Foundations
Four Types of Board Members – And Why You Should Recruit Each
When a Friends or Foundation board looks for new directors, it can be tempting to prioritize deep pockets over all else. It’s an understandable impulse. After all, fundraising is a major part of our “raison d’être.” Moreover, as we’ve said before, you should strive for a 100 percent Board donor rate. Even so, board donations…
Read MoreAttracting and Retaining Young Donors
Nearly 85 percent of employed Millennials (age 18-34) donated to a charitable cause last year, according to a recent Millennial Impact Report. That’s impressive in itself – and doubly so when you factor in that America’s youngest working generation is also its largest. Eighty-five percent of Millennials translates to something like 67 million donors! Furthermore,…
Read More10 Traits of a Successful Foundation President
At Library Strategies, we’ve had the privilege of working with countless foundation executives. It’s no surprise to anyone to learn that some of these executives are extremely successful at what they do and others may not be. What sets the really good executives apart from their less successful peers? 1) Passion for the Mission…
Read MoreStrategic Planning for the Folks Who Raise the Money
Friends and foundations need a plan as much as the library does. All too often, however, these organizations operate from year to year with no direction or plan in place. So, it’s time to think about development planning! Development planning is strategic planning for the support organizations that raise funds for their libraries. A development…
Read More5 Ways Friends Groups Attract Millennials
Across the country, Friends of the Library groups of all sizes are reporting declining memberships. This is troubling in and of itself, and doubly so because the number of active members willing to take on vital volunteer responsibilities core to the operation is also dwindling. At a high level, this trend is no mystery. In…
Read MoreSix Great Ideas for Library Partnerships
Partnerships have great potential to expand your library’s capacity to offer more, reach broader audiences, and leverage your resources. As libraries continually seek new ways to stretch their budgets, partnering is a valuable option to consider. There are several natural partnerships that many libraries have formed: 1) Literacy Partnerships. Partner with your local literacy organization…
Read MoreDoes Board Size Matter?
Through our work, we see many different sizes of Boards of Directors for Library Friends and Foundations. Many people ask us if it really matters how big a Board is. We also frequently hear that it is getting more difficult to find and recruit good Board members. What we often find ourselves telling people is…
Read MoreShould We Be a 501(c)(3)?
Many people consider nonprofit and 501(c)(3) to be synonymous. Well, that’s not always true… Nonprofit refers to an organization being a private, not-for-profit corporation. That means the organization has registered as a non-profit business in the state in which it operates. In most states, registration is pretty simple. But, to register, the organization will need…
Read MoreProfessional Development for Your Board(s)
Public libraries often have a number of boards, including a Library Board, as well as a Foundation or Friends Board. As professional bodies that can affect the performance of your library, it is important that each member of the board regularly participates in professional development activities. In this way, the board members become informed leaders,…
Read MoreWebinar Series: The Importance of Planning
This free webinar series “The Importance of Planning” shows you just how important it is for Libraries and support organizations to prepare for their future. The series includes Library Strategies’ unique and innovative Rapid Results Planning® strategic planning process. The three-part series is produced by Library Strategies and hosted by consultants Sue Hall and Stu…
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