Community Support
Donation Requests
Supporting our community is important to us. We are also a small independent bookstore with a small budget, so here is an honest account of what we can do and how to ask.
Please give us time.
Send your request at least six weeks before you need an answer. If your event is sooner than that we will still read it, but we cannot promise a reply in time.
What we support
Promoting reading in all its forms is one of our core commitments, and the requests we can say yes to are usually the ones doing the same work. We support reading in every format it comes in, from print to ebooks to audiobooks, along with the libraries, programs and communities that carry it.
In practice that means schools, libraries, literacy programs and community organizations in Cortland, Skaneateles and the towns around them.
If your cause sits a little outside reading and literacy but shares what we care about, send it anyway and tell us how you see the connection.
What we care about
Our mission and values are what we weigh a request against:
- Promoting reading in all its forms, and supporting the people, programs and organizations that do the same
- Intellectual freedom. We reject the banning of books in any form, and we stand for the free exchange of ideas and access to every kind of literature
- Community. We are a gathering place for book lovers of all ages and a supporter of local culture
- Discovery. We want our shelves to spark curiosity, fire the imagination, and give people something worth sharing
- Fun. Reading should be a joy, and we would rather share that joy than lecture anyone about it
- Championing women in books, in the arts, and in our community
- Inclusivity, diversity and equity. We work to be a safe and welcoming space for everyone, to amplify voices and stories from underrepresented and marginalized communities, and to push for equity and justice through the books we carry, the events we host, and the way we show up here
What we can usually offer
- Books for a classroom, a prize, a raffle basket or a giveaway
- A gift card to the shop
- Support for an event with a clear reading or literacy angle
- Help spreading the word to our customers and on our social media
What we usually cannot
We turn down many good causes every year, simply because we cannot fund them all. A no from us is about our budget and our size, not a judgement of your work.
- Requests from outside Central New York
- Large monetary donations. Our giving budget is small and most of it goes out as books
- Ongoing or recurring commitments
- Requests arriving with only a week or two of notice
- Political campaigns, and causes that work against the values above
How requests are reviewed
Requests go to the owners and are reviewed in batches rather than one at a time, so that we can weigh them against each other and against what is left in the budget. We aim to reply within three weeks.
We ask for your organization's tax ID number (EIN) in the form. We need it to record the contribution properly on our end, and it is much easier to collect now than to chase later. If you do not have one, say so in the form and send the request anyway.
Request a donation
Tell us what you are working on and what would help. Fields marked * are required.