Better World Books Welcomes New CEO

Posted by David on 07.20.2011 at 4:35 pm

This is a note from David Murphy, Board Member and former CEO of Better World Books, to our staff, customers, book donors, non-profit partners, friends and fans.

After over seven years of leading Better World Books, I first want to thank each and every member of our 400+ employee team, fans, book donors, literacy partners, and especially our customers, for all you have done to build the foundation of a company that is strong, vibrant and a true leader in re-shaping the way we think about how capitalism can indeed drive meaningful social and environmental impact. We have achieved a great deal and truly advanced our mission on so many levels.

Read more…

4 Comments » | Tagged Company News

On the Ground in South America

Posted by David on 06.23.2011 at 11:49 am

Twice a year, Better World Books sends a group to visit the people and programs that benefit from literacy funds raised.  It’s a chance to see their impact firsthand, and to bring the story back to the BWB community. The next trip is about to depart – headed to South America with Worldfund where a group of BWB employees and student book drive winners will visit Peru and Chile.

Read more…

2 Comments » | Tagged Literacy Trips, South America 2011, Uncategorized

Run a Book Drive. Change the World.

Posted by David on 01.31.2011 at 4:57 pm

To all of our college student supporters:  Welcome back to campus!

At Better World Books, college students play a vital role in our effort to break the cycle of poverty and dependency through the promotion of literacy education. In addition to buying your textbooks at Better World Books (where you can save money and offset the carbon it takes to ship your order!), you can support this mission and further our commitment to sustainability by helping us collect used books on your campus this semester.

Our fun and easy book drive program was developed through our work with students at over 1,800 colleges and can be a great fundraiser for your student group (service group, academic honor society, club sport team, sorority/fraternity, etc.). To date, we have sent approximately $2 million dollars to thousands of different student organizations who have run book drives in support of Better World Books!

If your group collects the most books this semester…you could win an all expenses-paid trip to South America this summer to work with several Better World Books employees and our non-profit partner, Worldfund. Every year, we go on-location with one of our partners to witness first-hand the work they are doing on behalf of literacy and the impact of our support.

Last summer, Audrey Mohr, a student at the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire, traveled with us to Uganda and South Africa to work with our partners Room to Read, Books For Africa and Invisible Children. You can learn about Audrey’s trip in this video (http://www.betterworldbooks.com/Info-Book-Drives-for-Better-Lives-m-2.aspx).

Thanks for your enthusiasm and your commitment to making your purchase dollars really mean something by supporting our mission to change the world…one book at a time.

David
President and CEO, Better World Books

1 Comment » | Tagged Uncategorized

Post-C3 Summit Reflections on Conscious Capitalism

Posted by David on 11.16.2010 at 1:55 pm

I recently had the honor of being invited to join an exemplary group of Conscious Business Leaders in Lake Arrowhead, CA for the 2010 C3 Summit: Catalyzing Conscious Capitalism. The event, led by the likes of Whole Foods’ John Mackey and the Container Store’s Kip Tindell, represented the fourth consecutive year that C-level executives and thought leaders came together to explore more conscious ways of leading and operating businesses.

The Conscious Capitalism movement continues to attract influencers who are deeply committed to the transformation of business to a conscious model. To be conscious means to be awake. Conscious Businesses generate value for all of their stakeholders (including the planet) not because it is politically correct to do so but because it is the ultimate path to long-term competitive advantage. Conscious Business Leaders acknowledge that profit is one of the the important purposes of business…..but not the sole purpose; they reject a zero sum, trade off orientated view of business and look for creative, synergistic, win-win approaches that offer multiple kinds of value simultaneously to all stakeholders.

Corporations are probably the most influential institutions in the world, and yet many people do not believe that they can be trusted. Instead corporations are widely perceived as greedy, selfish, exploitative, uncaring – and interested only in maximizing profits.

Conscious Capitalism is a philosophy based on the belief that a more complex form of capitalism is emerging that holds the potential for enhancing corporate performance while simultaneously advancing the quality of life for billions of people. The Conscious Capitalism movement challenges business leaders to re-think why their organizations exist and to acknowledge their company’s role in the interdependent global marketplace.

