Getting the money : how to succeed in fundraising for public and nonprofit libraries

Get your library the funds you need! Guided by his lifetime of fundraising experience, Ken Dowlin offers suggestions that range from tips for community programs such as story hours and simple book sales to ideas for influencing referendum issues to gain increased or dedicated funding.

Get your library the funds you need! Guided by his lifetime of experience, Ken Dowlin offers readers fundraising suggestions that range from tips for community programs, such as story hours and simple book sales (a good way to clean house of outdated or little-used books to make a little money), to ideas for influencing referendum issues to gain increased or dedicated funding. Dowlin's goal is to help you understand the activities and tools available, and then construct and realize a clear, concise strategy. With Getting the Money, you can secure the funding necessary for the success of your library--or other governmental or nonprofit organization.

• Preface p. xi
• Acknowledgments p. xiii
• Introduction p. 1
• 1 Getting Them Hungry (Putting Out the Bait) p. 5
• Need for Change p. 5
• Communicating with Stakeholders p. 6
• Raising Expectations p. 6
• Surveying Your Community p. 8
• Identifying Stakeholders and Linking Communications p. 10
• 2 Cleaning Out the Kitchen p. 11
• Minimizing Dysfunctional Myths p. 11
• Assessing Effectiveness and Efficiency p. 15
• Getting Rid of the Baggage p. 17
• Minimizing the Negative Rumor Mill p. 17
• Clarify and Codify Policies, Procedures, Feedback, and Control System p. 18
• Educate and Inform the Staff p. 18
• 3 Organizing the Kitchen (Strategic Thinking) p. 21
• Personal Knowledge and Skills Development p. 21
• Develop Your Own Vision, Values, Mission, and Even Dreams for the Library p. 22
• Do Your Homework p. 22
• Build Your Case Statement p. 22
• Learn to Observe and Chart Group Dynamics in Meetings p. 23
• Learn to Learn p. 24
• Learn to Educate Others p. 24
• Learn to Present p. 25
• Stories about Yourself, Your Organization, and Your Goals p. 27
• Understanding Financial Management Realities p. 27
• Determine Your Authority p. 28
• Analyzing Your Community p. 28
• Elected Officials p. 28
• Users p. 29
• Community Organizations p. 29
• Making Cities Stronger p. 30
• Natural Stakeholders p. 31
• Organizations That Want to Ride Your Publicity Coat Tails p. 31
• Donors p. 32
• Identify the Barriers p. 32
• Financial Limitations p. 32
• Knowing Who to Talk to When p. 34
• Understand the Impact of Change p. 34
• Graphic to Neographic Content p. 34
• Singular Processes to Mass Processes p. 35
• Mono Access to Multidimensional Access Points p. 35
• Single to Many Simultaneous Users p. 35
• Singular to Collaborative Organizations p. 36
• Ownership Orientation to Access Orientation p. 36
• Rights of Ownership to Licensing and Stricter Copyright p. 36
• Government Mandates p. 36
• Self-Service p. 37
• Experiential Library p. 37
• Gatekeeper to Facilitator p. 38
• Fortress to Pipeline p. 38
• Frey's Thesis p. 38
• The Internet World p. 39
• Get Your Vision Out to the Public p. 39
• Team Building p. 39
• Creating the Learning Organization p. 40
• Personnel Management p. 41
• Change Management p. 41
• Strategic Planning p. 42
• Build a "Go-to-Team" p. 43
• Media Relations p. 44
• Understanding and Cultivating Relationships p. 45
• Differences in Groups or Organizations p. 45
• Development Departments of Parent Organization p. 46
• Museums p. 46
• Library Schools or Other Schools with Student Resources p. 46
• Corporate Leaders and Influential Citizens p. 46
• Local Foundations p. 47
• Angels p. 47
• Muscle People p. 47
• Devils p. 47
• Leadership and Support for Formal Support Groups p. 48
• External Organization Development p. 48
• Create New Stakeholders p. 49
• Build Alliances with Stakeholders p. 49
• Build Alliances with Neighborhood Organizations p. 50
• Final Kitchen Cleaning p. 50
