The Chicago Public Library Foundation (CPLF) is an independent nonprofit that exists to accelerate the potential of our public library by investing in resources that transform lives and communities. Together with its civic-minded partners, CPLF makes pathways to learning, creativity, and civic engagement accessible to Chicagoans of all ages through investment across three funding priorities: Closing the Academic Opportunity Gap; Activating Creativity & Connection; and Bridging the Digital Divide. Find us online at www.cplfoundation.org.

Kicking off on April 18, 2022 and culminating on May 31, 2022, this six-week campaign challenges readers to push their reading habits to the limit. Everyone is encouraged to challenge friends and family to see who can read the most while supporting Chicago Public Library in the process! Participation includes the chance to win prizes for your reading progress and a special digital compilation of our reading travels.

Read-A-Thon will run from April 18, 2022 to May 31, 2022. Qualifying reading material you complete during this time will count towards your reading total.

• Adult, young adult, and children’s literature books of all genres and lengths.
• Audiobooks and eBooks.
• Comic books, graphic novels, and manga.

Magazines, blogs, newspapers, and podcasts.

Update your reading progress by using the ‘Log Books’ button on the bottom right hand of your personal JustGiving page. Include the number of books you have completed and any fun, descriptive details you would like to share. Post a photo or video to update family and friends who contributed to your reading goal!

Share your progress on social media using the icons on your JustGiving page. Use the hashtags #Booked, #ReadAThon and tag @cplfoundation so we can see your progress!

Join the Facebook Community Group to get to know fellow readers! There will be games, fun weekly themes, tips, book chats, and more. Get started here: Not savvy with technology or you just prefer paper and pencil? Track your reading using the Read-A-Thon reading log. 

If using the reading log, to earn prizes towards Reading Challenges, reading logs must be submitted by email to reverson@cplfoundation.org by 11:59 p.m. on May 31, 2022.

Have questions? Reach out to Rachael Everson at reverson@cplfoundation.org.

Contributions to Read-A-Thon 2022 support free programs, resources, and lifelong learning opportunities to Chicagoans of all ages and stages of life wherever they are – at home, online, or in the branches. Learn more at cplfoundation.org.

Get started with these simple steps:

• Create a JustGiving account or log-into your existing JustGiving account.
• Create a campaign page for Read-A-Thon.
• Set your fundraising goal to $25 (this is the registration fee).
• Pay the $25 registration fee by making a $25 donation to your own JustGiving page. There is no obligation to fundraise.   
• In the story section of your page, share why you are supporting Chicago Public Library and Library Foundation.
• Set your personal reading goal.

If you are the team administrator, after your personal JustGiving page has been created, select ‘Create a Team.’ Share the team name and URL with your team members so they can easily link to your page.

If you are not the team administrator, after your personal JustGiving page has been created, select ‘Join a Team’. Search for the team name created by your team administrator and select “Join a Team’. Limit 6 members per team.

Yes! Donors can visit and donate to as many pages as they’d like. For convenience, individuals who register with JustGiving can save payment methods in their own JustGiving.com account for future donations.

Send an email to info@cplfoundation.org with your question(s) and contact information. Our volunteers and staff will respond within 24 hours to assist. Your fundraising success is a win-win for your team and the Chicagoans you empower.

Yes. Blackbaud our merchant card processing service, makes every effort to protect your information. They use industry-standard SSL encryption techniques to make sure that your credit card information, passwords, and personal information are secure.

Blackbaud is a marketing infrastructure service provider offering advanced Internet fundraising solutions to charitable, educational, and political organizations. Blackbaud is headquartered on Daniel Island, SC.

As your donors make contributions, they can control whether their donations are public or anonymous. If you do not see a name or comment, the donor may have opted to remain anonymous or not make a comment on your page.

Remember that your username and password are case sensitive. If you go to the Read-A-Thon home page and click “log-in” you will find an option to have your username and/or password emailed to you again. If you still have problems, please contact JustGiving support here. It may take up to 24 hours to receive a response.

Blackbaud and the JustGiving fundraising platform make their software available for free to non-profit organizations everywhere. The software can be supplied for free because supporters like you add a tip to their transaction to cover software development and operations costs. We appreciate you tipping so that more donated funds can directly benefit Chicagoans of all ages who depend on the services available through Chicago Public Library.

The Chicago Public Library Foundation gladly also accepts gifts by mail via check or Donor Advised Fund. Please direct contributions to:

2022 Read-A-Thon
Chicago Public Library Foundation
200 W. Madison Street, 3rd Floor
Chicago, IL 60606