Conscious Capitalists are unapologetic advocates for the free markets, entrepreneurship, competition, freedom to trade, property rights, freedom to contract, and the rule of law. They recognize that these are essential elements of a healthy, functioning economy, as are trust, compassion, collaboration, and value-creation.

Any meaningful transformation (of business to a conscious model) must incorporate a system-wide perspective that recognizes free markets and entrepreneurship as essential elements of a healthy economy, along with trust, collaboration and value-creation.

It was great to be able to introduce the story of Better World Books to this group of CEO’s and thought leaders and to hear, unequivocally, how much our core business model truly represents the kind of Conscious Business this movement is looking to create. I will continue to engage with the leadership of the Conscious Capital Movement and ensure that Better World Books is well represented….and well understood…..within this community.

Have your say » | Tagged Uncategorized, conscious capitalism, david murphy, Impact, Social Enterprise

We are Better World Books…

Posted by David on 11.08.2010 at 7:13 pm

A few weeks back we were fortunate to have Better World Books featured in the form of a national television commercial (produced by NBC and shown on their network) that aired during half-time of the Notre Dame vs. Stanford football game (in case you missed it, go to http://fightingfor.nd.edu/literacy/).  Millions of people were introduced to a very special company – your company – and to the history of how Notre Dame played such a critical role in Kreece and Xavier’s launching of Better World Books back in 2003.  The commercial spoke of what we fight for…..fighting to bring books to the world; fighting to promote and support a fundamental right to literacy and education for every human being.  It is amazing to me to see how this “fight” is waged day in and day out at our company….and how we are all working together to create very unique and powerful “impact stories.”  A few recent examples:

• We are donating over 135,000 Childrens’ books per month now….a pace of well over 1.5M million books per year….and growing.  Tens of thousands of books have been distributed through the Americans Feeding Americans Campaign.  The campaign was developed in response to our nation’s economic downturn and with a goal of reaching 200,000 families through 70 cities by the end of 2010.  Our books are making a difference in the lives of citizens who never thought they would end up in food lines….and so far the books have been distributed (placed right in the box along with the food) to approximately 40 cities in 22 states.
• We are also participating in a national program entitled The Hygiene Box Program…..here our Childrens’ books are being placed in boxes along with hygiene products and also being distributed throughout the United States.  The results so far:  tens of thousands of books distributed to 184 cities in 39 states. Read more…

2 Comments » | Tagged Company News, Impact, david murphy, Notre Dame

On the ground in Africa

Posted by David on 07.07.2010 at 3:10 pm

I am pleased to announce that seven Better World Books employees… along with our first-ever college student winner (Audrey Mohr from University of Wisconsin who ran the most successful college book drive this spring)… are heading to Africa in early July to work closely with three of our primary non-profit literacy partners (“NPLP’s”) and those whom they serve.

They will get to see and experience firsthand the work that our NPLP’s are actually doing on the ground in Africa and get a full measure of the impact that Better World Books’ cash contributions and donated books are making in Uganda (through Invisible Children) and in South Africa (through Books for Africa and Room to Read).  Over the course of two weeks, the team will be visiting schools and libraries and meeting with students of all ages along with librarians, teachers, administrators and local NGO partners.   We’ll be posting their adventures right here on the blog so expect great stories and even pictures and videos if internet access allows.  (If not, we’ll share all that good stuff when they get back!)

Without further ado, let me introduce you to the team:

Maura Varian, Managing Director of the UK
Paco Miller, Team Lead, Analyst Team and member of our Literacy Council
Paul Drake, Manager of our ARC Group
Joe England, Buyback Team
Ryan Van Plew Cid, ARC Team
Stephanie Williams, Scanning Team
Jason Staples, Customer Care
and Audrey Mohr,  Student Winner (University of Wisconsin)

I hope you’ll enjoy hearing about the trip and seeing through the eyes of Audrey and our staff how every purchase you make and every book you sell back or donate is making a difference!

5 Comments » | Tagged Africa 2010, Literacy Trips

2010: A New Year a New Decade – Part 1

Posted by David on 01.27.2010 at 12:22 pm

In a three part series starting today, our fearless leader, CEO David Murphy explains his optimistic outlook on the new year and the new decade.

