Questions & Answers
What’s a social venture?
A social venture is a kind of business model where success is measured by the positive impact it makes in the world; specifically in addressing a social issue. At Helping Hands Books, it’s all about youth development. Social ventures harness the power of capitalism to generate a “social profit”- which is the portion of sales that ends up benefiting our non-profit youth development agencies.
How does a book drive work?
Once you’ve chosen a youth program in your community, or one of our featured youth programs, a book drive has 5 Simple Stages:
- Get people involved: Try and team up with another group or organization. The more people you have on board, the better!
- Organize the drive: Hold a meeting to delegate drive activities.
- Promote the drive: Spread the word! Create a Facebook event, make an announcement in the school paper, post flyers, etc.
- Collect books and media items: Place collection boxes in strategic areas on campus (i.e., library, bookstore, student union, dormitories) at least a week before finals begin.
- Pack and Unload: Pack up books and call us to come and pick them up!
How much does Helping Hands Books pay for the books and media items we collect?
Helping Hands Books pays a set amount for all media items (books, CDs, DVDs, video games and game systems) based on eligibility guidelines. For complete details, contact us for more information.
It states that Helping Hands Books donates 20% of its profits to youth programs. What youth programs benefit, and how are they chosen?
Helping Hands Books will always donate 20% of our profits from sales to youth programs chosen by our fundraising partners (i.e. YOU!). Each and every accepted book and media item collected receives a code. That code tells Helping Hands Books where to send monthly donation checks. Checks are cut and sent out on a monthly basis. A letter is sent with each donation to identify the organization responsible. If a youth program is not selected, Helping Hands Books will send donations to the agencies promoted on our “Featured Youth Programs” page.
What if our organization is a “youth serving organization?”
If your organization serves young people in any way, either domestically or internationally, you will benefit the most from working with us! In essence, your organization will be able to “double-dip.” Helping Hands Books will not only pay you for each eligible book/media item, but will also send the 20% checks directly to your organization.
Can Libraries run book-drives?
Absolutely! We all know how much libraries contribute to the youth in their communities. As with book-drives organized by youth-serving organizations, libraries can “double-dip.” Not only will Helping Hands Books pay you for each eligible book/media item, but also will send the 20% commission checks directly to your library.
What kinds of books and media items would generate the most money for youth programs?
In general, academic textbooks and study guides have the capability of generating the most money for youth programs. Most of the textbooks we receive are used copies that campus bookstores refused to buy back from students. Recent fiction, children’s books, and books on CD do well also. We also accept used CDs, DVDs, and video games.
What happens to all the collected books and media that do not meet acceptance guidelines?
Regarding the books and media items you collect that do not meet our acceptance guidelines, there are a few options. 1) We can give them back to you, so that you can hold a “book sale” or donate them somewhere, or 2) You can ask us to do something with them. If you’d rather let us deal with the rejected items you collected, we will donate them to good causes locally, send books to Books For Africa, or simply recycle them.
How long after our book drive finishes, do we get paid for the books and media items collected?
It takes a while to inspect everything that’s been collected, figure out what we can use, clean up and organize. With that said, we guarantee you’ll receive payment in 30 days or less. Most likely, 2-3 weeks.
How do I know how much money is generated for the selected youth program?
Every month we will send a check to your selected youth program. That check will represent 20% of the profits from everything sold that you have collected. In the envelope will be information about Helping Hands Books, as well as an acknowledgment that your organization is to thank for the donation. In addition, we will email you with monthly updates regarding our donations. The youth program you sponsor will receive monthly checks as long as there are items left to sell.
