Friends of Johnson County Library

What Friends of Johnson County Library does

Friends of Johnson County Library is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1956 in Lenexa, Kansas, that serves as the single largest donor to Johnson County Library. The organization supports the public library through fundraising, advocacy, and direct programmatic contributions, including children's programming, collection development, Summer Reading, Incarcerated Services, staff training, and intellectual freedom advocacy. It is governed by a volunteer board and led by Executive Director Shanta Dickerson, with a small paid staff of approximately 6 employees and roughly 600 active volunteers.

The organization's core commercial activity is The Book Nook, a 5,000-square-foot used bookstore opened in April 2025 at 8281 Melrose Drive, Lenexa, KS, alongside a separate Donation and Sorting Center at 8279 Melrose Drive. It sells donated books, DVDs, CDs, audiobooks, LPs, and puzzles both in-store and through online marketplaces (Amazon, eBay, Abe Books), processing more than 600,000 donated and ex-library items per year. Inventory pricing starts at 25 cents per item, with 16,000+ items actively listed at any given time.

Revenue is generated through four streams: (1) used book and media sales at The Book Nook and online, (2) recurring memberships across six tiers from $10 (Student) to $1,000 (Lifetime), (3) one-time and recurring financial donations including targeted campaigns such as a current $15,000 HVAC repair fundraiser, and (4) vehicle donations processed via partner Careasy. Members receive a 20% book discount and a tri-annual Library Guide newsletter. Since 1999, the organization has contributed over $2.5 million to Johnson County Library. The technology footprint is limited to standard nonprofit tooling: Square for payments, Google Analytics, JotForm for contests, Samaritan for volunteer hour tracking, and a DAF Direct widget for donor-advised fund grants; no proprietary technology or AI capabilities are present.

Name

Friends of Johnson County Library

Legal name

Friends of Johnson County Library

Website

https://friendsofjcl.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1956

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Friends of Johnson County Library is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1956 in Lenexa, Kansas, that operates The Book Nook used bookstore and raises funds to support Johnson County Library through memberships, book sales, and donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Library Support Services

NAICS

Libraries and Archives (51921), Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Libraries, Archives & Special Collections (BPAGAHAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Libraries & Information Services (BPAIACAO), Public Library Operations & Community Branch Management (EDAEAGAC)

Keywords

• Library advocacy services
• Used book sales
• Nonprofit fundraising
• Community volunteer programs
• Public library support

Headquarters

HQ city

Lenexa

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Annual memberships at various tiers ($10-$1,000) providing benefits including discounts at Book Nook, Library Guide subscription, and access to member-only events
2. Used Book and Media Sales: Sales of donated books, DVDs, CDs, audiobooks, LPs, and puzzles through The Book Nook retail location and online marketplaces (Amazon, Ebay, Abe Books). Process over 600,000 donated items annually.
3. Financial Donations: One-time and recurring financial contributions from donors, including designated campaigns like HVAC repair funding
4. Vehicle Donations: Car, truck, RV, motorcycle, and boat donations through partnership with Careasy.org, providing free pickup and generating hundreds to thousands of dollars per vehicle

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Friends of Johnson County Library is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that raises funds for Johnson County Library through used book sales at The Book Nook, annual memberships, financial donations, book donations, and vehicle donations. It mobilizes 600+ volunteers to process 600,000+ donated items annually and operates the organization's only retail location in Lenexa, Kansas, plus online storefronts on Amazon, eBay, and Abe Books. All proceeds support Johnson County Library programs including Summer Reading, Incarcerated Services, collection development, staff training, and library advocacy.

Product overview

Friends of Johnson County Library operates primarily as a nonprofit used book retailer and community advocacy organization. The core offering is The Book Nook, a 5,000-square-foot used bookstore selling donated materials. Revenue supports Johnson County Library programs. Additional products include membership tiers, financial donation processing, vehicle donations, and book donation acceptance. The organization runs an annual Bookmark Design Contest and facilitates community book drives. Volunteer programs coordinate sorting and sales operations. The portfolio centers on used book sales as the primary revenue mechanism, supplemented by memberships and donations that fund library advocacy and literacy initiatives.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The Book Nook A 5,000-square-foot used book store at 8281 Melrose Drive in Lenexa, Kansas, selling gently used books, audiobooks, CDs, DVDs, puzzles, and other items to the public. Open Saturdays and Sundays 10am-3pm, with Thursday evening hours during summer; members receive a 20% discount on Saturday sales.
• Membership Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $2.5 million raised and given to Johnson County Library since 1999
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Johnson County LibrarycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary beneficiary of Friends fundraising efforts. Friends serve as the single largest donor to the library, supporting collection development, children's programming, Summer Reading, staff training, and advocacy. Johnson County Library is the core mission partner.
• Johnson County Library FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization supporting Johnson County Library. Collaborates on events like Library Lets Loose and shares mission of supporting library services and literacy in the community.
• Nonprofit ConnectminorOthersMember of Nonprofit Connect, a regional association for nonprofits in the Kansas City area, providing networking and resources.
• BookWebminorOthersMember organization for used book dealers and Friends of the Library groups, providing resources and networking for book-related nonprofits.
• Candid (GuideStar)minorOthersRegistered nonprofit with Candid (formerly GuideStar), providing transparency in nonprofit information and ratings.
• CareasycoreGTM or Marketing PartnerVehicle donation partner that handles car, truck, RV, motorcycle, and boat donations. Provides free pickup and processes donations on behalf of Friends of Johnson County Library, with proceeds supporting library programs.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Friends of the Boston Public Library: Fundraising and advocacy nonprofit supporting Boston Public Library, with membership programs and used book sales. Strong direct peer in nonprofit library support.
• Friends of the Hennepin County Library: One of the largest Friends of the Library groups in the U.S., operating used book stores, membership programs, and fundraising to support Hennepin County Library in Minnesota. Directly comparable mission, retail, and volunteer-driven model.
• Johnson County Library Foundation: Sister organization explicitly listed as a partner, supporting the same Johnson County Library. Operates complementary fundraising events like Library Lets Loose; directly comparable in mission and beneficiary.
• Friends of the San Francisco Public Library: Operates the Friends bookstore, membership, and major fundraising events for San Francisco Public Library. Comparable nonprofit structure supporting a major urban library system.
• Friends of the Chicago Public Library: Fundraising and used book sales arm supporting Chicago Public Library. Direct peer in scale, mission, and bookstore-driven revenue model.
• Friends of the Seattle Public Library: Operates the Seattle Public Library's used book sales and advocacy programs. Closely comparable structure: nonprofit volunteer-staffed used bookstore funding a public library system.
• Friends of the Multnomah County Library: Operates used book stores (including the iconic 'Books for Trees') and fundraising to support Multnomah County Library in Oregon. Comparable volunteer-driven retail and library advocacy model.

Others

• Goodwill Industries International: Operates extensive used book resale through thrift store networks using a donation-driven model. Comparable in donated-goods retail and nonprofit-funded programs, though Goodwill is a much broader social enterprise.

Emerging players

• Better World Books: Large-scale used book retailer with a social mission that partners with libraries and nonprofits. Comparable in online used book sales channel, but operates as a commercial enterprise rather than a volunteer-driven nonprofit.

Broad incumbents

• ThriftBooks: Major online used book retailer competing in the same resale market as the Book Nook's online channels. Broad incumbent in the used book space relevant to the e-commerce side of operations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/jclfriends
• Instagraminstagram.com/jclfriends
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/jclfriends

Compliance1 record

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 Friends of Johnson County Library