Tucson Tome Gnome

Help us share and hide books in 2026!

The Tome Gnome strives to bolster a culture and community united in the joy of reading by providing free books to the community to inspire literacy, reading, and happiness.

WHAT WE DO:

Founded by three friends in 2021, the Tucson Tome Gnome runs a monthly bookish scavenger hunt. Every month, we select a book and hide 45 copies of it all over Tucson and the surrounding communities for our friends and neighbors to find. We then ask people to read, enjoy, and rehide their found book for the next person to discover. In addition to our monthly book hiding, we also host a regular "Solutions Focused Community Book Club" and collaborate with local businesses and other nonprofits in Tucson on mission-focused events that bring book joy to older teens and adults.

HOW WE USE YOUR DONATIONS:

We have no paid staff; everything is run on volunteer hours from a few dedicated individuals. Thus, all the money we raise goes directly into buying the books we hide every month, supplies, and participating in various community collaborations and partnerships to spread the joy of reading! $5,000 will not cover all our operating costs in 2026, but it will help us and provide some flexibility to engage in new activities when opportunities arise.

IN SUMMARY:

Although we (the founders!) all have other full-time commitments, we love doing this work and would love to keep it going! If you like what we're doing, we'd love to have you support us with a donation. We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, so your gifts to us are tax-deductible (EIN: 88-3343983) :)

Thank you so much for investing in us and our bookish Tucson community!

Help us share and hide books in 2025! The Tome Gnome strives to bolster a culture and community united in the joy of reading by providing free books to the community to inspire literacy, reading, and happiness.

WHAT WE DO:

Founded by three friends in 2021, the Tucson Tome Gnome runs a monthly bookish scavenger hunt. Every month, we select a book and hide 45 copies of it all over Tucson and surrounding communities for our friends and neighbors to find. We then ask people to read, enjoy, and hide their found book for the next person to discover. In addition to our monthly book hiding, we also host a regular "Solutions Focused Community Book Club," and we collaborate with local businesses and other nonprofits in Tucson on events that create book joy for older teens and adults!

HOW WE USE YOUR DONATIONS:

We have no paid staff - everything is run off of volunteer hours from a few dedicated folks. Thus, all the money we raise goes directly into buying the books we hide every month, supplies, and participating in various community collaborations and partnerships to spread the joy of reading! $10,000 will not cover ALL our operating costs in 2025, but it will help us and give us some flexibility to engage in new activities when opportunities arise!

IN SUMMARY:

Although we all have other full-time commitments, we love doing this work and would love to keep it going! So, if you like what we're doing, we'd love to have you support us with a donation! We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, so your gifts to us are tax deductible (EIN: 88-3343983) :)

Thank you so much for investing in us and the broader Tucson community!