Read to Them
Standards For Charity Accountability
Governance
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Board Oversight
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Board Size
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Board Meetings
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Board Compensation
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Conflict of Interest
Measuring Effectiveness
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Effectiveness Policy
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Effectiveness Report
Finances
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Program Expenses
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Fundraising Expenses
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Accumulating Funds
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Audit Report
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Detailed Expense Breakdown
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Accurate Expense Reporting
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Budget Plan
Fundraising & Info
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Truthful Materials
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Annual Report
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Website Disclosures
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Donor Privacy
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Cause Marketing Disclosures
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Complaints
Read to Them does not meet the following 1 Standards for Charity Accountability:
Standard 9 (Fund Raising Expense Ratio)
Spending should be no more than 35% of related contributions on fund raising. Related contributions include donations, legacies, and other gifts received as a result of fund raising efforts.
Read to Them does not meet this Standard because:
- According to the organization's audited financial statements for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2024, the organization's fundraising costs were 40% ($98,810) of related contributions, which totaled $248,863.
Read to Them meets the remaining 19 Standards for Charity Accountability.
Stated Purpose:
"to use the power of reading aloud together to build connections across families, schools, and communities to cultivate students’ learning and success."
Year, State Incorporated:
2003, VA
Read to Them programs support reading together at home and learning together at school by providing schools with tools, resources, and guidance to create a culture of literacy in their community. The organization’s flagship program, One School, One Book (OSOB) enables schools to select a book, provides students with a copy to read at home, and employs a suite of book-specific resources for classrooms and homes to support making reading aloud a daily activity. Read to Them reports that, for many children, the books they receive from OSOB are the first books they own. The organization also reports expanding beyond Richmond to serve schools across Mississippi, Texas, and Virginia. In 2025, Read to Them launched One Book Connects US, where schools nationwide read the same book around the same time.
For the year ended June 30, 2024, Read to Them's program expenses were:
Program services: $3,743,902
Total Program Expenses: $3,743,902
Chief Executive
Christa Donohue, Executive Director
Compensation*
$169,555
Chair of the Board
Elizabeth Blue
Chair's Profession / Business Affiliation
Retired Attorney and Adjunct Faculty
Board Size
13
Paid Staff Size
16
*2023 compensation includes annual salary and, if applicable, benefit plans, expense accounts, and other allowances.
Method(s) Used:
Direct mail appeals, Grant proposals, Internet, Radio
Fundraising costs were 40% of related contributions. (Related contributions, which totaled $248,863 are donations received as a result of fundraising activities.)
This organization is tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. It is eligible to receive contributions deductible as charitable donations for federal income tax purposes.
The following information is based on Read to Them's audited financial statements for the year ended June 30, 2024.
Source of Funds
| Program registration | $4,693,867 |
| Investment income | $98,060 |
| Contributions | $248,863 |
| Total Income | $5,040,790 |
Programs: 82% Fundraising: 2% Administrative: 16%
| Total Income | $5,040,790 |
| Total expenses: | $4,571,368 |
| Program expenses | $3,743,902 |
| Fundraising expenses | $98,810 |
| Administrative expenses | $728,656 |
| Other expenses | $0 |
| Income in Excess of Expenses | $469,422 |
| Beginning Net Assets | $2,082,436 |
| Other Changes In Net Assets | $0 |
| Ending Net Assets | $2,551,858 |
| Total Liabilities | $534,953 |
| Total Assets | $3,086,811 |
An organization may change its practices at any time without notice. A copy of this report has been shared with the organization prior to publication. It is not intended to recommend or deprecate, and is furnished solely to assist you in exercising your own judgment. If the report is about a charity and states the charity meets or does not meet the Standards for Charity Accountability, it reflects the results of an evaluation of information and materials provided voluntarily by the charity. The name Better Business Bureau is a registered service mark of the International Association of Better Business Bureaus.
This report is not to be used for fundraising or promotional purposes.
RELATED CONTENT
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Meets Standards
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Standards Not Met
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Did Not Disclose
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Review in Progress
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Unable to Verify
Report completed by:
BBB Wise Giving Alliance