Fundraising

1. Diversify activities beyond book sales, into such area as special events, advocacy, PR, etc. 2. Get social – hold “friend-raising” events for different targeted age groups (i.e., the local [...]

How often do you hear these words: Lobbying is illegal for a non-profit organization?  It’s amazing how many well-informed people have that mindset, so let’s set the record straight right now. It [...]

There is one type of fundraising that virtually every Friends or Library Foundation should be doing: it’s called the Annual Fund and it is truly the cornerstone of all fundraising activities. The [...]

When a Friends or Foundation board looks for new directors, it can be tempting to prioritize deep pockets over all else. It’s an understandable impulse. After all, fundraising is a major part of [...]

Nearly 85 percent of employed Millennials (age 18-34) donated to a charitable cause last year, according to a recent Millennial Impact Report. That’s impressive in itself – and doubly so when you [...]

Friends and foundations need a plan as much as the library does. All too often, however, these organizations operate from year to year with no direction or plan in place. So, it’s time to think [...]

Across the country, Friends of the Library groups of all sizes are reporting declining memberships. This is troubling in and of itself, and doubly so because the number of active members willing [...]

Partnerships have great potential to expand your library’s capacity to offer more, reach broader audiences, and leverage your resources. As libraries continually seek new ways to stretch their [...]

Many people consider nonprofit and 501(c)(3) to be synonymous. Well, that’s not always true… Nonprofit refers to an organization being a private, not-for-profit corporation. That means the [...]

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 volunteers for as many as [...]