Spring is the time of year for library fundraisers in Northeast Pennsylvania. The season kicked off on March 5 at Tunkhannock Public Library

with “The Perfect Pair,” a wine and beer tasting event featuring six wines and six beers paired with specific hor d’oeuvres complimenting the beverages perfectly.  The library was decorated with white lights; white tablecloths were spread over the bookcases; food was arranged on tables and bookcases; a chocolate fountain bubbled, and live music played softly in the background.  There were raffle prizes, silent auction items and a live auction featuring a yellow and chocolate diamond necklace.  It was a fun evening.  The tickets were $35 per person.

On April 2, Hawley Library had their 2nd Annual Book Lover’s Ball at Ehrhardt’s Waterfront Banquet Center on Lake Wallenpaupack in Wayne County.  The “First Chapter” hor d’oeuvres are from Italy, France, China, Mexico and Poland.  Then the “Main Plot” is served buffet style with international dishes, and the “Conclusion” is a 50th Anniversary theme cake for the library. The festive evening included a silent auction and dancing.  The tickets were $40 per person or $75 per couple.

April 16 is Library Auction Night at Susquehanna County Library

in Montrose.  This year marks their 13th annual auction of art, antiques, collectibles, special baskets, jewelry, extraordinary desserts, gift certificates, furniture, event tickets, and many more useful, fun, and unique items.  The dinner is a Summer Barbeque, and tickets are only $8 for dinner and a full evening’s entertainment.

Wayne County Library in Honesdale has their 4th annual wine tasting, “In Good Taste,” on April 29.  The local Ford dealership empties out its showroom and lets the library decorate it for the event, and it looks spectacular.  You wouldn’t know you were in a car dealership.  This year’s event has a South American theme and wines.  It is a fun evening with delicious food, fine wine, and lots of great raffle prizes.  Tickets are $28.

Another fun fundraiser is  Susquehanna County Library’s Author Luncheon on May 18.  This will be their 3rd annual luncheon, and this year’s author is nationally known writer Amy Dickinson, author of the New York Times best-seller The Mighty Queens of Freeville, columnist (“Ask Amy”), and NPR personality (Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me, Talk of the Nation).  The event will be a sit-down lunch at the Summit Restaurant in New Milford, and there are always unique raffle prizes.  Tickets are $25.

As you can see there is a range of events and ticket prices.  Libraries charge what they think their community will support, and they couldn’t have these fundraisers without the support of their community.  The board of trustees plays a very important part in fundraisers because without the hard work of the board, most successful fundraisers wouldn’t happen.   The libraries also get sponsors for their fundraisers, and these are the people and businesses who go the second mile with their support.   It truly takes a “Library Community” to make a successful library fundraiser.

feed the frog

LIBRARIES IN ACTION

Feed the Frog at Corry Public Library
This donation grabber is “library home-made” from rigid plastic tubing and a
sacrificed plush frog:

Do YOUR Patrons know how you are funded? 
The Franklin County Library explains how they’re funded on their website.

Pa Library in running for Pepsi Refresh Grant!

How Can YOU Help?  Go to Indiana Free Library’s website and follow the link to register and begin voting!  They are in the top 49 of their category and anyone can vote–even your aunt in California!
Think of all the national newspaper articles/internet stories the winner will generate.  A library winning the Pepsi Refresh Grant could keep the plight of libraries in the limelight!  Put your social network into action!  Email us if you know of other PA libraries in the running.

Think of all the national newspaper articles/internet stories the winner will generate.  A library winning the Pepsi Refresh Grant could keep the plight of libraries in the limelight!  Put your social network into action!  Email us if you know of other PA libraries in the running.

