1. Welcome to the FDS500 Webinar
Thank you for joining us. The webinar will begin momentarily. If you have any questions as we move through the webinar, please type them in the chat feature. If I am not able to answer them throughout the webinar, I will address them at the end. Approximate runtime: 30 minutes.

2. A Read > Lead > Achieve Initiative
FDS500
A Read > Lead > Achieve Initiative

3. What is FDS500?
Thanks to a grant from Pi Beta Phi Foundation.
Part of Fraternity Day of Service.
Only 100!!
FDS500 is the name given to the grant from the Pi Beta Phi Foundation to pay for 500 books from the First Book® Marketplace, including shipping and handling.
There are only 100 of them! You will register for these grants in September which is Read > Lead > Achieve month, but the books are delivered to coincide with your Fraternity Day of Service celebrations in February/March.
A club or chapter can nominate a local non-profit that is registered with First Book (the organization must have a First Book account to be able to access and order from the Marketplace) to receive this grant.
The club/chapter or member needs to have an existing relationship with the recipient group and/or have personal contact with a staff member or volunteer in order to make the selection and delivery of the books seamless.
Sign up in September during Read > Lead > Achieve Month.

4. What FDS500 is not. Not a gift from First Book®.
Not 500 books for your club or chapter.
Not for multiple organizations.
Not free rein of the First Book Marketplace.
This is not a gift from First Book. First Book is our constant partner in many of our literacy efforts, but think of First Book as our vendor. It’s much more affordable to buy 500 books from First Book than to buy them at retail prices like from Barnes and Noble! Grants from The Literacy Fund at Pi Beta Phi Foundation make it possible for Pi Beta Phi Fraternity to purchase these books.
This is not 500 books the club or chapter can keep “on hand” to distribute throughout the year. These are intended to go to one organization and the vast majority of the books are expected to be handed out to the children they serve to take home and keep. Some groups may decide to keep a few in a library, but the majority should be sent home with children. To learn more about the importance of access to books and First Book’s mission, please visit the First Book website.
This is not a way for a group of clubs and chapters to have a “mini Signature Event.” It is absolutely a great way to connect with other clubs and chapters in the area and have a combined Fraternity Day of Service event, and during that event present your designated groups with their 500 books. These books are ordered and selected specifically by a representative of the nominated organization, and so all 500 books need to be delivered to the organization. They are expecting them. Since the recipient group is the one picking out the books, they may or may not select books you would have picked. But they know their students and what would engage them.
This is not access to the entire First Book Marketplace. FDS500 is an expensive program, and in order to be able to offer 100 of these grants, and still afford to fund our other Read > Lead > Achieve initiatives, the cost of the books must be contained. First Book filters their inventory and all the books that fall below a certain price point go into a Pi Phi branded Marketplace. Recipient groups must order from this special Pi Phi Marketplace or their promo codes will not work. Currently this special Marketplace has more than 651 titles including selections for all age ranges This may fluctuate depending on First Book’s relationships and contracts with different partners. Occasionally last minute substitutions will be made if the chosen book is sold out. That’s why it’s important to complete the order early!

5. How do I sign up? September 1
On September 1, the first day of Read > Lead > Achieve month, the link to a sign up form will go live on the Pi Beta Phi website:
You will need specific information about your designated recipient group and a code which you will receive at the end of this webinar to register.
There are only 100 grants available.
PLEASE NOTE: The sign up will be open for 24-hours from 9 a.m. CT September 1 to 9 a.m. CT September 2. We will select 100 nominations at random from the sign up list. This is a change from past years.
This change was made to be as fair as possible to all clubs and chapters, regardless of time zone.

6. What information will I need?
Your contact information
Name, , phone
Recipient group’s contact information
Special code from the end of this webinar
All fields must be complete or you will be unable to submit the form
You will need all of this information in order to register. If one of your fields is not completed, you will be unable to submit the form.
Your contact information (or whoever will be my point of contact within your alumnae club or chapter). I need an address that you check regularly and a phone number if that fails. There may be officer transitions prior to the selection of the books, so please keep that in mind when selecting a point of contact.
Recipient group information:
Name of the organization, contact person and contact information: This information is the most important. Please be sure that this person can receive and respond to s in a timely fashion. Perhaps send them a test communication to be sure that s aren’t getting stuck in junk mailboxes.
Find out if this group is registered with First Book. If not, they must do so before they can take advantage of this grant. They must have First Book login information to access and order from the Marketplace.
Please find out if your contact at the organization is First Book’s contact. If you’re working with the third grade teacher, but the librarian is the one registered with First Book, the librarian might be the one who receives the First Book s. The good news is the third grade teacher can create her own login! Then the school will have two registered users. First Book will go with the registered user whose contact information you’ve provided.
You should have an existing relationship with the organization you nominate and you must establish contact with them first. Call the school and see who would handle book donations: teacher, reading specialist, librarian, secretary etc. This should be the person who registers with First Book and who should be your point of contact in the organization. They will also be the one to order the books. You will need to provide a short description of your relationship with the recipient group – is this your CAR school? Is one of the alumnae club members also a teacher there?
Do not nominate a group without contacting them first! You might find out that they cannot use a donation like this, or have no idea who in the school is registered with First Book and all communication from First Book will go into the ether. This makes it extremely difficult to make sure books are ordered and delivered on time.
If your group needs to register with First Book, it’s very easy. Go to and click on the green button on the right labeled “Sign Up.” They will have to self-report on some of their organization’s demographic information to complete the sign up.
Challenges we’ve had in the past:
Not checking the contact information – the RG never responds to s and we’re scrambling to get them to order books last minute. The Marketplace doesn’t have the same selection at the end of the promotion than at the beginning and they don’t get all the books they need/want.
Not knowing your RG before nominating them – they may not be able to accept the donation or be eligible for First Book

