This online fundraising idea is a great way to engage your supporters and to potentially introduce your cause to a new audience. It’s a natural way to leverage an activity many are already engaged in and encourages a sense of community.
What is a Book Challenge?
A book challenge encourages reading and celebrates the love of reading. This can include the number of books read or different genres and themes explored. Participating in a reading challenge not only promotes literacy and a love of books but also provides an opportunity to raise funds. And by using a nonprofit fudraising platform with a-thon functionality, tracking both the reading and donations is a simple process!
Why a Fundraising Reading Challenge?
How to Set Up a Successful Reading Challenge
Define Your Challenge Goals
Decide on the structure of the book challenge. Will participants be asked to read a certain number of books? Or maybe read outside of their comfort zone and try new genres? Perhaps you want participants to choose a theme and sample a selection of titles. Maybe you want to track progress simply by the number of pages read.
Whatever you decide, don’t limit yourself! Challenges can be even more engaging if goals vary, such as “Read 10 Books in 10 Weeks” or “Complete the Mystery Genre Challenge.” It’s also a good idea to provide a reading list to inspire readers and give structure to the event.
Create a Tracking System
Tracking is essential for accountability and motivation in a reading challenge. An online platform with a-thon capabilities will allow participants to log their progress individually. Meanwhile, sponsors or supporters can follow along. You can even use your platform to incentivize participants with leaderboards and badges.
Encourage Friendly Competition
Divide participants into teams or age groups for a friendly competition that promotes a sense of community and belonging. Whether it’s families versus families, students versus teachers, book clubs versus book clubs, or modern rom com readers versus historical romance readers, everyone can find their place in this inclusive event. A platform with leaderboards lets readers see how they stack up, motivating them to keep pushing.
Fundraising Through Your Book Challenge
Participants’ reading goals are directly linked to donations in a fundraising reading challenge. They gather support from sponsors who pledge money based on specific reading milestones.
Supporters can contribute in several ways—they might pledge a donation for each book read, each page completed, or based on overall milestones achieved. An online fundraising platform simplifies this process by allowing sponsors to choose their preferred contribution method and setting up automated donation structures. With user-friendly tracking features, participants and sponsors can stay engaged, knowing that every page read contributes to a meaningful cause.
Mix It Up With Themes
Wrap-Up and Celebrate Accomplishments
Fundraising Through Your Book Challenge
Use Social Media for Updates and Engagement
Email Campaigns to Build Early Support
Partner with Local Schools, Libraries, and Bookstores
Local schools, libraries, and bookstores can be great partners for your book challenge. They might help you spread the word, host events, or display your custom printed posters, flyers and postcards. If you distribute printed marketing materials, be sure to include a QR code that directs people to where they can sign up!
Set Up a Dedicated Challenge Page
Encourage Friendly Competition
Celebrate Progress and Success
Book Challenge Ideas
- Genre Explorer Challenge: Read books across different genres within a set timeframe.
- Read Around the World: Choose books set in different countries or written by international authors.
- Classics Revisited: Read classics that align with themes (e.g., “Japanese Classics” or “The Victorian Era”).
- Series Sprint: Challenge readers to complete a book series, like Leigh Bardugo’s Shadow and Bone Trilogy, Loretta Chase’s Dressmaker Series, or Stephen King’s Bill Hodges Trilogy.
- Read for a Cause Challenge: Choose books related to your nonprofit’s cause or a social issue important to your school’s students.
- Decades Challenge: Read one book from each decade, like the 1920s, 1930s, etc.
- Diverse Voices Challenge: Focus on books by authors from various backgrounds, such as Louise Erdrich, Silvia Moreno-Garcia, and Tomi Adeyemi, highlighting diverse voices in literature.
- Page Count Challenge: Set a collective page goal (e.g., “Read 10,000 pages as a group in December”) or an individual page goal for each participant.
- Short Story Sprint: Challenge readers to complete a set number of short stories, either individually or from a curated anthology.
Hosting a fundraising book challenge is a fantastic way to bring communities together, inspire a love of reading, and raise essential funds for a cause. Whether you’re encouraging readers to step outside their literary comfort zones or rallying them to complete an ambitious page count, a book challenge offers something for everyone.
If you aren’t already using a fundraising platform, consider Eventgroove! We make everything easier, from managing your fundriasing campaigns to engaging supporters. Plus, when you use our platform, you can access our online printing services, making ordering printed marketing materials a snap. Ready to turn the page? Set up your reading fundraiser with Eventgroove!
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