Friends of the Eugene Public Library

What Friends of the Eugene Public Library does

Friends of the Eugene Public Library is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1976 in Eugene, Oregon, whose chartered mission is to provide volunteer and financial support to the Eugene Public Library. The organization's core activity is fundraising, executed primarily through the resale of donated books via its Second Hand Prose bookstore, recurring seasonal and annual book sales (notably a flagship April sale at the Lane County Fairgrounds), and online resale channels on Amazon and Biblio. Inventory is sourced exclusively from public book donations collected at drop-off bins placed across multiple Eugene-area partner sites. The operation processes tens of thousands of donated books annually and is staffed entirely by volunteers — no paid employees are disclosed.

There is no proprietary technology platform; the organization runs on standard off-the-shelf infrastructure. Point-of-sale is processed through Square, online donations and membership through Zeffy, and online resale is conducted through Amazon and Biblio storefronts. A small branded-merchandise line (Book Magic t-shirts) supplements book-sale revenue. The technical surface is therefore commodity retail and payments tooling rather than any internally built system.

Revenue mechanics combine three streams: (i) low-margin retail book sales priced in the roughly $1-$5 range (consistent with a charitable thrift model rather than margin-maximizing retail), (ii) tiered annual memberships ranging from $25 (student/senior) up to $500 (lifetime/sustaining), and (iii) charitable donations collected via Zeffy and conventional channels. Funds raised are transferred to the Eugene Public Library to supplement its public funding. Go-to-market is community-led: local volunteer recruitment, event-driven foot traffic, and donation-bin partnerships with Eugene-area churches and civic sites form the primary customer-acquisition and supply-acquisition channels.

Name

Friends of the Eugene Public Library

Legal name

Friends of the Eugene Public Library

Website

https://friendseugenelibrary.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Friends of the Eugene Public Library is a volunteer-run 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1976 in Eugene, Oregon, that supports the Eugene Public Library by reselling donated books through Second Hand Prose, seasonal book sales, online channels (Amazon, Biblio), and a tiered membership program.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Library Fundraising and Used Book Retail

NAICS

Civic and Social Organizations (8134), Civic and Social Organizations (81341), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

Keywords

• Used book sales
• Library fundraising
• Nonprofit bookstore
• Community library support
• Membership donations

Headquarters

HQ city

Eugene

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Others

Revenue model

1. Book Sales: Sells donated used books through Second Hand Prose bookstore (located at Downtown Eugene Public Library), annual April book sale at Lane County Fairgrounds, mini sales at downtown library, and online via Amazon.com and Biblio.com. Most books priced at $2; children's books $1.
2. Membership Dues: Annual membership program with five tiers ($25 Bookmark, $50 Chapter, $100 Storyteller, $250 First Edition, $500 Bestseller). Provides quarterly newsletter and early access to April book sale.
3. Donations: Accepts book donations from community; accepts financial donations. 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
4. Merchandise Sales: Sells promotional t-shirts (Book Magic merchandise) via Zeffy ticketing platform.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Friends of the Eugene Public Library is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that raises funds for the Eugene Public Library primarily by operating the Second Hand Prose used bookstore and hosting annual and mini book sales. The organization also sells books online through Amazon and Biblio and operates a tiered membership program. It is entirely volunteer-run with no paid staff, and all proceeds are directed to library programs and services.

Product overview

Friends of the Eugene Public Library operates as a nonprofit organization that supports the library through multiple book sales channels and community programs. The core offerings include the Second Hand Prose physical bookstore, the annual April book sale at the Lane County Fairgrounds, smaller mini sales at the downtown library, and online sales through Amazon and Biblio marketplaces. Additional offerings include a membership program with tiered annual levels and various volunteer opportunities for community involvement. All book sale activities, membership dues, and donations directly fund library programs including summer reading, storytimes, tech help, and community events.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Second Hand Prose: The bookstore operated by the Friends of Eugene Public Library, located in the atrium of the Downtown Eugene Public Library. Features carefully curated gently used books.

