the degood foundation

What the degood foundation does

The DeGood Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2017 in Newport News, Virginia, that operates the local affiliate of Dolly Parton's Imagination Library across the Virginia Peninsula, Middle Peninsula, Greater Williamsburg, and Isle of Wight County. The foundation mails free, age-appropriate books monthly to children from birth to age five regardless of income, with books custom printed by Penguin Random House and curated by the Blue Ribbon Selection Committee; the program is free to families and funded entirely by donations, corporate sponsorships, foundation grants, retail-rewards micro-donations, and event proceeds, augmented by a 50% cost-match from the Commonwealth of Virginia.

The foundation's product surface centers on a single core program — Dolly Parton's Imagination Library for the Virginia Peninsulas — supported by an enrollment portal and parent-facing address/management portal, two structured donor programs (The Book Club for monthly recurring givers and the Storyteller Society for tiered multi-year commitments), a secondary "Bags of Hope" program, and the annual Storybook Breakfast fundraiser. Operations run on a thin technology stack: the public site is on Squarespace, parent and enrollment workflows are web-based, volunteer management uses the POINT platform, and book production and mailing are outsourced to Penguin Random House and third-party mail fulfillment. There is no proprietary technology; the foundation's defensibility sits in its brand affiliation, content pipeline, and local distribution network rather than in software.

The go-to-market is community-led and event-driven rather than commercial. New geographies are seeded through local partner coalitions (regional service clubs, healthcare systems, community foundations) and expansion funding from the Commonwealth of Virginia, while enrollment funnels through online registration, library branch sign-ups, and an auto-enrollment pilot with Sentara Health at the point of birth. As of the most recent reporting, the foundation serves 6,400+ children monthly, has mailed 246,000+ books since the program's 2019 launch, has served 14,000+ children cumulatively, and is the largest Imagination Library affiliate in Virginia, enrolling roughly 1 in 4 children under five in each served locality.

Name

the degood foundation

Legal name

The DeGood Foundation

Website

https://degoodfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The DeGood Foundation is a Newport News, Virginia-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that operates the local affiliate of Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, mailing free, age-appropriate books monthly to children from birth to age five across the Virginia Peninsula, Middle Peninsula, Greater Williamsburg, and Isle of Wight County. It serves roughly 6,400 children each month through community-funded donations, corporate sponsorships, and a 50% Virginia state cost-match.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Early Childhood Literacy Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

After-School, Tutoring & Academic Enrichment Nonprofits (BPAGADAC)

Keywords

• Early childhood literacy
• Book gifting programs
• Nonprofit literacy services
• Donor engagement programs
• Community literacy partnerships

Headquarters

HQ city

Newport News

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Monthly donors (Book Club) and one-time donors provide the primary revenue stream. Donations fund book acquisition and postage costs. The Commonwealth of Virginia provides a 50% cost-match on all donations, effectively doubling impact.
2. Corporate Sponsorships: Corporate partners like Smithfield Foods, Sentara Health, and others provide direct donations and sponsorships. Smithfield donated $12,000 in 2024 with a matching $12,000 from Virginia state funding.
3. Foundation Grants: Foundation partners including Petters Family Foundation, Williamsburg Community Foundation, and others provide grant funding. Virginia state expansion monies were approved in 2022 and renewed for two years.
4. Event Revenue: Annual Storybook Breakfast event raised over $30,000 in 2025, enabling approximately 1,900 children to receive free books for a full year.
5. Retail Rewards Programs: Kroger Community Rewards program generates donations when supporters shop, with each trip potentially giving 3 free books to children.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The DeGood Foundation operates as the local program partner for Dolly Parton's Imagination Library across the Virginia Peninsula, Middle Peninsula, Greater Williamsburg, and Isle of Wight communities, mailing free, high-quality, age-appropriate books monthly to children from birth to age five regardless of income. The foundation supports the program through individual giving programs (The Book Club monthly donors and Storyteller Society multi-year donors), corporate sponsorships, foundation grants, an annual Storybook Breakfast fundraiser, and the Kroger Community Rewards program.

Product overview

The DeGood Foundation operates a single core program — Dolly Parton's Imagination Library for the Virginia Peninsulas — which is a book-gifting program that mails free, high-quality books monthly to children from birth to age five. The foundation supports this program through two donor engagement programs (The Book Club for monthly donors and the Storyteller Society for multi-year donors), an annual fundraising event (Storybook Breakfast), and provides operational services including an enrollment portal and parent portal for managing registrations and deliveries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Dolly Parton's Imagination Library (Virginia Peninsula): A book gifting program that mails free, high-quality, age-appropriate books to children from birth to age five. The DeGood Foundation serves as the local program partner for the Virginia Peninsula, Middle Peninsula, Isle of Wight, and Greater Williamsburg communities.

