Positioning your library for
funding success
 Ann Andrusyszyn, Development Officer,
Barrie Public Library
 Rob Lavery CFRE, Resource Development
Consultant, Southern Ontario Library
Service
OLA SuperConference 2005
Positioning your library for
funding success
 Session Outline
– Diversifying funding sources
• Options
• Ways to raise revenue from these source
• Most common – strengths and weaknesses
– What are libraries doing?
• Trends
– Barrie Public Library experience
– Making decisions
OLA SuperConference 2005
Sources of revenue for Charities
 Government
 Earned income
 Foundations and Corporations
 Individuals
OLA SuperConference 2005
Sources of revenue for Charities
 Government – 60%
 Earned income – 26%
 Private Giving – 14%
– Foundations and Corporations – 20%
– Individuals – 80%
Over $5 billion!
OLA SuperConference 2005
Fun with numbers!
For more information on charitable giving
and volunteering, go to
www.givingandvolunteering.ca
Statistics from the National Survey on
Giving, Volunteering and Participating
- Fact sheets
- Manuals
- Reports
OLA SuperConference 2005
Sources of Revenue
 Government
– base funding
– special funding
– gaming and lottery
OLA SuperConference 2005
Sources of Revenue
 Foundations
– private
– corporate
– community
– special purpose
OLA SuperConference 2005
Sources of Revenue
 Corporate
– donations
– marketing-driven sponsorships
– in-kind goods and services
– employee campaigns
– matching funds
– joint promotions
– secondments
OLA SuperConference 2005
Sources of Revenue
 Individuals
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–
–
–
–
–
–
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person to person asks
direct mail
special events
door to door canvassing
telephone canvass
major donations, or large specially-named gifts
planned gifts - bequests, insurance
memorial, celebration cards
response to paid ads or PSA’s
OLA SuperConference 2005
Most common methods
 Special Events - strengths
– the most common way to raise money - competition
– donor loyalty, volunteer motivation, fun
– profile in community
– prospect and first time donors
– forum for education
– sponsorship opportunities
– volunteer and leadership recruitment
OLA SuperConference 2005
Most common methods
 Special Events – weaknesses
– very resource heavy – time and energy
– high risk
– lots of planning
– sales dependent
– cost-effectiveness increases over time
OLA SuperConference 2005
Most common methods
 Direct Mail - strengths
– lots of smaller donations
– cost-effective over time, and numbers,
acquisition expensive
– can be very scientific/mathematical – good
reporting, becomes more personal
– very predictable, trackable, repeatable
– good demographic for libraries
OLA SuperConference 2005
Most common methods
 Direct Mail - weaknesses
– increasingly competitive
– contracted services – investment capital
– perceived as impersonal
– losing audience
OLA SuperConference 2005
Most common methods
 Major Gifts – strengths and weaknesses
–
–
–
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assumes active, mature FR program
assumes personal visits and peer solicitations
little or no start-up, very cost-effective
good stewardship of donors and involvement of
volunteers
– very successful
– long-term – relationship building with donors
– reliance on volunteers (competition for volunteers
with influence and affluence, need for many)
OLA SuperConference 2005
Fundraising Trends in Ontario
Libraries
Or,
The world according to Rob
OLA SuperConference 2005
Library Trends
 Shift from volunteer to staff
– Creating staff positions, or partial positions
responsible for fundraising or development
– Hiring from outside the library, for special
expertise
 Resourcing the program
– Donor management software
– Contracted services – especially for mail
programs and capital campaigns
OLA SuperConference 2005
Library Trends
 Incorporating communications with
fundraising
– Libraries as charities
– Building philanthropy
– Raising awareness about the library through
newsletters that have fundraising messages
– Raising awareness about the library through
events
OLA SuperConference 2005
Library Trends
 Planning for fundraising
– Isolated incidents to long range strategies
– Friends, Foundations, Boards, staff working
together
 Move into mail programs
– Small and large libraries
– Use of patron database
OLA SuperConference 2005
Barrie Public Library:
Developing Resource Development
 Capital Campaign for the current library
– No real history of donors/gifts
– Outside help for campaign
– Positive outcomes
 Resource Development staff
– What prompted the decision?
