raising the bar: increasing your library’s visibility to enhance fundraising

RAISING THE BAR:Increasing your library’s

visibility to enhance fundraisingWendy Clark

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

Think about…Fundraising Strategies

Marketing Strategies

….All Together Now

We know…...lots of information

....do we know how to turn that into real support for our library?

Library users and public library access users 14 years and older

U.S. Impact Studies

basic need

basic need

Use is up…

Need is up…

WorksSC

Library marketing using social mediaSocial media is media designed to be disseminated through social interaction, created using highly accessible and scalable publishing techniques… (Wikipedia)

Library marketing using social mediaWhat would a library 2.0 marketing plan

look like?How would you encourage participation?Can you empower rather than control?

Library marketing using social mediaFacebook fans (do you friend your users?)Twitter about programming eventsInstant messaging wikis, flickr and blogs

Library marketing using social mediaExtend the community ‘one stop’

tradition to meet digital divide issuesAddressing information literacy as part

of a larger strategy

Library marketing using social mediaInternal audience (educators, library friends)

External audience (community leaders, business community)

What do we want them to…Think?Feel?Do?

Our message:

Information literacy is a critical life skill in today’s information maze. Libraries and librarians can help you find your way

Our patrons’ message:Libraries and librarians can help my family.

Our community leaders’ message:

•Librarians are valuable partners in building an information literate workforce.

Developing a fundraising strategyWhere to find the "right people" for your

fundraising team

Why donors choose your library…making the donor connection

Off we go…determining the best strategy for your fundraising efforts

Who are the ‘right people’?‘…don't recruit book lovers…Book lovers want a book group. We need fundraisers who know the value of libraries..’

—Peter Pearson, Library Strategies

Making donor connectionsCreate long lasting relationships

Focus on who you have

Cultivate friends and volunteers

Connect emotionally

Treat everyone as a potential donor

Developing a strategyIn a down economy, do you ask for help with

core services?Do you reward donors by funding visible

programs with their money?How does your friends and foundation fit in?

Developing a strategyWhat about endowments?Multi-year giving?Do you have a unified voice with your

partners and supporters?

As you develop your strategy…marketing and fundraising go together to focus on meeting community needs and wants

As you develop your strategy…Relate your community needs to the services you want to offer so potential funders have a clear picture of your direction

As you develop your strategyDefine your needsCome up with a program to meet those needsThen identify potential funders

Ways to identify fundersWho is giving to libraries?Who is giving in your community?Who is a good fit?

Effective grant managementAs you prepare your request:What about sustainability?What about evaluation?

Effective grant managementAs you begin the project…

Set up your grant files

Review what you said you’d do

Read the contract

Clarify grant reporting expectations

Effective grant managementAs you move through the project…

Document your results

Involve others in the project

Be honest

Be flexible

As a grant manager, I…Look forward to working with folks who…

Explain how this project will help

Involve partners

Have measurable results

Communicate

Putting it togetherThink strategically about marketing and fundraising

Involve your users in the process

Challenge yourself

Wendy Clark

Loan Star Libraries Program Manager

Texas State Library

wendy.clark@tsl.state.tx.us