credit they redeem in an online prize store, so you never handle the prizes yourself. See reading incentive programs →
4. Pair it with an online auction or gala
Auction donated books, author experiences, or local gift baskets alongside your reading campaign. It keeps the spirit of a book fair without the boxes. Run a free online auction on 32auctions →
5. Tie it to a reading holiday
Anchor your campaign to Read Across America, National Reading Month, or a summer reading kickoff. A built-in theme and date make the fundraiser easier to promote and easier for families to remember.
6. Sponsor a "fund a shelf" or named-book program
Let donors fund a specific shelf, subject, or set of titles and recognize them on a plaque or digital wall. It pairs naturally with the donation totals a Read-A-Thon already collects.
Want the full list? Our library fundraising ideas guide ranks 25+ ideas by effort and payout, for both school and public libraries.
More cash kept. More readers reached
- 75–80% kept by your library, in cash
- 5,000+ schools and groups served
- $150M+ raised to date across communities
Three things drive the result. The profit share is high because there is no publisher split and no products to buy down — donations come in and your library keeps the large majority in cash. Participation is high because tracking minutes instead of pages means every reader can take part, regardless of reading level or budget. And reach is wide because donations happen online, so a grandparent three states away can sponsor a reader as easily as a parent down the street.
Choose how you want to earn, then get started
No contracts. Switch anytime.
We handle the prizes — 75%
- 75% of donations go to your library in cash
- Readers earn store credit for our online prize store
- We ship and manage all prizes
- Full dashboards, reports & messaging
You handle the prizes — 80%
- 80% of donations go to your library in cash
- You choose and sponsor reader rewards
- Best for libraries with sponsor connections
- Full dashboards, reports & messaging
Not sure which fits? Most libraries start on the 75% plan so we handle the prizes, then switch once they line up their own sponsors — there is no contract either way. Setup takes about ten minutes, there is no credit card and no setup fee, and you can run the same campaign again every year. Start for free and have your library's page ready today.