What They Needed

Bookspring is a non-profit organization in Austin, Texas, (formerly Reading is Fundamental of Austin). Their primary focus is to combat illiteracy by getting books into the hands of children, most of them from low income families who don't have access to books in their homes. Like so many non-profits, Bookspring requires public funding and community participation. To make that happen they need awareness. Bookspring has a huge impact on illiteracy which has an even bigger impact on our society and combating the negative effects that illiteracy creates in the community.

What We Did

Our first step was to tell their story. With the help of volunteers from area schools, a dozen children were brought together and a video entitled "Without Books" was produced to highlight the alarming statistics that show the close connection between crime and illiteracy. Prominent community leaders including the Austin Chief of Police, The Travis County Sherriff, The Austin School District Superintendent and a state representative helped tell the narrative from first hand experience. This concept was then edited into a 30 second Public Service Announcement to promote The Read-A-Thon, their annual fundraiser. Austin's NBC affiliate KXAN-TV generously donated over 100 airings of the spot.

To continue this momentum S Collective designed and produced rich email marketing campaigns for Bookspring's community & volunteer engagement. Each week the email newsletter goes out to their extensive mailing list to highlight important events in the community, government, and in schools. The newsletter features prominent "Calls to Action" to encourage donations and ask the community to get involved.

The Result

Bookspring & S Collective continue to collaborate in order to help remove illiteracy from the Greater Austin Area. We maintain all digital, design & technology needs and have now rebuilt the organization's entire web platform.