Who We Are and What We Do
The Harry Potter Alliance turns fans into heroes. Our community of activists, nerds, avid readers, and pop culture enthusiasts has tackled all kinds of important issues, from marriage equality to ethical cocoa sourcing. However, few issues are closer to the heart of our community than literacy and education access. After all, a shared love of books brought us together in the first place, and the morals of the stories we love have guided our campaigns and priorities since 2005.
This campaign will fund our annual international book drive, Accio Books. Funds raised will allow us to coordinate a book drive spanning several continents, provide essential resources to our members and chapters, support three US events in honor of World Book Night, and advocate to Congress for increased support for public libraries. Most exciting of all, this year we'll be supplying books to Masaka HPA, our chapter in Uganda. Those books will be used to build a brand new library for the Good Shepherd School in Masaka!
Help us reach our stretch goal!
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We met our initial goal AND our first stretch goal, but we're just getting started! Hitting our second stretch goal will allow us to send five new computers to the Good Shepherd School in Masaka, Uganda. Help wizard activists in Masaka and around the world curate an even better library -- with new computers!
Join the Friends of the Apparating Library and support our work in literacy and education.
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Note: The Apparating Library Book Club's calendar year begins in July; thus, new memberships will be effective as of July 2016.
Magical Perks
What We've Accomplished with Accio Books
Since our first Accio Books campaign in 2009, the HPA has:
Raised over 250,000 books for schools and communities in need.
Built libraries in Brooklyn and Rwanda.
Created the Apparating Library, a progressive, community-generated library built by HPA members across the world over the course of several major fandom events.
Advocated for greater support for school and public libraries by partnering with the American Library Association to call, email, and meet with Congress on National Library Legislative Day.
HPA chapters led the way in 2015, raising over 53,757 books for local communities in 8 countries across the world.
Here's What We Have in Store for This Year:
During this year’s Accio Books, we plan to do something magical: to build a permanent library in Masaka, Uganda. Over the last year, the local HPA chapter (Masaka HPA) has been working with community leaders and volunteers to build a school in Masaka’s rural area. This year, we plan to use the HPA’s global community of chapters and wizard activists to stock the new school library! With your help, we’ll be able to provide the new school with novels and textbooks for their students!
Work with Book Riot to host three US events honoring World Book Night and create a toolkit for hosting your own event anywhere in the world!
Advocate with the American Library Association to increase funding and support for public libraries during National Library Legislative Day on May 3, 2016. We will also develop resources for advocating for libraries around the world!
Host Apparating Libraries at major fandom events, including Vidcon, GeekyCon, NerdCon: Stories, LeakyCon and more!
Engage our community of chapters and members in an ongoing discussion about the importance of books in education, personal growth, and identity in a global context.
Special Thanks!
Last year, our friends at Hogwarts Running Club raised an astounding $77,500 for the HPA through their Platform 9 3/4k event. They have generously allocated $10,000 from that donation toward this fundraiser’s matching fund! Thanks to Hogwarts Running Club and their excellent members, we have been able to expand the vision and ambition of this year’s Accio Books campaign. Into fandom and running? Check out Hogwarts Running Club on
facebook!
FAQ
Q: Are you legit?
A: Yes! Read all about our financial transparency and check out our gold rating on Guidestar here. We are SO legit.
Q: Is my donation tax deductible?
A: Yes - mostly! After donating, you should receive an email from FirstGiving confirming the tax-deductible status of your contribution. The tax-deductible portion of your contribution depends on the value of the perks you've received.
Example. You pay $40 for a Heroine t-shirt. Your entire $40 contribution goes to the HPA. The Heroine t-shirt has a value of $22. When you buy your t-shirt, you know its value is less than your payment. To figure the tax-deductible amount of your contribution, subtract the value of the perk you receive ($22) from your total payment ($40). You can deduct $18 as a charitable contribution to the HPA in this example.
Q: Does international shipping cost extra?
A: Yes. International shipping rates continue to rise. We wish they'd stop!
Q: I donated for one of the shirt perks. When do I give you my shirt size?
A: We will email you a survey within a few days of your donation. At that time, you’ll be asked to provide sizing details for your shirt. Please add donate@thehpalliance.org to your address book to ensure that you receive this important email.
Q: What sizes are available for t-shirts? Onesies? Tanks?
A: Sizes vary depending on the product. The Apparating Librarian t-shirt comes in Adult Unisex XS-3XL and Ladies S-2XL. The Hex the Patriarchy t-shirt comes in Adult Unisex XS-2XL and Ladies S-XL. The Wizard Activist Shamrock t-shirt comes in Adult Unisex XS-2XL and Ladies S-XL. The House Unity Running Tank comes in Adult Unisex XS-XL. The onesie comes in 3-6m, 6-12m, 12-18m, and 18-24m sizes.
Q: I’m outside of the US and having trouble getting IndieGoGo to accept my donation. Help?
A: IndieGoGo only accepts international credit cards, not bank or debit cards. If you do not have a credit card and still wish to donate to our campaign and receive perks, email donate@thehpalliance.org to make sure the perk you want is still available, and donate instead directly through thehpalliance.org/donate.
Q: I have a question.
A: That’s a statement. Questions should be directed to donate@thehpalliance.org.