7. First Book contacts the recipient group.
What happens next?
First Book contacts the recipient group.
In October/November, First Book will send out an using the contact information you provided us. Please let your recipient group know that this will be coming! I will send you an using the contact information your provided me to let you know the has been sent. This will alert them that they’ve been nominated and will receive 500 books from the First Book Marketplace.
Please note: Some organizations’ firewalls block s from First Book. Please tell them to check their junk mail.
Additional information session.
In early January, we will call together the nominated RGs and their sponsor clubs/chapters for a quick review. Sometimes club/chapter/RG leadership changes between the nomination and the actual ordering. This will be a refresher on how to use the Marketplace and Pi Phi’s expectations for the grant.
First Book contacts the recipient group.

8. What happens next? Ordering Books
In January, First Book will send a follow-up to the recipient group with a link to the Pi Beta Phi-branded Marketplace and a promo code.
The recipient group will have two weeks to select their books from the special Marketplace.
They must select books within this Marketplace or their promo code will not work.
The code will only work one time, so they must select all the books at the same time.
If they have any issues, they must contact the First Book Help Team. Their contact information will be included in the to the recipient groups. The Help Team are the experts when it comes to ordering books, they are available during regular business hours, eastern time.
Delivery and Follow-up
As soon as the order is received, the First Book warehouse will work on fulfilling the order and shipping them out. This means that recipient groups may receive the books in early February.
The warehouse cannot hold shipments.
Please note: The books will be delivered to whatever address the recipient group enters when they are filling out their order. If you want the books delivered to your chapter or home, you must communicate that with your recipient group. Provide them the address where you’d like the books delivered.
FDS500 books, depending on size, arrive in 5-10 boxes. These are not the lightest boxes. Please keep this in mind when deciding where you’d like them delivered.

9. Incorporating FDS500 into your Fraternity Day of Service celebration
We hope that you are incorporating the FDS500 into your Fraternity Day of Service celebration. Since the books are delivered within two to three weeks of ordering, the timing may be challenging. You can always work with your recipient group to store the books until your Fraternity Day of Service (or if they’re being delivered to you, hold on to them). Make a presentation, hold a carnival, pass out the books to the children—there are lots of great opportunities for positive promotion!
You are committing to using the FDS500 as a great opportunity to share positive PR about Pi Beta Phi and Read > Lead > Achieve in your communities.

10. #readleadachieve Spread the Word
FDS500 is a great way to positively promote Pi Beta Phi in your community. You can write a press release for your local newspaper, post it on your social media with #readleadachieve, and definitely take pictures! These organizations are SO happy to receive these free books and many will happily promote the gift on their own social media and in their newsletters.
Please note: Make sure the messaging is clear. This is a gift from Pi Beta Phi.
If you need help, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Carrie Campana in MarComm would be happy to help you draft press releases.
Tag PiBetaPhiHQ on social media so we can see what you’re doing!

11. Report your Impact
This is really the final step! Please make sure to report your impact on the Progress Meter. I’d also love you to share your pictures and your stories with the Share Your Story app.
A good rule of thumb is 500 books = 500 lives impacted.
If you do have media coverage or a press release, send that our way too!

12. Questions?
Bree Melton, VA Theta Literacy Engagement Coordinator or Promotions questions: Carrie Campana, IL Iota Electronic Media Manager
Depending on time, I will answer as many questions as I can. If you think of others or would like to ask them offline, please me.

13. Wrap-up Plan ahead. Communicate. Have a back-up plan.
Incorporate into your Fraternity Day of Service activities.
Promote, promote, promote!
Share!
Plan ahead.
Make sure you have all your ducks in a row, all the information you need prior to September 1. If you have questions, please me at
Communicate.
Reach out to the recipient group you want to nominate and make sure they’re registered with First Book. Follow up with them and make sure they’re receiving the s (though they’ll probably let you know if they don’t!)
Have a back-up.
If you’ve already been in contact with your recipient group, and it turns out they are unable or unwilling to take the 500 free books, you will need to identify a different recipient group. Believe it or not, we’ve had completely unresponsive groups before!
Incorporate into your Fraternity Day of Service activities.
Plan your Fraternity Day of Service activities around the book donation. Make a special presentation at the school or organization and take pictures!
Promote, promote, promote!
If you do a special presentation or Fraternity Day of Service activity, invite the media (can’t hurt to try!)
Make sure to write a press release and share photos and quotes on your social media with the hashtag #readleadachieve and make sure your social media is public. If you use the hashtag, Pi Phi HQ can find your post.
Share!
Report your impact on the Progress Meter. You are helping Pi Phi get closer to that goal of impacting 1 million lives by 2017!

14. 2017Arrow
Thank you for watching this webinar! Use this code when you register for an FDS500 grant.