Fritz, Joanne. “What Do I Need to Know About Credit Cards for Accepting Donations” About.com Guide.  http://nonprofit.about.com/od/faqsfundraising/f/creditcards.htm (December 3, 2009)

FORUMS/TRAINING

Discovery Education offers free webinars and access to archived webinars.  See: http://community.discoveryeducation.com/

Foundation Center’s free webinars on grant seeking, proposal budgeting, your board and fundraising.  They also offer fee based webinars: http://www.foundationcenter.org/getstarted/training/webinars/

PBS offers free monthly webinars on media and education technology
http://www.pbs.org/teachers/webinar/archive.html

Education Week also offers free webinars:  http://www.edweek.org/ew/marketplace/webinars/webinars.html

Thinkfinity offers free training opportunities as well as resources: http://www.thinkfinity.org/pd/national_training.aspx

GRANTS and CONTESTS

The Big Read (National Endowment for the Arts)
Grants for Library Reading Programs.
Amount:  up to $20,000
Deadline:  February 2, 2010
More Info:  http://www.neabigread.org/application_process.php

Home Depot
Grants are for community improvement projects that include activities such as construction or building, rebuilding, painting, refurbishing, increasing energy efficiency or sustainability, landscaping, planting of native trees, community facility improvements and the development and/or improvement of green spaces. Grants must support work completed by community volunteers in the U.S.
Amount: up to $2500 in the form of Home Depot gift cards
Deadline:  December 15, 2009
More Info:  http://corporate.homedepot.com/wps/portal/Grants

Environmental Protection Agency
For environmental education projects
Amount:  up to $200,000 (small grants up to $50,000 also considered regionally)
Deadline:  December 15, 2009
http://www.epa.gov/enviroed/grants_apply.html

LIBRARIES IN ACTION

Easttown Library and Information Center  (Berwyn)
Whole Foods market donates a nickel each time a library patron uses a reusable bag
More Info: http://www.easttownlibrary.org/nickels-for-non-profits-whole-foods-market-program.html

PRODUCT FUNDRAISING

Do these times make you want to ‘go commercial?’  This site lists some products you may wish to sell to make cash! (yes, Virginia, there is money out there)
A – Z: Specific Fundraising Products, Unusual Fundraising Ideas: http://www.fundraisingip.com/fundraisingcompanies/specialfund.html

Don’t forget that you will need to collect sales tax.  Ask your solicitor or tax advisor what you need to collect and report.  You need to be careful not to jeopardize tax status.  Read more at
http://nonprofit.about.com/od/nonprofitmanagement/f/Unrelated.htm and
http://nonprofit.about.com/od/nonprofitbasics/a/loseexempt.htm

If you plan to sell items, you may want to accept credit or debit cards.  Check with your local bank or checkout sites offering ‘nonprofit merchant accounts.’

Libraries Connect Communities: Public Library Funding & Technology Access Study 2008–2009 September 25, 2009:
http://www.ala.org/ala/research/initiatives/plftas/2008_2009/librariesconnectcommunities3.pdf

FORUMS/TRAINING

November 3 Fund-Raising Forecast
(Online Discussion at http://philanthropy.com/live/) at 12:00pm EST
Sponsored by “Chronicles of Philanthropy,” this online discussion will discuss creative ways to approach fund raising and ‘learn what techniques and messages work best in these tough economic times.’  Questions can be submitted in advance (best chance for reply).
COST:  Free

GRANTS and CONTESTS

America’s Historical and Cultural Organizations and Interpreting America’s Historic Places grants
Grants support interpretative exhibitions, reading or film discussion series, historic site interpretation, lecture series and symposia and digital projects.  NEH especially encourages projects that offer multiple formats and make creative use of new technology to deliver humanities content.
Award:  up to $400,000 (Chairman’s Special Award is up to $1 million)
Deadline:  January 13, 2010 and August 18, 2010
More Info:  Planning Grants:
http://www.neh.gov/grants/guidelines/AHCO_PlanningGuidelines.html
Implementation Grants:
http://www.neh.gov/grants/guidelines/AHCO_ImplementationGuidelines.html

Laura Bush Foundation for America’s Libraries (for school libraries)  —share this info with your local school librarian!
Award:  up to $6000 to individual schools working to update, extend, and diversify the book collections of their libraries
Deadline:  December 31, 2009
More Info: http://www.laurabushfoundation.org/web2/index.html

We The People Bookshelf Grant
4,000 libraries will be selected to receive 17 books on the theme “A More Perfect Union,” to complement library programs observing the sesquicentennial of the Civil War. The Bookshelf features a DVD edition of “The Civil War,” by Ken Burns, including the rights to show the series to public audiences, and “Declaring Independence:  the Origin and Influence of America’s Founding Document.”
Deadline:  January 29, 2010
More Info: http://publicprograms.ala.org/bookshelf or http://www.neh.gov/news/archive/20090908.html

