The Alliance between Reading Is Fundamental and The Coca-Cola Company

• Classroom Collections:  The RIF/Coca-Cola partnership will place 10,000 Classroom Collections in existing RIF programs in some of the nation’s most disadvantaged schools. The collections, which are small classroom-based libraries, will contain between 100-120 high-quality hardback books, and are intended for children in kindergarten through third grade―a critical period in a child’s educational development. The collections will provide educators and RIF volunteers with the resources to ensure that kids at risk of educational failure obtain unprecedented access to good books they can read, borrow, and take home to share with their families. Designed to bridge the gap between the homeroom and the living room, the collections will include resources to encourage important interaction between children, teachers, and family members.
  
  
• StoryTravelers: Ten StoryTraveler vehicles will cross the country, bringing the message about the importance of reading to kids and families everywhere. Through entertaining and informative performances and activities, and the distribution of free books, the StoryTravelers will motivate children to read and encourage grown-ups to read with kids.
  
  
• RIF Reading Planet: Children and grown-ups explore an all-new online world of book fun on www.rif.org, where young explorers can read and post reviews of their favorite books, keep their own virtual library and create or join their own Clubhouse, and adult visitors can find a universe of activities and ideas for motivating kids to read and resources about age-appropriate books.
  
  
• Ingenuity grants: Multisite RIF programs will test out their innovative ideas with funding from ingenuity grants through the project. Grant requirements focus on community engagement in children's literacy and connecting local RIF programs with colleges, universities and researchers who can help evaluate and shape literacy programs that best suit their communities. At the conclusion of the grant term, new ideas and best practices will be evaluated and shared with RIF programs around the country and with other constituents of the literacy community.

1. Corporations and nonprofits each have a vision for a project based on their own organization's mission and goals as well as the populations they serve. Both parties need to be educated from the beginning about these goals so that movement forward is clear and beneficial for both partners.
   
   
2. Communicating to the individuals at the local level with such a large system like Coca-Cola’s and RIF’s can be challenging. Messages can be interpreted in many different ways and clarity is of the utmost importance. Even with a considerable amount of forethought, extensive planning is necessary to anticipate dealing with some confusion at the local level and managing the process.
   
   
3. There can never be enough lead time to carry out a large, multi-level project. When involving children, schools and families, and corporate employees, there needs to be enough time to plan so that everyone’s schedules work together.

5.  There is great value in sharing your success stories internally. It can inspire employee pride and encourage future partnerships that positively impact business and communities.

Melissa Fahs (The Coca-Cola Company) and Sara Horwitz (Reading Is Fundamental):
"Our advice comes directly from the critical success factors of the partnership:

• Garner support up front from senior management from each organization so that the outcomes of the project are aligned with respective goals;
• Establish shared objectives and commitment to measurement to ensure performance tracking and continuous improvement;
• Understand and embrace different cultures and stakeholders;
• Ensure open communication and dedicated human resources on both sides of the partnership;
• Respect the expertise area of each partner (i.e., Coca-Cola has expertise in marketing/distribution and RIF has expertise in reading motivation);
• Allow for national and grassroots activation to ensure sustainable activity at the local level;
• Provide opportunities to drive business and benefit community. Not all initiatives need to do both, but in sum should do so; and
• Involve employees so they can “touch and feel” it. Employees get a sense of pride from positive corporate contribution and want to be a part of it.

Sara Horwitz (Reading Is Fundamental):
"The partnership is in the first year and the outlook for the future in brief terms is:

• 3000 classroom-based libraries along with bookshelves and resource kits were distributed in the first year of the project to 634 RIF sites.
  
  
• The second set of 3500 classroom based libraries have just been sent to approximately 700 sites all over the United States, thus totaling 6,500 libraries serving more than 325,000 children.
  
  
• The 15 StoryTravelers that roamed the country in the fall of 2001 provided more than 260,000 books for young children and delivered more than 735 live reading events in schools, hospitals, community centers, libraries and retail locations.
  
  
• The StoryTravelers also secured publicity coverage on NBC, CBS, ABC, and WB throughout the country and garnered coverage in major local print publications including The Chicago Sun Times, The Atlanta Journal/Constitution, The Dallas Morning News and Brandweek.
  
  
• The RIF Reading Planet has made a significant impact in a short period of time. From its September 2001 launch to April 2002, the number of pages viewed tripled and the number of visitors quadrupled. March 2002, the month during which RIF programs were engaged in the "Read With Me: The Community Reading Challenge," marked an all-time high for traffic to the RIF Reading Planet, with over 319,000 pages viewed.
  
  
• Through a competitive grant-making program and the generosity of The Coca-Cola Company, RIF has awarded funding support for 19 literacy programs developed and implemented in communities across the nation. In order to support literacy projects in a variety of settings across the country, RIF encouraged local RIF programs to partner with agencies including, but not limited to, libraries, schools, community groups, hospitals, early childhood programs, community colleges, well-baby clinics, Head Start sites, colleges and universities. By sponsoring innovative programs and joint research activities with outside organizations, RIF hopes to expand the knowledge base in the field of reading motivation, while at the same time foster significant collaboration among existing and new community partners; strengthen local partnerships and build program sustainability within the national RIF volunteer network.
  
  
• In addition to the four main components of the partnership listed above, RIF has also added another element to the partnership. Local Coca-Cola bottlers and RIF programs are beginning to work together to establish community champion initiatives. Program templates are being provided and bottlers can select particular book distribution events in which to work with a local RIF coordinator. RIF coordinators and local markets are currently being paired up and the literacy events will take place throughout the country from June to December 2002.

For more information about this partnership, visit www.youthdevelopment.coca-cola.com.  You can also go to www.coca-cola.com (click on "Youth Partnership").

Last updated: September 2002