Fundraising
When Is a Strategic Plan Not a Strategic Plan?
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. Library support organizations (library foundations and/or Friends groups) create development plans to direct their fundraising and advocacy activities. Development planning is a rapidly growing activity…
Read MoreDonor Stewardship: Managing Your Donor Assets
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 recognize that this refers to the responsible management of an organization’s financial assets, for nonprofits it also means the careful and purposeful management of donor relationships. These relationships have significant…
Read MoreCapital Campaigns Don’t Just Happen: Planning for Success
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 to campaigns because someone (preferably a peer) asked them to do so. In a face-to-face meeting. With a very specific request for a gift. These very thoughtfully…
Read MoreHow to Sabotage Your Capital Campaign
Conducting a successful capital campaign requires careful planning, consistent execution, and strong leadership. If you are anticipating a capital campaign for the first time, there is much to consider. We’ve compiled a list of actions that will surely sabotage any capital campaign. Avoid these mistakes and you will significantly improve your potential to achieve your…
Read MoreTaking the Fear Out of Fundraising Events
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. If you are implementing a comprehensive development plan, think of a special event as the icing on your fundraising cake! What Can a Fundraising Event Do for Your Library?…
Read MoreTributes and Memorials
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 people to donate to any nonprofit organization. What can give a donor an even better feeling? Making a donation that honors someone while it supports your library.…
Read More14 Important Tips for a Successful Annual Appeal
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 (or annual fund). It’s been called “the cornerstone of fundraising” because it connects to all of the rest of the library fundraising that you do. An annual…
Read MoreTen Ways Consultants Can Help You
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 fundraising activities can benefit from professional assistance. Capital campaigns, for example, can be very difficult to complete successfully without this expertise. How do you…
Read MoreSecuring Sponsorship for your Library Program
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 situation for both the library and the business. Here’s how: The library is one of our society’s most beloved and valued institutions, and a business that sponsors…
Read MoreWriting an Effective Solicitation Letter
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 letter is still around for one major reason: it works. We decided to outline a few tips and tricks to make your next solicitation letter more effective.…
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