Book em
About
Book’em’s mission is to create a more literate Nashville and ignite children’s passion for reading through book ownership and enthusiastic volunteers. We envision a future in Nashville where all children own books and know first-hand the joy and value of reading. Book’em provides free, high-quality books and engaging literacy experiences to more than 22,000 children […]
Book'em creates a more literate nashville and ignites children's passion for reading through book ownership and enthusiastic volunteers. See schedule o. Book'em envisions a future in nashville where all children own books and know first-hand the joy and value of reading.our highest priority is serving nashville's economically disadvantaged children during their preschool and elementary school years. We believe that developing strong literacy skills from an early age is essential for academic and lifelong success. Book'em provides vital literacy support in the form of books and reading role models, so that nashville's under-served children can build their literacy skills.-a single book for a child makes a difference.-our board and staff are actively committed to our mission.-donors of books, time and money are essential to our mission.-efficiency will best meet our mission.-working with others in the community makes us better.
Focus & reach
Verification & registration
Every mark links to the official registry entry and opens in a new tab.
Integrity assessment
A score from 0 to 100 for how openly a charity shares public information across five areas: registration, financial disclosure, governance, contact details, and data recency. It does not measure programme impact. See exactly what we do and do not have →
Financials
IRS Form 990Leadership at a glance
Official filings
GiveRadar Intelligence
GiveRadar Analysis
From what GiveRadar has verified so far, Book em has a complete profile, cross-referenced across 3 independent sources including the IRS.
- It is one of the better-documented education charities in the United States GiveRadar currently tracks, because GiveRadar has verified its financial disclosures and its governance. Most of those have little verified data on record yet. View this cohort
- It has more complete contact information than nearly all comparable organizations, with a verified website, email, phone and address on record. See national comparisons
- It has more complete governance disclosure than nearly all comparable organizations, because GiveRadar has verified leadership, executive compensation, a mission statement and a founding date. See national comparisons
- government registration
- financial records (5 filed years)
- disclosed leadership
- a website
- a contact email
- a donation page
Analysis based on GiveRadar's benchmark dataset of 2026-09-07. It describes what GiveRadar has verified, not a judgment of the organization itself.
Filing history
5 years on file from IRS Form 990: revenue, expenses, program spending, assets, and liabilities by fiscal year.
See 5 years of revenue, expense breakdowns, and balance sheet.
Sign up to viewTax deductibility
Whether a gift to Book em lowers your own taxes depends on where you pay them. Choose your country to see the rule that applies.
Donations may be tax-deductible for residents of United States under local rules. Confirm with the charity directly.
BOOK EM is registered in United States. Donations from the Netherlands to charities outside the EU/EEA are generally not tax-deductible for Dutch donors unless the charity is listed on the Dutch ANBI register with foreign-recognized status.
This is general guidance, not tax advice. Confirm treatment with the charity or your tax advisor before donating.
Staff & volunteers
Leadership & board
Official filingsBoard members and senior officers on record, with disclosed pay where available.
25 officers and trustees on file, free with a GiveRadar account.
No red flags detected
Timeline
From official filingsKey dates from this charity's official filings, newest first.
In the news
No recent news coverage found
News coverage will appear here when articles mention this organization.
#14,130 of 195,585 education charities in the United States on integrity score
80/100 puts it in the top 8% of the cohort, tied with 10,639 others. Positions are competition ranks: ties share a position. Cohorts are the tightest local peer set with at least 30 comparable organizations; a metric is left out where the cohort is too small or nearly uniform.
Bars show the share of the cohort this charity outranks. Ranks describe how much is publicly disclosed, not how good the charity is.
How it stacks up against peers
Compared with 8 similar education charities in United States.
Cause areas in United States
Charities working in each area, this charity's highlighted.
Sources and verification
- Officers and trustees
- Internal Revenue Service (IRS) - Tax Exempt Organization Search · 82 disclosed in the public registry.
What we know and don't know
Every data point we track for this charity, and whether we have found it. Disclosure only, never a judgment of the charity's work.
Data freshness
How current this profile is, and when we last checked it against the official source.
Methodology
GiveRadar builds each profile primarily from official government charity registries, supplemented where available by third-party nonprofit databases and news archives, and combines it into a single 0-100 integrity assessment. The exact sources for this charity are listed above. We don't take a cut of any donation, ever.
Read full methodologyIf you represent this organization and want to correct or update its data, you can claim this listing to edit details yourself, or email info@giveradar.com with the correct information. We review every request and respond within 30 days.
Frequently asked questions about Book em
Book em is a registered education nonprofit based in Nashville, TN, United States. It is registered with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). It was founded in 1991 and has been operating for 35 years. Its EIN is 582000621. According to GiveRadar's records, it holds active tax-deductible status on the IRS Publication 78 list, which means donations are tax-deductible and the organization is in good standing with the IRS. GiveRadar's Integrity Assessment for the organization is 80/100, which reflects how much public information is available, not whether the charity is legitimate. The organization reports $729K in annual revenue. 82 officers and directors are publicly disclosed. No red flags have been detected.
Book em's Executive Director, Melissa Spradlin, received $64,407 in reported compensation in its most recent filing (2024). This figure comes straight from the organization's official filing and covers salary plus other reportable pay. Executive pay generally scales with the size and complexity of a nonprofit, so it is best read alongside the organization's revenue and what it does.
Based on official filings, Book em has $729K in annual revenue. It allocates 81% of expenses to programs and services. This is above the average of 74% for education charities in United States. Its revenue is below the peer average of $7M. Create a free GiveRadar account to view the complete financial breakdown with year-over-year trends.
Book’em’s mission is to create a more literate Nashville and ignite children’s passion for reading through book ownership and enthusiastic volunteers. We envision a future in Nashville where all children own books and know first-hand the joy and value of reading. Book’em provides free, high-quality books and engaging literacy experiences to more than 22,000 children […] Book em is classified as an education organization registered in United States. The organization was founded in 1991.
Book em is classified as an Education organization, registered in United States. It operates as a Publicly-supported charity (509(a)(2)). By size, it is categorized as a medium organization. It has $729K in annual revenue. The organization has 82 disclosed officers and directors.
Book em's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 582000621. This is the organization's IRS tax identification number; you can use it to verify tax-exempt status and to look up its Form 990 filings with the IRS.
Book em is located in Nashville, TN, United States. The organization was established in 1991 and has been active for 35 years.
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Quick facts about Book em
- What is Book em?
- Book em is a education publicly-supported charity (509(a)(2)) based in Nashville, United States. Book’em’s mission is to create a more literate Nashville and ignite children’s passion for reading through book ownership and enthusiastic volunteers. We envision a future in Nashville where all children own books and know first-hand the joy and value of reading. Book’em provides free, high-quality books and engaging literacy experiences to more than 22,000 children […]
- When was Book em founded?
- Book em was founded in 1991.
- Who leads Book em?
- Melissa Spradlin serves as Executive Director.
- Where is Book em located?
- Headquartered in Nashville, TN, United States.
- What is Book em's annual budget?
- Annual revenue for fiscal year 2024 is $729,485. 81% of expenses go to program services.
- Is Book em trustworthy?
- Book em has a GiveRadar Integrity Assessment of 80 out of 100 (Strong transparency). The score reflects public-data transparency: registration, financial disclosure, governance, contact details, and how recently data was refreshed. It does not measure program impact.
- What is Book em's registration number?
- IRS EIN: 582000621.
- What is Book em's website?
- http://www.bookem-kids.org