Summer reading programs fight a well-documented problem: students who stop reading over the break lose ground, and the gap compounds year over year. The programs work — but they cost money to run, and funding them is its own challenge.
A summer Read-A-Thon solves both at once. The activity that raises money is reading minutes, so every dollar you bring in is also a student who kept reading through July. It runs entirely online, which suits a season when no one's in the building, and your program keeps 75-80% in cash.
Up and running in 10 minutes
No contracts, no minimums, no boxes in the back room.
Sign up free
Create your page in a few clicks. Our team sets up your main fundraiser and hands you the dashboards — no credit card, no setup fee.
Readers log minutes
Readers pick what they read and track minutes — not pages — so everyone can take part and succeed, at any reading level.
Donations roll in
Family and friends donate online from anywhere. We handle payment processing; you watch totals climb in real time.
Summer reading fundraising ideas
Built for a season when families are scattered and screens are everywhere.
- Set a summer-long minutes goal — A whole-program target with a live tracker gives families a reason to keep logging all season.
- Add a reading challenge — Genre bingo, a "read around the world" map, or weekly themes keep summer reading fresh. See challenge ideas
- Reward milestones, not just finishers — Milestone rewards keep momentum through the long break. Readers earn store credit for an online prize store you never have to manage. See incentive ideas
- Kick off with a community event — A launch event at the library or school start-of-summer sets the tone and gets families signed up.