Mountain View Public Library

What Mountain View Public Library does

Friends of the Mountain View Library is an all-volunteer, 501(c)(3) charitable organization (Tax ID 23-7255217) established in 1975 and formalized in its current form in 1997 to raise funds that support enrichment programs at the Mountain View Public Library in Mountain View, California. The organization operates with no paid staff and is governed by a volunteer board; its sole institutional beneficiary is the Mountain View Public Library. To date it has raised more than $1.5 million for library programs including author visits, musical performances, the Summer Reading Program, Best Seller Collections, adult education, and children's programming.

The organization's core operations are a multi-channel retail and fundraising enterprise built around donated inventory. Its revenue-generating channels are (i) quarterly Book Sales held four times per year in the Bookmobile garage behind the library, generating $4,000 to $6,000 per event; (ii) a Lobby Shop inside the library entrance selling gently used books, locally made jewelry, stuffed animals, and gift items, generating approximately $26,000 per year in net revenues; (iii) online sales through Amazon and eBay storefronts for higher-value donated books and media, which produced approximately $34,000 annually prior to the COVID-19 shutdown; (iv) a three-tier annual membership program (Basic $20, Sustaining $35, Contributing $50) running July through June; and (v) monetary donations processed online or by mail. Average annual proceeds directed to library programs are approximately $75,000. Donor and member perks include member-only early access hours at quarterly Book Sales and a 10% discount at Books Inc. in downtown Mountain View under a reciprocal partnership.

The underlying technology stack is standard nonprofit retail infrastructure: Square terminals for in-person credit card processing, PayPal for online donations and memberships, Google Analytics for website traffic reporting, and the Amazon and eBay marketplace platforms for online sales. Go-to-market is community-led and event-driven rather than sales-led — the organization relies on word-of-mouth, the library's natural foot traffic, an Instagram presence (@mv_library_friends), email communications, and quarterly Book Sale events as member-only events to drive acquisition, retention, and revenue. The organization is GDPR- and CCPA-compliant via standard website privacy tooling. Customer segments are persona-based: Library Enthusiasts and Supporters (members/donors), Bargain Shoppers and Readers (Book Sale and Lobby Shop patrons), and Community Volunteers who staff all operations.

Name

Mountain View Public Library

Legal name

Friends of the Mountain View Library

Website

https://mvlibraryfriends.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Friends of the Mountain View Library is an all-volunteer 501(c)(3) nonprofit that raises funds for the Mountain View Public Library through a Lobby Shop, quarterly Book Sales, Amazon and eBay online sales, memberships, and community donations, averaging approximately $75,000 per year for library enrichment programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Library Fundraising

NAICS

Libraries and Archives (51921), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132), Civic and Social Organizations (8134)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Library, Reading Motivation & Independent Reading Programs (EDAMAJAO)

akta.pro secondary industry

Library-Based Learning Programs (Public Libraries) (EDAAAFAA)

Keywords

• Nonprofit fundraising
• Used book sales
• Charitable retail
• Library membership programs
• Community donation programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Mountain View

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Book and Media Sales: One-time transaction sales of donated books, CDs, DVDs, video games, and other media through quarterly Book Sales events, the Lobby Shop, and online marketplaces (Amazon and eBay). Sales typically earn $4,000 to $6,000 per quarterly Book Sale.
2. Membership Fees: Annual membership contributions at three levels: Basic ($20), Sustaining ($35), and Contributing ($50). Membership year runs July 1 to June 30. Memberships provide early access to book sales, exclusive email updates, and a 10% discount at Books Inc.
3. Monetary Donations: Acceptance of monetary gifts of any amount through online PayPal donations or mailed checks. Tax-deductible as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization (Tax ID: 23-7255217).
4. Lobby Shop Retail: Physical retail location inside the library entrance selling gently used books, locally made jewelry, stuffed animals, and other gift items. Staffed entirely by volunteers. Generates approximately $26,000/year in net revenues.
5. Online Marketplace Sales: Sales of higher-value donated books, CDs, DVDs, and video games through Amazon and eBay stores. Inventory updated weekly. Generated $34,000 in the year prior to COVID-19 shutdown.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Friends of the Mountain View Library is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that raises money to fund enrichment programs at the Mountain View Public Library by reselling donated books, CDs, DVDs, and video games through three channels: an in-library Lobby Shop open six days a week, quarterly Book Sales events held in the Bookmobile garage behind the library, and curated online stores on Amazon and eBay. The organization also runs a three-tier annual membership program ($20 Basic, $35 Sustaining, $50 Contributing) and accepts tax-deductible monetary donations, with all proceeds directed to library programs such as Summer Reading, author visits, and children's programming.