LIBRARIES IN ACTION

Palmyra Public Library’s Community Christmas Tree Ornament fundraiser.
The Borough Christmas tree looked bare last year without ornaments–but things will certainly be different this year thanks to Palmyra Public Library Director, Karla Marsteller!
Marsteller asked if the library could sell ornaments as a fundraiser.  Not only did the Borough agree, but the Borough said they would donate the eight inch ornaments and the library could keep the proceeds!
The library hopes to sell at least 120 ornaments at $10 each.  The only costs to the library are ornament tags with the name of the donor or the person whose name is being honored or memorialized.  Check out the library’s website for other fundraising activities:
http://www.lclibs.org/palmyra/giving.php

Indiana Free Library hosts “An Evening in the Stacks” on Nov 6th
(First Commonwealth Bank’s website also promoted this for the library)
Hors d’oeuvres and wine, followed by a light dinner and dessert and entertainment by local artists and musicians.  Cost is $25.  Check out their event calendar: http://www.eventkeeper.com/code/events.cfm?curOrg=IFL

Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh Matching Grant
Can you attract a matching or challenge grant?
The Pittsburgh Foundation hosted Pittsburgh’s Day of Giving – a day when gifts of $50 or more, contributed to the Library through the PittsburghGives site, were matched 50¢ to the $1, up to a gift of $10,000 per individual. See Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh’s site at:  http://www.carnegielibrary.org/about/support/

MISCELLANEOUS

Affinity card programs: they use a credit card and you get a percentage?
An affinity credit card promotes a group’s cause, gives supporters another way to show support and may even pay the group a finder’s fee as well as a percentage.
Here are two that work with nonprofits.  Ask your credit card company if they have a similar program.
Visa’s CardPartner: http://www.cardpartner.com/
Capital One’s site: http://www.fundraising123.org/article/partner-webinar-archive-fundraising-affinity-card-program-4 (Network for Good provides a recording of how this program works)

Strategic Planning Funding Resource Committee has a website: http://www.accesspa.state.pa.us/funding_resources
Committee Members include:  Kathy Arnold-Yerger – Municipal Support, Bernice Crouse – Annual Fundraising, Victoria Dick – Commercial, Mary Garm – Endowments and Foundations, Martina Kominiarek – Capital Campaigns, Diana Megdad – Grants, Pam Murphy – Fundraising Events

Have you settled into a ‘low pay, make do, and do without’ culture?” read this article that cautions not to skimp on overhead:
Gregory, Ann and Howard, Don “The Nonprofit Starvation Cycle,” The Stanford Social Innovation Review, Fall 2009 http://www.ssireview.org/articles/entry/the_nonprofit_starvation_cycle/ (September 2, 2009).

Free or Somewhat Free

Joomla: open-source content management systems: http://www.techsoup.org/learningcenter/webbuilding/page11968.cfm

Fund Raising Events

Send me your best Fund Raising event idea!  What is working for you?

Grants and Contests

Google Adwords grant:  http://www.fundraisingip.com/fundraising/how-to-apply-for-the-google-adwords-grant/

Libraries in Action

Story Time Birthday Parties
The Lower Providence Community Library in Eagleville is offering Story Time Birthday Parties on Saturday and Sunday afternoons.  For $125, a person can book a party that includes the use of our Community Room, a private story time program running about 20-30 minutes, a craft, basic decorations (balloons and a Happy Birthday banner), a book for each child to take home selected from our Friends of the Library used books, and a packet of information about the library for parents of all the guests.  The parents provide the cake and refreshments, table service, paper products, and any other activities.
They had three parties in the spring but did not offer parties in July and August due to reduced weekend hours—BUT they are ready to start up again!  Their party policy is posted at http://lpc.mclinc.org/Birthday%20Party%20Policy.htm.

