Macy's Be Book Smart campaign raises $4.9M for Reading Is Fundamental

Reading Is Fundamental, the nation’s largest children’s literacy nonprofit, recently announced that its Be Book Smart campaign with Macy's raised nearly $5 million. Not too shabby!

From June 24 to July 31, Macy's customers nationwide, including at the retailer's King of Prussia store, had the option of donating $3 through the Be Book Smart campaign to provide a book for a child, and Macy’s matched 100 percent of every $3 donation to RIF for a total donation of $4.9 million. The organizations partnered with the goal of giving 1 million books to children in need.

In the Philadelphia area, the campaign will directly provide free and new books for children served by the RIF program at Philadelphia Reads.

This is the third consecutive year Macy's and its customers have supported RIF.

“RIF is overwhelmed by the generous support of Macy’s and the millions of customers who shopped during the Be Book Smart campaign,” said Carol H. Rasco, president and CEO of RIF. “As we look to our future, we are pleased to call Macy’s our partner and appreciate their ongoing commitment to RIF and our efforts to improve children’s literacy in the United States.”

Earlier this year, federal funding for RIF was eliminated from the budget, which accounts for 80 percent of the organization’s overall operating budget, or $25 million. Macy’s annual campaign offered a timely opportunity to help increase private funding for the organization while giving back to local communities.

“Giving back to local communities is a cornerstone of our business,” said Martine Reardon, executive vice president of marketing for Macy’s. “Reading Is Fundamental has a long history of inspiring children to read and achieve by providing books to own at home. Macy’s passionately supports children’s literacy, and we thank our customers for adding their generous contribution to the RIF organization.”

Since 2004, RIF’s partnership with Macy’s has raised nearly $21 million to support children’s literacy through customer-supported fundraising campaigns, in-store events, and volunteer activities. Last year, Macy’s supported RIF programs that provided 3.6 million free books to more than 1.2 million children and donated 350 multicultural book collections to RIF programs throughout the country.

Reading Is Fundamental, Inc. (RIF), founded in 1966, motivates children to read by working with them, their parents, and community members to make reading a fun and beneficial part of everyday life. RIF’s highest priority is reaching underserved children from birth to age 8. Through community volunteers in every state and U.S. territory, RIF provided 4 million children with 15 million new, free books and literacy resources last year. For more information and to access reading resources, visit www.rif.org. Make a donation directly to RIF by clicking here.