Federal Funding for Reading is Fundamental
 

Hey Ladies,
I was on Kappa's website today and was sad to read the following:

FROM CAROL H. RASCO, President and CEO of Reading Is Fundamental

ACT NOW TO REINSTATE RIF'S FUNDING
The President's proposed fiscal year 2009 budget released yesterday
eliminates the Inexpensive Book Distribution Program, which is the RIF Book
Distribution Program. Unless Congress reinstates funding for this program,
RIF would be unable to distribute 16 million books annually to the nation's
youngest and most at-risk children.

RIF will work hard with our Congressional champions to demonstrate the
importance of reinstating RIF's funding in this budget. The process will be
long and involve significant time and energy. We will need active supporters
like you with us every step of the way. We know with certainty your voice,
as a constituent, is the most important resource we have to make sure
Congress reinstates RIF's funding.

Please ACT NOW and help RIF build support for reinstating the funding by
sending an e-mail now to your members of Congress asking them to support the
reinstatement of RIF's funding in the coming budget process.

We hope you will share this message with six friends who will also contact
members of Congress.

Thank you in advance for your support!




I emailed my state senators and representatives and urge you to do the same!

Ladies, I really hope you don't mind me adding my two cents.

I am conflicted. I was a child who benefitted from RIF books.

But I am also a non-profit professional. I have looked at RIF's form 990 from 2005 and I think the organization relies too heavily on federal funds. National non-profits scare me, especially ones that rely heavily on federal funding -- when the funding is cut, there are a lot of people out of jobs.

BUT....even more concerning to me.... the Executive Director earned $182,223 in 2005. I saw three other officers making over $140,000.

Now, looking deeper into the 990, it says that 20,000,000 go to books for the book distribution. My question is this.... couldn't book companies become partners with RIF to make a certain percentage of their books (.01?) available for donation?

I guess I'm not sure that I want tax dollars to pay for books that the industry ought to be donating to the poor in the first place.

Good luck with this drive and I hope it all works out!

ETA: I was able to view RIF's 990 (a self-reported tax form) through www.guidestar.org. It's free and legal.