Posts by Kim Horton
10 Foundation Best Practices
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 a more easily understood structure to the community. When members of the general public are confused by more than one group that supports the Library, they…
Read MoreFeasibility Studies: A Necessity for Capital Campaigns
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. While you may feel you understand your donor base well and don’t need to take this step, the information you will obtain from a feasibility study will impact…
Read MoreFinding the Right Consultant
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, related experience – and is a good fit for your library or your library organization. The Right Skill Set Many consultants are “generalists” but…
Read MoreCreating a Fundraising Board
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 communities widely known as being among the strongest, best-funded organizations around, but how did they get to be that way? Very likely, the one factor that…
Read More12 Must-Know Facts about Library Fundraising
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 library is not enough Libraries have both an intellectual and emotional appeal to donors Everyone on your staff plays a role in fundraising. EVERYONE. A strong fundraising committee or…
Read More10 Signs It’s Time for a New Strategic Plan
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 library, Friends or foundation has never done a plan, or you’ve accomplished everything in your current…
Read More‘Lobbying’ is Not a Dirty Word
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 to advocacy as a political process in which we speak to our elected officials about the importance of an issue and request specific action on their…
Read MoreKeys to Managing Your Board(s)
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 that provides funding. Managing these boards can be critical to the success of the library. While every situation is unique, there are key principles that help effectively manage…
Read More10 Strategies for Effective Public Awareness
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 ‘why do we need libraries when we have the internet?’ Getting past that starts and ends with effective public awareness and advocacy efforts. The Friends and the Saint…
Read MoreSpecial Events: A Brave Idea
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 a good one, and one we talk about in our recent book Beyond Book Sales: The Complete Guide to Raising Real Money for Your…
Read More