– Special expertise
OLA SuperConference 2005
BPL Development:
Establishing priorities
 Starting a programme
– Board supportive of what is needed to start
– Basics put in place
• Policies & procedures
• Donor software
 Planned Giving
– Started simply with bequests
– Added more as the programme grew
– Coupled with Major Gifts
OLA SuperConference 2005
BPL Development:
Shifting priorities




Changing needs
Changing staff
Reassessment by Board and Director
Decision to work towards an integrated
programme
 Planned Giving and Major Gifts onto back burner
(already established)
 Start to put lower levels into place in fundraising
programme
OLA SuperConference 2005
BPL Development:
Change in Focus
 Focus shifted to annual fundraising programme
 Library has ongoing needs
 Outgrown current facility
– How do we best articulate that?
•
•
•
•
community partnerships
positioning in community
awareness
high profile event for both fundraising and
awareness
OLA SuperConference 2005
BPL Development:
Specific intent
 Barrie Public Library
made a conscious
decision:
– to go with a dedicated
staff position
– to bring in special
expertise
– to commit to
development
– not to set up a parallel
Foundation
OLA SuperConference 2005
BPL Currently:
 Build community
relationships
 First annual direct
mail campaign
– build a donor base
– raise awareness
– educate our public that
we’re a registered
charity
– how did we create it?
 Marketing to
articulate needs
– to public
– to City Council
OLA SuperConference 2005
BPL Future:
 Following our Strategic
Plan
 Working towards
capital campaign for
branch
 Integrated fundraising
programme
 Progression of donors
OLA SuperConference 2005
BPL: How are we reaching our goals?
 Took first small steps
– Initial decision
 Gradual progression
– Grow accordingly
 Planning
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–
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Donor software
Strategic plan
Privacy/confidentiality
Board on board!
Encourage growth – don’t
stifle it
 Use volunteers
– Library specific
– Special event
 Engage our public
 Build on previous
successes
 Create excitement
– “the” place to be!
 Stay focused
 Become essential
– strong community partner
– Good City partner
OLA SuperConference 2005
Essentially, we are reaching our goals
by carrying out our mission:
“ Enriching the economic, social and
cultural vitality of our community by
opening doors to lifelong learning ”
OLA SuperConference 2005
Making decisions
 Where do you start?
– Who is doing what now?
– Knowing your options
– Spending $ to make $
OLA SuperConference 2005
Who will do the work?
 Who is doing what now?
– Friends
– Fundraising Committee
– Foundation
– Board
– Staff
– Community Foundation
OLA SuperConference 2005
Who will do the work?
 What is working?
– Events – book sales, dinners, dances…
– Canvass
– Adoption, memorial
OLA SuperConference 2005
Who will do the work?
– Can you work better together?
– What can you add to your FR program that
makes sense?
OLA SuperConference 2005
Knowing your options
 Assessing your activities
– What structure will work for us?
– Are we communicating?
– Are we planning?
 Assessing who is doing what?
– Are we making the best use of the people we
have – their talents and connections?
OLA SuperConference 2005
It takes $ to make $
 How are we resourcing the fundraising
activity?
 Can we access specialists to help us?
 Are there educational, development
opportunities?
OLA SuperConference 2005
Starting Point
 Stop talking about it, and start doing it!
 Capitalize on leaders’ enthusiasm – and
leave the nay-sayers behind!
 Capitalize on existing programs and
expand, add & grow
OLA SuperConference 2005
Starting Point
 Choose a program, and plan it out – learn
from your experience
 Access professionals in your community
ASK!
OLA SuperConference 2005
Questions & Answers
Ann:
aandrusyszyn@city.barrie.on.ca
Rob:
rlavery@sols.org
OLA SuperConference 2005