• Donate Online. Click on the “Donate” button below to make a secure donation by credit card or your bank account (ACH). You will be able to add a special instruction to tell us what your donation is for.
• Mail a check to Chatham County Literacy Council, PO Box 1696, Pittsboro, NC 27312.
• Use online banking (ACH withdrawals).  On your bank’s website, in the section where you pay bills, add Chatham Literacy (P.O. Box 1696, Pittsboro, NC 27312) as a vendor. 

Meet community needs throughout the year by signing up for Chatham Literacy’s Monthly
Giving Program. To support our programs monthly visit our webpage to register
at https://chathamliteracy.org/donate-online/.

A simple way to arrange for a future gift to Chatham Literacy is through a bequest. This can be accomplished by simply naming Chatham Literacy as a beneficiary in your will or trust. You can specify which assets we’ll receive such as cash, securities, real estate or other non-cash assets, or designate that we receive a percentage of your overall estate or percentage of the residual of your estate.

Include Chatham Literacy in your planned giving. If interested, please call our office at 919-742-0578.

Literacy leads to gainful employment, financial and family stability, good health care, and better outcomes for the next generation.

Volunteering as an adult literacy tutor allows you to make a profound difference in someone’s life by helping them develop essential reading, writing, and language skills. Many adults struggle with low literacy levels, which can severely limit their opportunities in education, employment, and daily life. You’ll have an opportunity to work with people who want to earn a high school credential, who need stronger English-language skills to get a job or a promotion, or who simply want to be able to read to their children, fill out an application form, or understand the directions on a bottle of medicine.

This is where Chatham Literacy comes in. Chatham Literacy transforms lives in the following three areas:

1) Traditional Literacy in which we help adults to improve their basic education such as reading, writing, and math; to prepare for the GED or high school diploma; to enroll in a vocational degree; or to ready themselves for training opportunities to advance their work.

2) Civics and Language Literacy in which we teach English language learners how to speak, read and write, and understand English; we help prepare adults for the citizenship exam.

3) Life Skills Literacy in which we prepare adults for expectations and norms in today’s workplace; we do that by offering workforce soft skills training, computer literacy and financial literacy.

Longer-term tutoring in:

• English for Speakers of Other Languages
• Citizenship Preparation
• GED/High School Equivalency Preparation
• Basic Literacy in reading, writing, and math

Shorter duration tutoring in:

• Financial Literacy
• Workforce Soft Skills
• Digital Literacy

If you enjoy working with people and can spare two hours of your time each week, you can make a huge difference in a neighbor’s life. You don’t need a teaching background or a foreign language skill to become a tutor. We’ll provide the training.

Our tutors enjoy flexible schedules and can choose to volunteer for one-on-one sessions, small-group classes, or both. You can tutor on your time schedule and at a place that is convenient for you. Don’t have a regular schedule to commit to weekly tutoring?  Become a substitute tutor or become a proctor to help us administer reading assessments.

Please visit our Tutor FAQ and Classes pages for more information. If you would like to tutor, download and completed our Volunteer Application Form, and we will be in touch. Or, to discuss your involvement, please contact our Volunteer Coordinator at 919-742-0578.

Chatham Literacy relies heavily on the talents and guidance of dedicated board and committee members to drive their missions forward. As a board member, you provide governance oversight, strategic planning, and fiscal accountability to ensure the organization operates effectively. Committee members focus on specific areas like fundraising, marketing, programs, etc. and lend their subject matter expertise. Serving on our board or on a committee allows you to apply your professional skills and experience in a meaningful way while learning about the inner workings of the nonprofit sector. It’s an excellent way to get hands-on experience in leadership, team collaboration, and working towards social impact goals. Our organization seeks members from diverse backgrounds to contribute fresh perspectives.

See our Board Committees list for more details.

Each year Chatham Literacy conducts four events that provide a significant amount of the funding needed to produce our free adult literacy programming.  We offer popular literacy luncheons in North Chatham and Siler City as well as Literacy Swings big band nights in Pittsboro and Siler City. To learn more about how you can partner with us and our students, please visit our Become a Sponsor page.

Charitable giving is often matched by many employers. To double the impact of your gift, check
with your employer about gift matching today. If your employer requests more information,
please reach out to Chatham Literacy directly, at admin@chathamliteracy.org.

Donor-advised funds are the fastest-growing charitable giving option because they are one of
the easiest and most tax-advantageous ways to support your favorite programs. Make meaningful contribution and receive immediate tax deductions by giving through your donor-advised fund.

Donating appreciated stocks or mutual funds directly to Chatham Literacy, rather than selling the assets first, can provide significant tax benefits. When you gift appreciated securities you have held for more than one year to a qualified public charity, you get a tax deduction for the full fair market value and avoid paying capital gains taxes on the appreciation. This allows you to support the causes you care about while potentially saving more on taxes than if you donated cash proceeds after selling the stock. Charitable stock donations can be a tax-smart way for investors to give more at a lower cost.

If you are age 72 or older, you are required to take minimum distributions each year from your traditional IRAs and 401(k) plans (Roth IRAs are exempt). Rather than taking the full RMD as taxable income, you can satisfy part or all of your RMD by making a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) – a direct transfer of funds from your IRA to an eligible charity. This allows you to meet your RMD obligation while excluding the donated amount from your taxable income, providing tax savings. QCDs can be a tax-efficient way for charitably inclined retirees to meet their RMDs while supporting their favorite causes.

iGive.com is a free online shopping portal that allows you to raise money for your favorite causes simply by shopping at over 1,900 popular online retailers. When you start your shopping journey at iGive.com and click through to your desired store, a percentage of your purchase amount gets donated to Chatham Literacy at no extra cost to you. From clothing and electronics to travel and home goods, iGive partners with major brands across numerous categories. It’s an easy way to generate donations by doing something you already do – online shopping – while supporting the organizations and missions that matter most to you.

Work on fundraising events like our annual Spring for Literacy luncheon or promoting Chatham Literacy at community events and information fairs.

To speak with someone about volunteer opportunities with Chatham Literacy, please call 919-742-0578  or send an email to admin@chathamliteracy.org.

Help us to keep our costs down and to make learning more affordable for students by donating office and educational supplies. We welcome supplies including (but not be limited to) pens, pencils, dry markers, spiral notebooks, three-ring binders, notebook paper, calculators, dictionaries, reams of paper, envelopes, flip charts, and small portable CD players. Before donating supplies, please contact us at 919-742-0578 or at admin@chathamliteracy.org.