Need ideas on aquiring used books

[Conway733]

My Relay for Life team decided to have a book sale fundraiser. I've gathered some books from friends and family. Does anyone have any ideas on where I could get more used books?

 

[johnsontrio]

Try contacting Scout Leaders for Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts, perhaps even get an Eagle Scout candidate on board for their Eagle Scout Project.

You could also contact the Catholic High School in your area, they are always looking for service projects and ways to contribute.

You might also pass out flyers like they do around here for bottle drives. Usually they put a flyer in your door telling you about the project and then tell you what day they will be back to collect the items, cans, bottles, clothing, in your case books. Instruct the folks to put them out on a Saturday morning by 9am or so in a brown paper bag.

Great idea...Good luck.

 

[Rora]

Some libraries have old books for sale that are pretty cheap! Check there. If not, maybe some cheap books on eBay?

Good luck!

 

[Sandy321]

Do you have a village hall? A local tv station? We do - and its easy to contact the head of the tv station to scroll, or add a page for donations for a non profit -

also maybe asking your child's school, or superintendent if you can put up fliers?

 

[Feralpeg]

Put notes in mail boxes in various neighborhoods. Tell them that you will be coming around to collect used books that people want to get rid of on a particular day. Tell them to stack them on their porch and you will pick them up. Just to be on the safe side, put a coupon on the note that they can put on top of the books so that you don't pick up something you shouldn't. We did this with used DVDs for a charity and it worked out very well.

 

[Conway733]

Thanks for the ideas!

 

[golfgal]

I think if you get the word out you will find that you will have more donations then you know what to do with. Put up fliers, ask to see if you can send something home with the local schools, clubs, etc.

 

[Rafiki31]

Put an add on Craigslist, and offer to pick them up. We just boxed up and donated a TON of books to a fundraising group in my city that put a large add in the newspaper, so maybe you could try that?

 

[barkley]

if you have any senior centers or assisted living type places give them a call.

my mom and mil live in a senior apartment type complex and they constantly get donations of used books-so much so that the managers routinely go through the "library" and donate books to charity to make space for the new donations.

if you have any used bookstores in the area you might give them a try as well-a friend owns one and she sez there's a certain percentage of books that she can't buy because they either don't move or she's always got plenty of copies on hand. you might be able to make an arrangement where used bookstore owners have a collection bin that people can put the books they can't sell to them into for your charity (my friend routinely directs people with left over books down the street to the library's collection bin).

 

[kaytieeldr]

Any chance you live in the Boston area? I just need some impetus to pack up a lot of books I've already read (some several time).