Products and services

• Second Hand Prose Bookstore A volunteer-operated used bookstore in Eugene, Oregon that sells donated used books to raise funds for the Eugene Public Library. It serves local readers and book collectors seeking low-cost pre-owned titles.
• Annual Book Sale A recurring annual community book sale event organized by Friends of the Eugene Public Library to raise funds for library programs. Targeted at Eugene-area book buyers and library supporters.
• Mini Book Sale Smaller recurring book sale events complementing the annual sale, offering used books to local community members to generate ongoing fundraising revenue for the Eugene Public Library.
• Online Book Sales Used books from the organization are listed and sold online through third-party platforms Amazon and Biblio, extending the geographic reach of fundraising book sales beyond Eugene.
• Membership Program A tiered membership program that allows community supporters to contribute recurring dues to Friends of the Eugene Public Library in exchange for membership benefits, with proceeds supporting Eugene Public Library programs.

Quantifiable outcome

• Tens of thousands of donated books annually kept out of landfills

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Eugene Public LibrarycoreOthersFEPL is the primary fundraising and support organization for Eugene Public Library. Book sale proceeds and membership dues directly fund library programs including summer reading, storytimes, tech help, notary services, writing workshops, and community events.
• Eugene Public Library FoundationminorOthersRelated nonprofit organization also supporting Eugene Public Library; referenced for advocacy efforts
• Amazon.comminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOnline marketplace where FEPL sells rare and collectible books to customers nationwide through their FEPL Amazon store (seller ID: A2HR3ESFTM0UHH)
• Biblio.comminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOnline marketplace where FEPL sells rare and collectible books to customers nationwide through their Biblio store (bookstore/eugene-library-friends-eugene)
• UPS Store (Sheldon Plaza)minorOthersHosts book donation bin at Sheldon Plaza location; book donation drop-off available during UPS Store hours
• Petersen Barn Community CenterminorOthersHosts book donation bin for Eugene-area residents in Bethel area; donation drop-off available during community center hours
• Amazon Community CenterminorOthersHosts book donation bin for Eugene-area residents; donation drop-off available during community center hours
• Lane County FairgroundsminorOthersVenue for the annual April book sale, the largest book sale event of the year

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Friends of the Berkeley Public Library: Berkeley-based nonprofit supporting Berkeley Public Library through bookstore, book sales, and memberships. Comparable small-city Friends-of-the-Library operating model with similar mission and customer base.
• Friends of the Boston Public Library: Boston-based nonprofit supporting Boston Public Library through membership programs, fundraising events, and used-book sales. Mirrors FEPL's combination of memberships, donations, and book-sale fundraising channels.
• Friends of the Hennepin County Library: Minnesota nonprofit that operates bookstores and book sales to fund Hennepin County Library programs. Shares FEPL's volunteer-driven bookstore-and-membership fundraising model for a county library system.
• Friends of the Chicago Public Library: Nonprofit fundraising arm for Chicago Public Library Foundation, supporting programs via donations and used-book sales. Directly comparable Friends-of-the-Library structure at larger urban scale.
• Friends of the San Francisco Public Library: San Francisco-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that operates bookstores and fundraising to support the San Francisco Public Library. Same structural model as FEPL: bookstore operations, membership tiers, donations, and volunteer-driven fundraising for a municipal library system.
• Friends of the New York Public Library: Major nonprofit fundraising arm for NYPL that operates multiple used-book bookstores, membership tiers, and volunteer-driven fundraising. Same mission model as FEPL at much larger scale; useful for benchmarking growth and program scope.
• Friends of the Seattle Public Library: Nonprofit fundraising arm for Seattle Public Library that runs a bookstore and book sales, accepts memberships and donations, and channels proceeds into library programs. Directly comparable operating model and revenue streams to FEPL.
• Friends of the Multnomah County Library: Portland-based nonprofit supporting Multnomah County Library via bookstore operations, book sales, and membership programs. Closest geographic and operational peer to FEPL given shared Pacific Northwest library-fundraising mission.

Broad incumbents

• ThriftBooks: Large-scale online used-book retailer operating nationally with logistics advantages that compete against FEPL's Amazon/Biblio online rare-book sales. Relevant as a scaled competitor in the online resale channel FEPL depends on.

Regional players

• Eugene Public Library Foundation: Separate but related nonprofit also raising funds for Eugene Public Library; referenced by FEPL for advocacy. Operates in the same beneficiary ecosystem and donor pool — a closer competitive overlap than external peers.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/friends-of-the-eugene-public-library

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Friends of the Eugene Public Library