One Book One New Orleans

Name

One Book One New Orleans

Legal name

One Book One New Orleans

Website

https://onebookonenola.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Literacy Programs

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131)

SIC

Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Literature & Book Clubs / Guided Reading Groups (EDAMAJAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Literary & Classics Publishing (MPAJAAAC)

Keywords

• Adult literacy programs
• Community reading campaigns
• Literacy nonprofit services
• Book distribution programs
• Literacy curriculum development

Headquarters

HQ city

New Orleans

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Individual Memberships: Individual memberships ranging from $50-$400+ annually, with tiered benefits including recognition, event invitations, and discounts on ticketed events. A portion of each gift is tax-deductible.
2. Corporate Sponsorships: Corporate sponsorships ranging from $1,000-$5,000+, providing recognition in the Words & Music Program, event tickets, and private dinners with authors and board.
3. General Donations: General donations accepted via online portal (Give Lively) and mail. Every dollar goes toward purchasing books for adult education and incarcerated individuals.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

One Book One New Orleans is a nonprofit literacy organization that selects one book each year for a community-wide shared reading campaign and develops accompanying curriculum around it. It distributes copies of the selected book and curriculum free of charge to adult education programs, juvenile justice facilities, and prison programs, and supplements these programs with free public events, author readings, workshops, and the Words & Music Literary Festival to foster community dialogue.

Product overview

One Book One New Orleans is a nonprofit literary organization that runs an annual community-wide reading program, selecting one book each year to promote literacy and dialogue. The organization does not offer a traditional technology product; rather, it provides literacy programs including adult education curriculum distribution through partnerships with the Literacy Alliance of Greater New Orleans, prison literacy initiatives via Louisiana Books 2 Prisoners, and juvenile justice education through the Center for Educational Excellence in Alternative Settings. Its activities include annual book selection events, author readings, community workshops, and the Words & Music Literary Festival. The organization features featured books through its website but this represents editorial content about selected literature, not a technology product offering.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Annual Book Selection Program An annual city-wide shared reading campaign in which New Orleanians read and discuss the same book together each year. OBONO develops accompanying curriculum and distributes free copies through partner adult education programs, juvenile justice facilities, and prison programs to reach populations typically excluded from reading communities.
• Words & Music Literary Festival An annual literary festival featuring local authors, with a mix of ticketed and free events, including private dinners with authors and board members, kickoff celebrations, and cultural events tied to the annual book selection and OBONO literacy initiatives.
• Community Events and Author Workshops Free public community events held at libraries and community centers throughout New Orleans, including book kickoffs, author readings, workshops, literary and lunch sessions, and cultural celebrations supporting the annual book selection and OBONO's mission.
• Individual Membership Program Annual membership program with six tiers ranging from POEM ($50-99) to EPIC ($400+), providing website recognition, Juleps in June invitations, Literature and Lunch invitations, ticketed event discounts, and other benefits. A portion of each gift is tax-deductible.
• Corporate Sponsorship Program Annual corporate sponsorship with three tiers ranging from $1,000 to $5,000+, providing recognition in the Words & Music Program, Literature and Lunch tickets, Welcome Party and Celebration invitations, spotlight recognition on website (top tier), and private dinners with authors and OBONO board members.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 20 years of continuous operation promoting literacy in New Orleans
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• VIETcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Collaboration for the Tastes & Tales: Cooking, Culture, & Community event in May 2025, celebrating Vietnamese culture and the 2025 selection 'Daughters of the New Year' by E.M. Tran. VIET helped present a cultural celebration featuring Vietnamese food traditions.
• Center for Educational Excellence in Alternative SettingscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Partnership formed in 2017 to use OBONO's book and curriculum as educational tools for teenagers in juvenile justice facilities. The center operates classrooms similarly to adult education programs, with the goal of helping students complete their high school education and prepare for college or workforce entry.
• Louisiana Books 2 PrisonerscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010Partnership since 2010 enables OBONO to send copies of its selected book to people from New Orleans currently incarcerated. OBONO also hosts monthly volunteer work nights to help send books to people in prisons across the southeast and annual book drives.
• Literacy Alliance of Greater New OrleanscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2004Long-standing partnership since OBONO's founding in 2004. Through this partnership, OBONO's curriculum and copies of the selected book are distributed free of charge to adult education programs throughout the Greater New Orleans area including St. Bernard Adult Education, Jefferson Parish Adult Education, YMCA Educational Services, Hope House, Catholic Charities ESL, St. Vincent de Paul Adult Education, and Urban League Adult Education.
• New Orleans Public LibrarysupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in hosting community events including the Tastes & Tales event at East New Orleans Regional Library. Provides venue and support for free public programming.
• Octavia BookssupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLocal independent bookstore partner for book sales at OBONO events. Books available for purchase at kickoff and other author events.
• New Orleans Recreation and Culture FundsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerFunder and supporter of OBONO events including the Tastes & Tales cultural celebration.
• GambitsupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsor and local media partner. Gambit Weekly featured Executive Director Megan Holt in their 40 Under 40 list.
• National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) New OrleanssupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsor supporting OBONO's literacy initiatives.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• ProLiteracy: National adult literacy nonprofit with the largest direct-service network in the U.S. Both organizations deliver adult literacy programming, advocate for adult learners, and operate through a federation of local program affiliates—directly comparable mission and constituency.
• Dolly Parton's Imagination Library: Global book-gifting program mailing free, age-appropriate books to children from birth to age five. Comparable as a high-profile, sustained literacy nonprofit using partner local affiliates and broad funder engagement to drive book distribution at scale.

Direct peers

• Reading Partners: Nonprofit that mobilizes community volunteers to provide literacy tutoring to students. Comparable to OBONO as a community-empowered literacy nonprofit leveraging partnerships and volunteer engagement to broaden reading access.
• First Book: Nonprofit focused on providing new books and educational resources to children from low-income families. Closely comparable model—curating/aggregating books and curricula and channeling them through partner educators and community programs to underserved populations.
• Reach Out and Read: Nonprofit that partners with pediatric clinicians to integrate books and literacy guidance into pediatric care. Similar model of leveraging institutional partnerships to deliver literacy resources to underserved families and children.

Emerging players

• 826 National: Network of writing and tutoring centers serving students ages 6–18. Comparable community-based literacy nonprofit model that combines author engagement, workshops, and free programming in underserved neighborhoods, much like OBONO's adult-focused programming.
• Barbershop Books: Nonprofit placing children's books in barbershops to increase access for Black boys and other underrepresented readers. Comparable niche mission of reaching populations typically excluded from conventional reading communities via novel distribution channels.
• Center for Fiction: Nonprofit literary organization that runs citywide reading programming, awards, and community author events. Comparable in operating a curated book-centered community experience paired with author engagement and donor-supported programming.

Regional players

• Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities: State humanities council and funder that awarded OBONO's Light Up for Literacy Award. Operates culturally-rooted humanities programming and convenes literary initiatives in Louisiana; comparable as a regional literary/cultural institution with overlapping mission and geography.
• New Orleans Public Library: Direct operational partner hosting OBONO events. Operates free public programming, literary events, and book distribution throughout New Orleans—an institutional peer that executes the same community literacy outcomes through a different delivery model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@OneBookOneNewOrleans
• Facebookfacebook.com/onebookoneneworleans

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about One Book One New Orleans