Binc Announces the 2018 Share the Good Campaign

The Book Industry Charitable (Binc) Foundation kicked off its spring fundraising drive on Sunday, April 1, with the Share the Good campaign, which encourages monthly sustaining donations by sharing the stories of book people who help and have been helped by the organization.

Throughout the month of April, Binc will share stories of booksellers who received assistance after life-changing events, from natural disasters to medical emergencies. Binc will also share messages from current supporters explaining why it’s important to maintain a safety net for booksellers. The goal of the campaign is to encourage 50 booklovers from across the country to become Binc monthly sustaining donors.

“Sharing these stories is important because they illustrate how book people are really helping each other,” said Pamela French, Binc’s executive director. “But more importantly, these stories show how critical it is to have a place to turn when life throws you a curve ball.”

One book industry veteran of more than 40 years is among those whose stories will be told during Share the Good:

“In my 47-year career in the book business, I never asked for anything in return. Simply being around books, and in the culture of books, was the reward in itself. But sometimes life throws painful challenges in our path that we could never anticipate. This is what happened to me.

“And it’s because of indie booksellers such as yourselves who donate money to Binc — even when times are toughest — that I received the crucial help I needed after my surgery. My gratitude for all of you good people is beyond measure. I have been deeply humbled, and I promise you that when I am able, I will pay it forward.”

Established in 1996 by booksellers, the Binc Foundation has provided more than $6.5 million in financial assistance and scholarships to more than 7,300 families since its inception.

Binc continues to accept individual gifts directly and through payroll deduction, but the focus of Binc’s Share the Good campaign is to increase participation in the sustaining donor program.

“We depend on our sustaining donors to keep the bookseller’s safety net strong. Current sustaining donors help two booksellers through emergencies every month of the year,” French said. “The aim of the Share the Good campaign is to increase the strength of the safety net so we can help even more booksellers each month.”

Booksellers from sustaining donor bookstore Page 158 Books in Wake Forest, North Carolina, shared why they “Think Binc” in a video the foundation released as part of the Share the Good kickoff.

“Binc is a safety net, ultimately, for small and independent bookstores like our own,” said Brian, a bookseller at Page 158. “Let’s face it: in the world of small bookstores, you never know what’s going to happen.”

Support for the foundation’s programs and services comes from all sectors of the book industry. Become a sustaining donor today.