There are thousands of book access organizations in the U.S. who work hard to get books to kids in need. We know that these organizations face similar hurdles: limited title variety, high book costs, expensive storage, unpredictable shipping, and the expense (and headaches) of supply chain management.
But what if you didn’t have to worry about all that? First Book is building a collective purchasing platform designed to clear these hurdles. The new platform will provide four distinct operational advantages:
1. Expanded Curatorial Control: Private, secure access to a selection of an estimated +1 million titles.
2. Institutional Pricing Power: Even small organizations will benefit from deep discount rates usually reserved for large national buyers.
3. Drastic “Total Cost” Reduction: Collective optimizing of freight and warehousing.
4. Operational Efficiency: A robust infrastructure already built to scale eliminates the need for individual organizations’ tech and logistics support.
The platform will include options based on your needs and timelines:
- For agility (First Book Marketplace): Order 24/7 with no minimums and 5-10 day delivery for immediate, flexible needs.
- For predictability (Monthly Buys): Secure guaranteed quantities with a 3-4 week lead time by joining our monthly PO cycles.
- For speed and volume (Direct Ship): Achieve high efficiency with case-quantity orders with rapid 3-8 day turnaround times. [Note that this option available later than other options.]
- For maximum impact (Custom Buys): Leverage custom First Book print runs to get the lowest possible price point with an upfront commitment.
- For support and control (Bulk Buys): Customized curation support and guaranteed quantities with a 3-month lead time.
Together, we can reach more kids with great books and truly make an impact on their lives.
Presenters: Kyle Zimmer and Kelly Griffin
Kyle Zimmer is the Co-founder, President, and CEO of First Book, a national nonprofit dedicated to furthering educational opportunities for children in under-resourced communities across the U.S. Kyle and her team created First Book as a nonprofit social enterprise, using business principles from the for-profit sector and applying them to the social sector. First Book currently serves 6.5 million children annually, through its online community of more than 600,000 adults working in the lives of kids in need – teachers, community program leaders, fellow nonprofits, and volunteers. By aggregating the knowledge and influence of these dedicated educators, First Book removes barriers to learning and uses market leverage to increase access to affordable and free books and a wide range of educational resources, including innovative educational programming through its new digital Community Platform. To date, First Book has distributed over 250 million books and resources, and is currently scaling to serve 1 million more educators and 27 million children annually.
Kyle is a Fellow with the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship, a sister program of the World Economic Forum. Kyle also serves on the board of Dr. Seuss Enterprises, L.P., and on the Library of Congress Literacy Awards Advisory Board. Kyle and First Book have received awards from the Library of Congress, the National Book Foundation, the National Education Association Foundation, the Authors Guild, the Yale School of Management, the Goldman Sachs Foundation, and others. An attorney, Kyle received her J.D. from The George Washington University Law School.
Kelly Griffin, Vice President of Nonprofit Partnerships at First Book
Griffin has led dozens of complex organizations in navigating significant strategy and culture shifts. As Vice President of Nonprofit Partnerships at First Book, she builds strategic relationships with a broad spectrum of nonprofit entities - from national organizations to community organizations, libraries, early childhood centers, faith-based entities, and health clinics - to ensure that every partner can better achieve its core objectives.
Before coming to First Book, Griffin was an independent strategy consultant guiding organizations with missions like ending hunger, correcting policing inequity, and improving workforce development. She previously held strategy positions at the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), KABOOM!, AmeriCorps, and AARP. She is the author of “Solve, Not Serve: What Other Nonprofit Management Books Won’t Tell You” (New Degree Press 2022), an International Association of Facilitators-Endorsed Facilitator, and a certified executive coach.
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