A popular managerial maxim holds that “managing things is easy – managing people is the challenge” (Evans & Alire). This may be more true now than ever before. Recent [...]

Over the years since Library Strategies was created, we’ve worked with dozens of Friends groups across the country. Some were led by board members who’d been serving as [...]

1) Library-Community Relationship? How does the library fit into the community—and can it fit better? Forget about the budget and the facility for a moment. Consider instead [...]

(Read our Part 1 of our Library Trends Series!) (Read our Part 2 of our Library Trends Series!) ——— Anyone who frequents libraries knows that physical [...]

Public libraries often have a number of boards, including a Library Board, as well as a Foundation or Friends Board.  As professional bodies that can affect the performance of [...]

“Congratulations, you have been awarded a grant!” This is wonderful news and well worth celebrating, but don’t forget to: Call and say “thank you.” This should be done by your [...]

This free webinar series “The Importance of Planning” shows you just how important it is for Libraries and support organizations to prepare for their future. The series [...]

Grant proposals can stand out for any number of reasons. In some cases, it’s because they’re missing two attachments, or they’re trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. [...]

First, who are your major donors? You’ll have to analyze your donor base and identify those individuals – not foundations – who have given your most significant gifts. There [...]

Corporate sponsorship opportunities and benefits differ greatly depending on the size and cost of the event, but there should be an incentive for any business to sponsor your [...]

While there is no good substitute for fundraising fundamentals – such as a strong end-of-year annual appeal – a little outside-the-box thinking can do a lot to stoke donations [...]

The Pareto Principle, or the law of 80/20, seems to apply to many things in our lives – from Pareto’s original observation of wealth distribution to a wide range of [...]

Most grant proposals can be broken down into the following sections: 1) Organization information. This can be up to one page in which you brag about your organization. [...]

The one thing that is certain in our future is change. Unfortunately, we can’t predict the future, but here are 10 ways that your library or organization can more effectively [...]

Many people use the terms marketing and public relations interchangeably, assuming they mean the same thing. They do not, although they do have some important aspects in [...]

A Case Statement is one of the most important documents necessary for effective fundraising. It is written specifically for private donors and describes your library’s purpose [...]

At Library Strategies we are fortunate to have visited hundreds of libraries. Whether it is a strategic planning project or training or a capital campaign, we’ve learned that [...]

(Read our Part 1 of our Library Trends Series!)   6) New Frontiers For Reference Interviews Reference interview (RI) services are a staple of library work – and a pillar [...]

Every non-profit organization strives to create endowment funds as a part of their finance strategy. But why are they so important and how should newer organizations attempt [...]

It’s a new year and with that come new resolutions! At Library Strategies we are dedicated to sharing our knowledge and expertise with libraries and library organizations [...]

Are you anticipating a capital campaign to help fund a new building or renovation of your library? Before launching a campaign, there are several steps you should be taking [...]

More and more libraries and library foundations are looking to search firms to help them through the process of hiring a new library director or foundation executive director. [...]

We want to share with you that Peter Pearson, co-founder of Library Strategies and President of The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library, is preparing to retire at the end [...]

Answer:  When it’s a development plan. So then what is a development plan? A development plan is the plan that addresses how you fund your library beyond its operating budget. [...]

Whether you are conducting strategic planning, embarking on a capital campaign, or on the hunt for a new library executive with credentials perfectly suited to the role, it is [...]

Professional development is not just for library staff. Library, foundation, and Friends boards also should engage in regular, annual professional development activities. Some [...]

United for Libraries Webinar: Merging a Friends and Foundation Tuesday, October 4 at 2:00 pm Eastern $75 ($50 for United for Libraries members) Click Here to Register In the [...]

What does stewardship really mean, anyway? Webster’s defines stewardship as “the careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one’s care.” While most of us [...]

We’ve been fundraising for many years. While some things have changed on the margins, fundraising remains simply this: people give to people. In other words, major donors give [...]

After 25 years with The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library, Peter Pearson is set to retire at the end of 2016. During his tenure as the President of The Friends, Pearson [...]

Conducting a successful capital campaign requires careful planning, consistent execution, and strong leadership. If you are anticipating a capital campaign for the first time, [...]

Strategic planning is a fundamental tool to moving your library or support organization forward. This is truer than ever, as libraries face so many community and technology [...]

Fundraising events can be daunting at their worst, or they can be an extremely successful vehicle for raising significant unrestricted dollars for your library—and much more. [...]

When someone donates to your library or its fundraising organization, they get a great feeling of satisfaction in return. That great feeling goes a long way toward motivating [...]

Most public libraries today are connected to multiple boards, including library, foundation, and Friends boards, as well as city councils, county commissions or something [...]

Of all the kinds of support activities your library or its fundraising organization can undertake, one provides the underpinning for all the rest. That is the annual appeal [...]

Sometimes it really does take money to make money. You may not need a professional’s advice for a book sale, annual fund, or a small fundraising project, but some kinds of [...]

Business sponsorship of library activities is an example of innovation that is on the rise. It is attractive because it creates (or builds on) relationships for a win-win [...]

The solicitation letter may be one of the oldest fundraising strategies out there, and although it is true that there are many other, more modern efforts, the solicitation [...]

Many libraries wonder if they need both a Friends and a Foundation, and admittedly the answer differs for each individual library. We sometimes recommend creating both [...]

Many libraries and fundraising organizations are faced with this question, and the answer isn’t easy, especially if you are also conducting an annual fund or other kind of [...]

For many of us, asking someone for a large donation can be intimidating, or perhaps even terrifying. It shouldn’t be, if you think about it. Asking a potential donor to give a [...]