• 4 Getting Good Equipment: Skillets, Pots and Pans, Knives, and Cookbooks p. 51
• Community Relations Office (CRO) p. 52
• Formal Support Groups p. 53
• Friends of the Library p. 53
• Library Foundation p. 54
• Junior Friends p. 55
• Staff Associations p. 55
• Volunteers p. 55
• Staff p. 56
• Communication Tools and Techniques p. 56
• Branding p. 58
• Advocacy p. 59
• Media Storm Firefighting p. 61
• Testimonials p. 62
• Anecdotes p. 63
• Rethinking Your Look p. 63
• Dealing with the News Media p. 64
• Toolkit with the News Media p. 66
• Finding Cookbooks p. 68
• Fundraising and Development p. 68
• Happy Cooking p. 69
• 5 Nibbles and Starter Recipes p. 71
• Community Organization Presentations p. 72
• Book Sales p. 73
• Sponsored Book Fairs p. 74
• Cookbooks p. 74
• Naming Opportunities p. 74
• Bookplates p. 75
• Donated Subscriptions p. 75
• Service or Product Donations p. 76
• Public Programming p. 76
• Golf Tournament and Baseball Games p. 77
• Fees for Services p. 77
• Small Community Foundation Grants p. 78
• Partnerships with Other Cultural Institutions p. 78
• Partnerships with Fellow Government Agencies p. 79
• Charitable Planned Giving p. 79
• Remainder Trusts p. 79
• Wills and Bequests p. 79
• Direct Mail Campaigns p. 80
• Endowments p. 80
• State Funding p. 80
• Federal Funding p. 82
• Innovative Commercial Approaches p. 82
• Credit Card Programs p. 82
• Transit Companies p. 82
• Stay in the Library Forever p. 83
• Creative Projects with Dedicated Supporters p. 83
• Raising Money Online p. 84
• 6 Holiday Menus (Strategies to Get Major Funds) p. 87
• Marketing Campaign Themes p. 88
• Collection Excellence p. 89
• Channels beyond the Print Collection p. 89
• Funding New Technology p. 89
• Public Programming p. 90
• Building Campaigns p. 90
• Diversity p. 92
• Community Building p. 92
• Go for Excellence p. 93
• Private Funding Campaigns p. 93
• Corporate or Business Approaches p. 94
• Major Capital Campaigns p. 94
• Family Foundations p. 95
• Library Foundations p. 95
• Community Foundations p. 95
• Affinity Groups p. 96
• Government Sources p. 96
• Online Funding p. 96
• Local Referendums p. 97
• Tax Limitation Overrides p. 98
• Increasing Statutory Limitations p. 98
• Bond Issues p. 99
• Revenue Entitlements p. 100
• Running Campaigns for Referendums p. 101
• Getting Started p. 101
• Researching and Obtaining Legal Support and Authority p. 102
• Creating the Case Statement p. 103
• Expanding the Go-to-Team p. 104
• Creating a Separate Campaign Committee p. 105
• Polls p. 105
• Consultants p. 106
• Endorsements p. 106
• Gaining Momentum p. 107
• Getting the Money for the Campaign p. 107
• Speakers' Bureau p. 108
• Door-to-Door Campaigning p. 108
• Telephone Banks p. 109
• Opposition p. 109
• In the Home Stretch p. 110
• Down to the Wire p. 110
• Closing Out p. 110
• 7 The Keys to the Financial Castle Kitchen p. 111
• Strategic Thinking and Focus p. 111
• Always Selling Yourself and the Library p. 114
• Use Creative Ways to Get Publicity p. 114
• KISS p. 114
• Create a Must-Visit List p. 115
• Selling with Sizzle p. 115
• Star Power p. 115
• Leveraging Funding p. 115
• Building Relationships p. 116
• Community Connectedness p. 116
• Bring in Outside Talent to the Project p. 117
• People with Clout p. 117
• People Who Care p. 118
• Scout for Talent Outside Your Community p. 118
• Political Savvy p. 118
• Nurturing Political Leaders p. 119
• Build a Constituency p. 120
• Build on Success p. 120
• Family Celebrations p. 120
• Building a Reputation for Success p. 121
• Leveraging Assets p. 121
• The Mixed Revenues Approach p. 121
• Producing Proposals for Starter Funding p. 121
• Find the Talent p. 121
• Conceptual Visioning p. 122
• Create a Buzz p. 122
• Managing the Process p. 123
• Communications Program p. 123
• Donor Management Program p. 124
• Decision Support Program p. 125
• MyLibrary p. 125
• OurLibrary p. 126
• Just Do It p. 128
• Appendix p. 129
• Bibliography p. 139
• Index p. 143