First Book, the Washington, D.C.-based organization that provides new books to children in need, has teamed up with Random House Children’s Books to raise awareness—and book donations—via social media.

This week, Random House has agreed to donate one brand-new children’s book for each new follower of First Book on Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr. First Book posted messages about the endeavor on these social media outlets (including the message shown here). The campaign is already off to a flying start, according to First Book communications manager Brian Minter. First Book began the week on Monday with roughly 30,000 social media followers, and by noon Wednesday, the number had reached 55,000—an 80% increase.

"The more we can tell people about our mission, the more people want to get involved," says Minter, “and this is a great way to accomplish that.” The effort also allows First Book to show its appreciation to those who have already been involved. "We don’t get enough opportunities to thank our amazing partners like Random House Children’s Books, and it’s nice to give them a shout-out," he adds. “They do an incredible amount of work with us, and they step up all the time."

This week’s online blitz is actually the second one that First Book has undertaken. Minter praised the solid support of Disney Publishing, which partnered with First Book in May 2011 for the debut campaign, during which First Book picked up 10,000 total followers across Twitter, Facebook, and Tumblr, and Disney donated that number of books to the cause. "It was very successful as well," Minter says, noting that it has been impressive to see First Book’s social-media reach stretch even farther this time around.