Book Dash Annual Print Run 2026

Each year, one of our major undertakings is our Annual Print Run. We pool in our own resources along with that of funding partners and other NGOs to print hundreds of thousands of Book Dash books, in one go to assure the absolute best pricing. These books are then distributed to more than 200 Book Dash-approved partner organisations across South Africa and given to the children and families they support for free. In the 2025 print run, we printed 675,000 books – spanning 34 titles and 11 South African languages. This year we are doing it again and we invite you to join us.

Ideal organisations that would benefit most from joining our Annual Print Run:

• Foundations, Philanthropies, Corporates and/or Trusts supporting local community based organisations in Early Childhood Development, and/or adjacent disciplines.
• Early Childhood Development (ECD) Resource and Training Support Organisations (RTOs).
• Large NGOs working in Early Childhood Development, and/or any other disciplines and development programmes which intersect with children and families.
• ECD resourcing organisations and training institutes.
• Early Childhood Development start-up/mentorship or accelerator programmes.
• Those that can meet the minimum order criteria of 1,000 books (NB: delivery cost is an additional cost that is calculated based on volumes and delivery address). 
• Those who are able to order and pay by 16 March 2026. 

NB: Distribution is within South Africa only. Organisations seeking delivery outside of RSA should contact us directly for dedicated special project support and costing.

• Your organisation (and indirectly your beneficiaries), access Book Dash books at a lower cost than procuring the books at any time during the year. We guarantee a cost of R15/book in the print run, while buying from stock during the course of the year costs R25/book.
• Books are delivered directly from Book Dash’s warehouse facility to your organisation or your beneficiary organisation.
• Participating will strengthen your funded entities, and deepen the impact of your investment.
• Your organisation will be contributing to improving literacy in South Africa.
• Book Dash is a B-BBEE Level One (QSE) organisation – your contributions could qualify for SED and Procurement Points/spend.

Organisations may also opt to donate funds to Book Dash to print and distribute to our network of grassroots organisations. The benefits of this approach are:

• Funds Donated to Book Dash could qualify for either tax deductions in accordance with Section 18A  or for B-BBBE points. Organisations needing support with either of these options should contact Book Dash for more information via our team email. 
  • Book Dash is a Public Benefit Organisation, and donations qualify for tax deductions according to Section 18A (T&Cs apply) 
  • Book Dash is a B-BBEE Level One (QSE) organisation – your contributions could qualify for SED and Procurement Points/spend. 
• For organisations subscribing to ESG standards, if donations are made directly to Book Dash for distribution to our +200 network of NGOs the spend can count  towards the “S” in ESG.
• If you do not have a list of specific organisations you wish to give the books to, Book Dash is still able to allocate the books to credible organisations capable of distributing the books responsibly. We have a huge waitlist of organisations requesting book donations.

It is amazing how the grassroot organisations have embedded the books into their curricula and interventions: from early childhood education teacher training, to parental support programmes and even supporting teens to be literacy promoters and spark the joy of reading in their siblings. Our nature- and climate-related books are being used in community projects focused on food gardens, sustainability and environmental training. Children in classes are sharing some of the books  and learning about how to preserve our environment, recycle and become innovative in an age-appropriate, fun and enjoyable way.

The feedback we receive from our organisations is outstanding – with those who have had funds to carry out developmental outcomes assessments such as the ELOM – demonstrating that children enrolled in their programmes receiving Book Dash books as part of a holistic intervention were outperforming their national and provincial level peers not enrolled in the programmes. Visit our website or follow the links here to read up on how some of our partners have used our books in their programmes and also to explore our evidence on the effects of early book ownership.

If you are still unsure about incorporating book provisioning into your local community projects and/or as part of support packages for your funded entities and grantees, take a moment to watch this video from one of our current funding partners the Solon Foundation. Eleven years ago Solon took the leap and partnered with Book Dash on several print runs. The books printed have been used by their pool of grantees who have gone on to either build stronger, higher quality programmes using the books, or have expanded their reach and service offerings, centering books as a key part of all the learning.

To join the print run, simply complete this order form. One of our helpful Book Dash team members will contact you once the order is received.