Product overview

Friends of the Mountain View Library operates a multi-channel retail and fundraising operation consisting of quarterly Book Sales held at the library garage, the Lobby Shop located inside the library entrance, and Online Sales via Amazon and eBay stores. The organization offers a Membership Program with three tiers providing benefits such as early book sale access and local retailer discounts. Volunteer Programs provide opportunities for community members to contribute through donation sorting, shop operations, book sales support, and online listing tasks. The Donation Program accepts monetary contributions and physical donations of books, media, and other materials which are processed and sold through the organization's sales channels.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Quarterly Book Sales Large-scale in-person book sale events held four times per year (January/February, May, August, November) in the Bookmobile garage behind the library, featuring thousands of gently used books and media most priced at $1 or less, with member-only early access hours and Sunday Fill-a-Bag sales. Open to individual community shoppers seeking affordable books and media.
• Lobby Shop Year-round physical retail store located inside the Mountain View Public Library entrance, selling gently used books, locally made jewelry, stuffed animals, board games, and unique gift items. Staffed entirely by volunteers and open Monday-Thursday, Saturday 11am-5pm, and Sunday 1pm-5pm. Generates approximately $26,000/year in net revenues.
• Online Sales (Amazon and eBay Stores) Curated online stores on Amazon and eBay selling higher-value donated books, CDs, DVDs, and video games, with inventory restocked weekly. Generated $34,000 in revenue in the year prior to the COVID-19 shutdown and ships to customers nationwide (Amazon) and globally (eBay).
• Membership Program Three-tier annual membership program running July 1 to June 30, with Basic at $20/year, Sustaining at $35/year, and Contributing at $50/year. Membership benefits include an extra hour of early access to in-person book sales, exclusive email updates about Friends' events, and a 10% discount at Books Inc. in downtown Mountain View.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $1.5 million raised since 1975 for the Mountain View Public Library
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Books Inc. (Downtown Mountain View)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLocal bookstore partnership providing Friends members with a 10% discount. Members receive this benefit as part of their membership perks, creating mutual benefit for both organizations serving the Mountain View community.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• ThriftBooks: Large-scale commercial used-book seller operating online and through library partnerships (purchasing library discards directly). Adjacent competitor for online used-book inventory and a potential buyer for surplus Mountain View donations.
• Better World Books: Social-enterprise used-book retailer that partners with libraries to purchase donated or discarded inventory. Comparable online sales channel to the Friends' Amazon/eBay stores but at much greater scale and with a global logistics footprint.

Regional players

• Friends of the Berkeley Public Library: Nearby Bay Area Friends group operating a used bookstore inside Berkeley Public Library. Strongest geographic and demographic analog to Mountain View's community profile.

Direct peers

• Friends of the San Francisco Public Library: One of the largest and oldest Friends-of-the-Library nonprofits in the U.S., operating used bookstores, an annual citywide book sale, and direct fundraising for SFPL programs. Closest structural analog to Mountain View in mission, model, and revenue mix.
• Friends of the Boston Public Library: Long-established Friends group supporting BPL through membership, donations, and book sales. Comparable nonprofit structure, membership tiers, and library-beneficiary funding model.
• Friends of the Seattle Public Library: 501(c)(3) that operates bookstore locations inside Seattle Public Library branches and funds SPL programs. Mirrors the Friends of MV Library model of in-library retail plus programming support.
• Friends of the New York Public Library: The largest U.S. Friends-of-the-Library organization, operating used bookstores and major annual book sales supporting NYPL. Direct peer at significantly larger scale but identical business model and mission.
• Friends of the Dallas Public Library: 501(c)(3) Friends group operating a used bookstore and funding Dallas Public Library programs. Matches Mountain View's mix of retail, donations, and program funding.
• Friends of the Hennepin County Library (Minnesota): Friends group supporting Hennepin County Library through book sales and membership. Comparable grassroots nonprofit structure and revenue model in a single-county footprint.
• Friends of the Chicago Public Library: Friends-of-the-Library nonprofit supporting CPL through book sales and membership contributions. Direct peer in mission and revenue model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/mv_library_friends
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mountain-view-public-library

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Mountain View Public Library