POP PROJECT
Because everyone deserves a good book.
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
The POP Project works to make sure no book goes without a home, goes unread, sits on a shelf and collects dust, and that all of the books with which we are entrusted are used for constructive, personal expansion.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Ongoing Book Giving
The POP Project collects secondhand books to redistribute within communities in Western North Carolina and across the Southeast. Our main focus is to further the cause of literacy and all the wonderful opportunities that it provides. We believe that making books available to everyone enables people to become more involved citizens, better informed, and lead them to living more fulfilled lives, both privately and in public.
We work to assist local WNC charities and organizations whose efforts focus on literacy development or whose clients and members would benefit from a greater access to books. POP donates books of all literacy levels to schools and educational programs, shelters, housing communities, churches, nonprofit organizations, and inmates in local and state corrections systems. Some of our books go to schools and children. Others go to prisons. We feel that persons behind bars can still be valuable assets to a community, and helping prisoners become more literate is an essential step.
Where we work
External reviews
Photos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of books distributed
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Ongoing Book Giving
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
The POP Project recognizes the strong correlations between access to books, long-term literacy levels, educational and professional success, and susceptibility to entering the corrections system. Our giving programs provide books of all literacy levels to low-income children's schools and programs, shelters, housing communities, churches, nonprofit organizations, food pantries, veterans programs, and inmates in local and state corrections systems. Each year, our free deliveries provide access to books for low income individuals from children to adults, including current and past offenders. Our goal is to continue to increase book giving, and thereby a greater access to books, to those with low rates of literacy in order to make sure no book goes without a home, goes unread, sits on a shelf and collects dust, and that all of the books we are entrusted with are used for constructive, personal expansion.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Our giving programs provide books of all literacy levels to low-income children's schools and programs, shelters, housing communities, churches, nonprofit organizations, and inmates in local and state corrections systems. In order to ensure maximum impact, we aim to increase our giving by 10% each year, thereby also increasing access to books for these populations. We also partner with new agencies each year in order to branch out our area of impact at a sustainable rate.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
The POP Project is committed to growing and expanding at a rate that is sustainable for an organization of our size and with our limited budget and resources. As a young organization, we find that a 10% annual increase in giving is sustainable over the next few years. After that, we will reevaluate based on our budget, volunteer and staff size, and the needs of our target populations.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Working with the AFD on 2 LFLs: POP was excited to add two more official Little Free Libraries to the Buncombe County community in 2018. We worked in conjunction with the Asheville Fire Department to install library boxes at AFD Station 2 in the Southside community and AFD Station 5 on Hendersonville Road. Located next to bus stops, they allow readers of all ages to grab something on the go.
Coordinating 2 Stellar Days of Impact Deliveries: Over two afternoons in April and October, groups of corporate volunteers helped POP sort, count, pack, and deliver more than $8,200 of books to agencies around Asheville and Buncombe County—all in a matter of hours. That’s more than 25% of our annual total deliveries!
Expanding Our Services to Include Comics: Comic books and graphic novels can be an important stepping stone in both early childhood and later-in-life literacy. Last spring, we decided that our storage and volunteer capacities now allow us to actively pursue donations of comic books and graphic novels. And what better day to kick off the initiative than Free Comic Book Day (May 5)!
Holding Rethink Ink at The Hop: What’s better than an evening of books and ice cream? In August, The Hop graciously hosted our most recent Rethink Ink book sale fundraiser at their Merrimon Avenue location. Five tables of books were available for purchase, most for $1 and up, and both The Hop and Spellbound Children’s Bookshop donated a share of proceeds for the evening. In total, we raised more than $400!
Connecting Students across Schools: This fall, the POP Project worked with the media coordinators of Hall Fletcher and Oakley Elementary schools in Asheville on a truly innovative idea. POP purchased four cases of Ghost (a 2016 National Book Award Finalist for Young People’s Literature) for the fifth graders at the two schools! The media coordinators passed out the books to their students, and the two schools Skyped with each other to discuss what they thought of the book!
Participating in Asheville’s Give!Local Online Fundraiser: POP was one of 40 nonprofits selected for the fourth annual Mountain Xpress online fundraising program. Thanks to tremendous support, POP raised $1,000 over 60 days, which helps us kick off 2019 on the right foot!
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
POP PROJECT
Board of directorsas of 02/14/2024
Mr. James MacKenzie
The POP Project
Ms. Leslie Hawkins
The POP Project
Rosanna Mulcahy
Joanna Bolick
Lisa Stokes
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? No -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Not applicable -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? No
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
The organization's co-leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data