Why donate to the West Philly Tool Library?
We subsidize our membership to ensure that our services remain affordable for all. As a result, your dues cover only a small fraction of our costs at the Tool Library. We need your help–your time, your tools, or your monetary donations–to keep our services going, growing, and accessible to all. Thank you for considering a donation to the West Philly Tool Library.
~The West Philly Tool Library Team and Community
Sometimes you can’t beat cold, hard cash :-). Since 2007, WPTL has filled a need in our community to bring neighbors together so that they can fix up their houses, clean their blocks, and create new projects. And we’ve done it all for about $35,000 per year. Roughly 40% of our budget comes from membership dues and late fees; for the rest, we rely on any small grants we can secure, as well as individual and corporate donations. With additional resources, we could:
- Offer more classes to community members on basic home repairs and many other topics
- Purchase more tools so our most frequently borrowed tools are always in stock
- Extend our hours for added convenience to our members
If you’d like to chip in to help us further our mission, your generosity would be greatly appreciated!
Donate via your PayPal account or via a credit or debit card (no PayPal account required)–if you have the means, please consider making it a monthly donation
Are you a corporate donor? Consider becoming a Community Sustainer
Your company can demonstrate its commitment to helping folks in our community fix up and maintain safe and healthy homes through resource equity. Please email us at info@westphillytools.org with any questions about developing a relationship, including sponsoring classes or memberships.
Whether you have a lot of extra time or only a little, there are numerous ways that you can help WPTL by volunteering–here are just a few:
As a WPTL Ambassador
We have all types of projects that we need to complete to keep the library running. With your help, we can grow, develop, and better serve you and our entire community. Some examples of projects and activities we need help with include:
- diagnosing and repairing tools
- calling references
- reorganizing the library/taking inventory
- helping us check members in and out
- help with events such as our periodic tool sales
- and so much more!
Teach a Class for WPTL
We offer classes on a range of topics, from bicycle maintenance to basic plumbing (and just about everything in between), and bringing in experts from the community as instructors or classroom assistants allows us to offer a robust curriculum. If you have knowledge and skills to share, we’d love to have you!
Become a WPTL Board Member or Committee Member
From time to time, we need community volunteers to take on a larger role in steering the direction of WPTL, particularly if you have experience in the world of non-profits (though, that is definitely NOT a requirement). If you have the time and enthusiasm to help us keep all the plates spinning, we’d love to discuss it with you further.
To volunteer your time, please use the following form to tell us more about yourself:
The Tool Library is actively seeking tool donations of all kinds. We especially welcome hand tools, power tools, gardening tools, and ladders.
All donations are made to our fiscal sponsor, the Urban Affairs Coalition (UAC), a federally-recognized 501(c)(3) organization, and are used in accordance with the purposes of the Tool Library. They are tax deductible to the extent permitted under law.
Upon submitting the form below, a member of the Tool Library staff or steering committee will be in touch with you.