Graduate Appeal Guidelines
When a child reaches their 5th birthday, they officially graduate from Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. In addition to their final book - Look Out Kindergarten, Here I Come - graduating children also receive a personalized birthday video message via email from Dolly Parton herself.
Our system automatically processes children out of the active database once they graduate. However, some limited information, in accordance with the DPIL Data Sharing Policy, is retained. While Local Program Partners cannot directly access full contact details after graduation, there are still thoughtful and compliant ways to engage graduate families, celebrate this milestone, and encourage continued support of the Imagination Library in your community.
Guide for Appealing to Imagination Library Graduate Families
This guide outlines best practices and compliance requirements for communicating with families whose children have graduated from Dolly Parton's Imagination Library (DPIL). The goal is to keep families engaged with early literacy while remaining aligned with DPIL’s data sharing and branding policies.
Reaching out to graduating families is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate their child’s milestone, reinforce the importance of reading, and share how the Imagination Library is made possible in their community. By following Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library branding and content guidelines, you can ensure every message is warm, family-friendly, and consistent with the program’s mission. Thoughtful communication not only honors the child’s journey but also inspires families to continue nurturing a love of books—and, when appropriate, to help make that gift possible for future children.
Data Privacy & Compliance
You may communicate with graduate families only for purposes related to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library or literacy.
Acceptable Reasons to Contact Graduates:
Encourage continued shared reading habits
Offer literacy resources or community events
Provide graduation recognition
Share updates about the Imagination Library or local literacy programs
Direct fundraising/pay-it-forward appeals
Unacceptable:
Unrelated promotions or marketing
Sharing personal data with other organizations
Multiple donation requests/spam
Communication Channels & Rules:
Email Communications
Email communications may be made to graduate families through your Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library Mailchimp account only. When creating your audience for a graduate appeal in MailChimp, use the Graduate tag. Families stay in Mailchimp for 2 months after they graduate. Beyond the 2 months, information can be accessed in the Graduate Report for up to 12 months, but you’ll still need to comply with the Data Privacy Policy.
Physical Mail
Some local program partners may feel a letter or postcard to graduates is a more personal touch. If you plan to send physical mail, you must either do this in-house or through DWF partner Direct Mail Services. As stated in the Data Sharing Policy, you may not share contact information with a third party vendor.
Brand & Content Guidelines
When communicating with graduate families, always follow Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library branding and content guidelines to ensure your message is consistent, accurate, and in the program’s warm, family-friendly tone. Use approved logos, language, and imagery to reflect the Imagination Library’s mission and maintain brand integrity.
Quick Links:
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library | Graduate Appeals Guidelines