Book Industry Charitable Foundation (Binc) has raised more than $224,000 in gifts and multi-year pledges from the Big Five publishers and Ingram Content Group, this year. The tally surpasses 2016's total fundraising of $125,000, and brings Binc closer to its stated goal for 2017, of raising $500,000.
The non-profit organization, based in Ann Arbor, Mich., provides financial assistance to booksellers needing help with medical, personal, housing and other issues. Binc also offers a higher education scholarship for booksellers and their families.
In August 2016, Binc appointed Ann Patchett and James Patterson as its first "ambassadors" and credits the two authors with prompting their respective publishers, HarperCollins and Hachette Book Group, to "pledge generous support." The contributions from HC and HBG were followed by pledges from Penguin Random House, Macmillan and Simon & Schuster.
The support of the publishing community is psychologically ratifying, said Patchett. “So often in booksellers’ lives a true disaster can be averted by the gift of a couple thousand dollars. It’s a small amount of money that can keep people in their jobs and in their homes. ... We’re telling the booksellers, ‘We’re there for you. You matter to us.’ By joining the campaign, publishers are saying the same thing. We’re incredibly grateful for this support.”
All five CEO's at the Big Five voiced their support for Binc. The statement by Brian Murray, president and CEO of HarperCollins, summed up the prevailing sentiment. "The people who work as professional booksellers in the nation's bookstores are critical players in connecting our authors to their readers," Murray said. "By supporting Binc, HarperCollins is proud to be able to play a part in supporting this important community in times of need.”
On May 1, Binc launched a new fundraising campaign. The "Campaign to Sustain" aims to attract 80 "sustaining donors" who would each give $20 a month, bringing in $19,200.