Hard to believe it is already 2010.  It’s not just a new year, but a new decade and there is so much opportunity in front of us!  Why am I so bullish?  Well I have three good reasons, the first of which is:

Those who believe in us:

• Our customers. Our customers see great value in what they are getting from us and they let us know.  We are adding thousands of new customers every week.  They like our selection, our prices, our great service.  They keep coming back; they actively promote us to others (we have raving fans!) and they are helping us build a brand that stands for something good, something that is making a positive difference in this world, something they believe in.  They enthusiastically support our mission and are passionate in letting us know what they think.  We are far from perfect but my promise to all of our customers is that we will keep trying to get better; to truly earn their faith and their business each and every day; to deliver on the brand and the mission we are building together.

• Our employees. The most talented, diverse and enthusiastic group of employees with whom I have ever worked.  Period.  I am both honored and humbled to serve each and every one of them.

• Our non-profit literacy partners. The true heroes on the front lines who are delivering every day on our mission to promote and support literacy and education here in the U.S and around the world.

Read more…

2 Comments » | Tagged Company News, 2010, Library Partners, Non-profit literacy partners

Better World Books Takes the Gold!

Posted by David on 08.22.2008 at 10:48 am

Exciting news to share: Better World Books has won a National Literacy Award (the 2008 National Coalition For Literacy Leadership Award!)

This Award is being presented by the National Coalition for Literacy (“NCL”), a Washington DC-based non-profit whose mission is to “advance adult education, family literacy, and English language acquisition in the U.S by increasing public awareness for the need to increase funding and programs; promoting effective public policy; and serving as an authoritative resource for the field on national adult education issues; www.national-coalition-literacy.org.  Note:  NCL here is not to be confused with our major non-profit literacy partner NCFL (The National Center for Family Literacy) they are two completely separate and distinct organizations!

The Award is in recognition of the commitment and service of Better World Books to the field of adult education and family literacy. To quote the NCL:  “This award recognizes individuals and organizations that have made extraordinary contributions to improving literacy in the United States.  Award recipients have demonstrated a deep and sustained individual, organizational, or corporate commitment by supporting literacy across the lifespan of the local, state and national level.”

Additional 2008 award recipients include Rep. Ruben Hinojosa of Texas, The National Council of La Raza (Janet Murguia, President and CEO), and John Comings, former Director of the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy.

The 2008 NCL Literacy Leadership Awards will be presented at a reception on Wednesday, September 10th, at the James Madison Building of the Library of Congress.   I have been asked to receive the reward and speak at the award ceremony and I look forward to representing all of you there.

2 Comments » | Tagged Uncategorized, awards, david murphy, Impact, NCL, press

Bring a Book to the Sullivan Summit!

Posted by David on 05.22.2008 at 10:06 am

Hello everyone.  Take a look at the attached .pdf from Books for Africa.

Sullivan Summit.pdf (911.48 KB)

This flyer was sent to all 500+ delegates attending the “Sullivan Summit” in Arusha, Tanzania.  Note that Better World Books, through the Better World Books Fund within Books For Africa, is sponsoring the shipment and that the books will be distributed by the Poverty Eradication Network (PEN) in Tanzania. Natasha Harris, Niko Tomlinson, Mary Murphy, Jaime Knabet, Dustin Holland and myself visited the PEN folks in the summer of 2006 and have continued to stay in touch with them (Mungwe and Andrea).  They do fantastic work (based in Dodoma, the national capital of Tanzania) throughout the country.

To find out more about the Sullivan Summit VIII, go to www.thesullivanfoundation.org/summit/.

Have your say » | Tagged Dispatches from the Green House, Uncategorized, africa, better world books fund, books for africa, david murphy, sullivan summit, Tanzania

Relevant New York Times Article on Social Entrepreneurs

Posted by David on 05.21.2008 at 7:22 am

Make sure to read the March 21st article in the New York Times written by David Brooks, entitled “Thoroughly Modern Do-Gooders”.  This is an excellent article on Social Entrepreneurship and there are many points from the article that connect directly with what we have built here at Better World Books.

Have your say » | Tagged Dispatches from the Green House, Uncategorized, david murphy, new york times, social entrepreneurship