Everywhere you turn in the world of libraries, you hear people talking about the need for private fundraising. Many feel that the answer to this challenge lies in the creation [...]

In the library world, successful fundraisers often include keynote appearances by popular authors. Involving writers is a great way to stoke interest in your special events. [...]

Securing donations for your library or support organization is not always easy, and for some, it’s not always fun. There are plenty of ways in which successful fundraising is [...]

Public libraries are among the few institutions that have not one, but two different organizations to help support them: Friends of Libraries and library foundations. It would [...]

Library Friends groups have been around for over 100 years. There are great Friends groups that provide terrific support for their libraries – from volunteers who help with [...]

Library’s operate under many structures and with many boards, including governing library boards, Friends and foundation boards, advisory library boards, and municipal boards [...]

If your library is using or investigating Orangeboy, Analytics on Demand, or one of the other data mining services entering the industry, you know that data-based decisions [...]

With year-end fundraising wrapped up, it’s time to thank your donors for supporting your library, Friends, and foundation. Although December may be your busiest fundraising [...]

What’s the key to being able to recruit the best possible Board of Directors? More than likely, it comes down to two factors: 1) an excellent nominating committee, and [...]

No matter how compelling your mission or case statement, the success or failure of a capital campaign largely rests with the effectiveness of your campaign leadership. A [...]

Often we talk about building capacity, but what exactly does that mean? At Library Strategies, we look at capacity building as creating skills, tools, resources, and [...]

Naturally, we see a lot of RFPs (Request for Proposals) come through our doors each week. Unfortunately, most RFP’s are anything but straightforward and are often complicated [...]

Determining Board term limits for your fundraising organization can be tough, and you may find yourself asking questions to which you do not have the answer. How long should [...]

Fortunately, many libraries today are looking at constructing new buildings or undergoing significant renovations. In many cases, the new or renovated buildings are funded by [...]

1.) Collaborate With Your Friends Friends groups and Foundations are looking more and more at ways they can collaborate or merge to increase support of the Library and present [...]

If you are planning to launch a capital campaign for a new building, you will significantly increase your potential for success by conducting a campaign feasibility study. [...]

Hiring a good consultant isn’t exactly like hiring a new employee but there are a lot of similarities.  You want an individual (or a firm) that has the right skill set, [...]

Have you ever noticed an organization in your community that seems to have no difficulty raising private funds? It seems that there are certain organizations in each of our [...]

From Beyond Book Sales Effective fundraising is about relationships first, money second A clear case for support and strong, consistent messages are crucial To value the [...]

How do you know it is time for a new strategic plan? Well – duh – the obvious answer is that your old plan is coming to an end, and you need a new plan. But what if your [...]

It seems that everyone is talking about the importance of advocating for your library, but what does that necessarily entail? For purposes of this article, I will be referring [...]

Depending on your view, most public libraries are blessed or cursed with multiple boards. These may include the library, Friends, and foundation boards, and a governing body [...]

It seems these days that libraries all too often find themselves battling the incorrect and damaging perception that ‘libraries are just books’ or answering the question of [...]

It is probably safe to say that libraries, Friends, and foundations around the country all have one question in common: How do we raise money for our local library? Well it’s [...]

This year Minnesota proudly joined the ranks of Pennsylvania, Colorado, and Michigan with it’s creation of a children’s statewide one-book program called Once Upon a Reader. [...]

This summer, Library Strategies and the Minnesota Literacy Council wrapped up the second year of the Libraries and Literacy Leadership Institute (L3), funded by the Otto [...]

Melissa comes to Library Strategies with over 8 years of experience as a library consultant and over 25 years experience as a librarian and public library administrator. She [...]

Building a new library – or renovating an existing one – can be both exciting and terrifying! Chances are, with public funding becoming more restricted, your vision is larger [...]

Library Strategies is proud to partner with the architectural firm of Meyer, Scherer & Rockcastle, Ltd. (MS&R), based in Minneapolis, in helping libraries build and [...]

The 2013-14 president of the Oregon Library Association, library consultant Penny Hummel has twelve years of management experience in public libraries both large and small, as [...]

In the past two years, Library Strategies has seen a huge increase in clients who come to us with a request to help them create a development plan for their Foundation or [...]

One of Library Strategies newest projects is coordinating Club Book, a program of the Metropolitan Library Service Agency (MELSA) funded through the Minnesota Arts & [...]

Business Development Coordinator and Lead Consultant Karen comes to Library Strategies with over 15 years of experience as a fundraising and strategic planning professional. [...]

How many times have you thought about doing a direct mail campaign, and winced when looking at the quote? Well, it doesn’t have to be like that. Library Strategies has formed [...]

Stu Wilson is the Project Coordinator and a lead consultant for Library Strategies. Previously, Stu served as the Executive Director of The Friends of the Hennepin County [...]

Peter Pearson and Sue Hall just returned from a week in Moldova where they began their work with Moldovan libraries. IREX-Moldova (funded by The Bill and Melinda Gates [...]

Sue Hall is the Director of Library Strategies and lead consultant. Sue was one of the creators of the consulting group, which has grown at a terrific rate since it was [...]

Rapid Results Planning™ is Affordable, Fast and Effective There’s no place in today’s busy library world for strategic planning processes with huge investments of time and [...]

Whether your library undertakes only occasional fundraising projects or is well along in this effort and wants to become more successful, Beyond Book Sales: The Complete Guide [...]

Peter Pearson is the co-founder and lead consultant with Library Strategies, and has been President of The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library for over 20 years. Peter is [...]