During May, the Book Industry Charitable (Binc) Foundation is launching the Campaign to Sustain, a fund-raising initiative that seeks 50 new sustaining donors to provide regular monthly donations to help support Binc's bookseller assistance programs. Those programs help booksellers suffering financial hardships for a range of reasons and assist with, among other things, medical expenses, domestic violence, utility shut-off and homelessness. The average Binc assistance grant is $1,500.
"In 2014, grant requests increased, and we received on average one request for assistance every week," said executive director Pam French. "To continue to meet grant requests, we are focusing on becoming sustainable and expanding our fundraising efforts. Booksellers are like a big, extended family and willing to help each other out. Becoming a sustaining donor is one way for booksellers to ensure help is there when it is needed."
Wanda Jewell, Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance executive director and a sustaining Binc board member, said she is increasing her Binc commitment to $40 a month in celebration of SIBA's 40th anniversary, "and I invite all of you to join me."
Sustaining donations can be made on the Binc donation page. Suggested monthly amounts range from $10 (enough to provide emergency help after a disaster) to $100 (enough to prevent an eviction).