Products and services

• Dolly Parton's Imagination Library (Virginia Peninsula Program) A book-gifting program that mails free, high-quality, age-appropriate books monthly to children from birth to age five regardless of income or background. The DeGood Foundation serves as the local program partner for the Virginia Peninsula, Middle Peninsula, Greater Williamsburg, and Isle of Wight communities, with books personalized with the child's name and selected by the Blue Ribbon Selection Committee of early literacy experts.
• Bags of Hope An additional program offered by The DeGood Foundation that provides support and resources to ensure children have equitable access to positive early childhood experiences.
• The Book Club (Monthly Donor Program) A community of monthly donors whose recurring gifts make free monthly books possible for local children. Members receive monthly DeGood News impact reports and can customize their giving level.
• Storyteller Society A multi-year donor program requiring an annual five-year commitment to ensure long-term sustainability of the Imagination Library program. Tiers include Building the Bookshelf ($1,000-$2,499), Filling with Books ($2,500-$4,999), and Lifelong Love of Reading ($5,000+).
• Storybook Breakfast Annual character breakfast event held at Christopher Newport University's David Student Union where children's books come to life to support the local Imagination Library, featuring character meet-and-greets, breakfast, and literacy-rich activities. Raised over $30,000 in 2025.
• Enrollment Service An online and in-person (library branch) registration service that allows parents and guardians to enroll children birth to age five in Dolly Parton's Imagination Library. Registration takes 1-2 weeks for processing and the first book arrives approximately 8-12 weeks after approval.

Quantifiable outcome

• 107,775+ books delivered to 7,200+ children since 2019 (as of May 2024)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Kiwanis Club of WilliamsburgcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 January 2025Partner enabling expansion of Dolly Parton's Imagination Library to the Greater Williamsburg community (City of Williamsburg and James City County) launching February 2025.
• Sentara HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 January 2025Sentara supports the expansion to Greater Williamsburg and has a pilot partnership where children born at Sentara Williamsburg Regional Medical Center are automatically enrolled in the Imagination Library.
• Dolly Parton's Imagination Library / The Dollywood FoundationflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019The DeGood Foundation is the local program partner for Dolly Parton's Imagination Library in Hampton Roads, Virginia. The program mails free, high-quality, age-appropriate books to children from birth to age five. Books are custom printed by Penguin Random House and curated by the Blue Ribbon Selection Committee.
• Penguin Random HousecoreTechnology or IntegrationExclusive publisher for Dolly Parton's Imagination Library. Books are custom printed by Penguin Random House for the program.
• KrogerminorGTM or Marketing PartnerKroger Community Rewards program allows shoppers to link their account and generate donations to The DeGood Foundation when they shop. Each Kroger trip can give 3 free books to kids.
• Christopher Newport UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStorybook Breakfast annual event held at CNU's David Student Union. Founder Kyle DeGood is a CNU alumnus who spoke at the university's SpeakCNU event in 2017.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Save the Children (US Early Childhood Programs): Large international NGO with US early childhood literacy and kindergarten readiness programs. Overlapping mission in early literacy for underserved children, though much broader portfolio and global scope versus The DeGood Foundation's local focus.

Others

• United Way of the Virginia Peninsula: Local United Way affiliate serving the same Virginia Peninsula geography. Functions as a complementary community funder/distributor rather than direct competitor; relevant for understanding local nonprofit ecosystem, partnership opportunities, and competing donor dollars.

Direct peers

• Parent-Child Home Program: Early childhood literacy and school readiness nonprofit that delivers books and home visits to families with young children. Comparable target demographic (ages 0-5), similar outcomes focus (kindergarten readiness), and similar low-income family engagement model.
• Reach Out and Read: National early childhood literacy nonprofit that integrates book gifting into pediatric care. Highly comparable model: leverages healthcare provider touchpoints to deliver free books to young children and families, similar to The DeGood Foundation's Sentara auto-enrollment pilot.
• First Book: Nonprofit providing books and educational resources to children in low-income communities. Comparable mission of expanding book access to underserved youth; operates a distribution/fulfillment model targeted at programs serving kids in need.
• Dolly Parton's Imagination Library (Dollywood Foundation): The national parent program of which The DeGood Foundation is a local affiliate. Operates the same book-gifting model nationwide; The DeGood Foundation is one of its largest regional partners and is structurally bound to its selection and operational standards.
• Reading Is Fundamental: Long-standing nonprofit focused on distributing free books to children, including underserved populations. Direct peer in the book-gifting/literacy space, though operates through schools and literacy programs rather than direct-to-home mail.
• Raising A Reader: National early literacy and family engagement nonprofit focused on children birth through age 8. Comparable target population (young children), comparable mission (early literacy/book access), and similar model of home-based book rotation programs.

Regional players

• BookSpring: Central Texas early literacy nonprofit serving young children through book distribution and literacy programs. Comparable mission and target population (children birth to age 5), but operates in a different geographic region.

Emerging players

• Too Small to Fail: Clinton Foundation initiative focused on early brain and language development through parent-child engagement. Comparable mission around early childhood literacy gaps, though broader in scope (digital, policy, research) than book gifting.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/TheDeGoodFoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-degood-foundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/thedegoodfoundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about the degood foundation