Miscellaneous

Non-cash Gifts
Will you accept non-cash gifts?  Are you kidding me?!  Well, you may want to consider what these gifts will cost you.
Look at Dauphin County Library System’s Gift Acceptance Policy for things to think about:  http://dcls.org/Documents/Gift%20Acceptance%20Policy.doc (September 3 2009)

According to the August 26, 2009 Philanthropy Today News Updates on The Chronicle of Philanthropy’s website, Americans reported making donations of $46.8 billion in noncash gifts in 2006 (And they only counted those giving $500 or more!): http://philanthropy.com/news/?id=9296&pth&utm_source=pt&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_content=leftbottom (September 3, 2009)  What are YOU willing to accept?

TIP:  Educate your patrons about planned giving, bequests, fundraising etc:
Make sure you have titles on these subjects in your collection and consider hosting free workshops on community foundations,
planned giving and related topics etc.

Donation Jars for Other Non-Profits:
Do you or don’t you?  A recent question, put out to the community, provided these summarized responses:
We will not collect for any non-profit except United Way (since we receive funding from them) and ourselves and we make no contributions to any worthy causes – we are solicited since we are viewed as a local “business” by many.”
This makes it very easy to say no – we just don’t do it.  No blurring of any line. It may seem harsh at times, but with the current funding problems of public libraries it is not difficult.  The vast majority understand our reasons.”
I previously worked at a library that passed concurrence with the Donor Bill of Rights that said we could not collect for anything but ourselves because everything that is donated to the library is used by the library. This meant, for example, a group might come in for several hours and, clearly marked as not us, sell candy bars for their mission trip or whatever.

Check out the Donor’s Bill of Rights on the Association of Fundraising Professionals website:
http://www.afpnet.org/ka/ka-3.cfm?content_item_id=9988

Newstead, Barry, “Nonprofits in Rural America: Overcoming the Resource Gap,” July 15, 2009 http://www.bridgespan.org./rural-funding.aspx (August 20, 2009).

The following GuideStar article states that “Of the 72,000 foundations in the United States, fewer than 50 have endowments of more than $1 billion. The vast majority, more than 90 percent, have endowments of less than $10 million. Most of these organizations are family foundations.”  Read more about applying for these family foundations:
http://www2.guidestar.org/rxa/news/articles/2009/applying-for-funding-from-family-foundations.aspx?source=aug09nwsltr (and think about subscribing to GuideStar’s free online articles and services).

Forums/Training

October 6, 7 or 8th, 2009 IRS workshops (see also The IRS below) designed for administrators and volunteers responsible for a small to mid-sized 501(c)3 organization’s tax compliance. Each one-day session will cover the benefits and responsibilities of tax-exempt status; actions that can jeopardize an organization’s exempt status; unrelated business income; employment issues; Form 990, including Form 990-N; and required disclosures, including those imposed by the Pension Protection Act of 2006. Pre-registration is required.  http://www.irsworkshops.eventsdesigner.com/ $45

Fund Raising Events

Silent Auctions:  http://www.fundraisingip.com/fundraising/silent-auction-fundraiser/ Can you add any suggestions/insight to silent auctions?  Email me!
FundraisingIP.com has loads of fundraising ideas!  Share the site with your Friends and get motivated with all the possibilities!

The Chronicle of Philanthropy has a transcript of an August 4th discussion on finding a sponsor for your Group’s next event: http://philanthropy.com/live/2009/08/event_sponsor/

The IRS

GuideStar article http://www2.guidestar.org/rxa/news/articles/2009/irs-miscellanea-august-2009.aspx discusses Form 990-N Regulations (also known as the ePostcard),
which exempt organizations must file. “The final regulations make no substantive change from the temporary regulations issued November 15, 2007. They went into effect July 23, 2009.”  The GuideStar editor notes that “organizations that are required to file an ePostcard and fail to do so for three consecutive years will automatically lose their tax-exempt status. Revocations will begin in May 2010.
More:  http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-tege/governance_practices.pdf from IRS Governance and Related Topics – 501(c)(3) Organizations

Libraries in Action

Check out Exeter Community Library’s ad for a live and silent auction on the Auction Zip website: http://www.auctionzip.com/Listings/680539.html

Miscellaneous

What’s your take on removing a donor’s name? Dilemmas faced by those getting a few million less…
http://philanthropy.com/news/?id=9225&pth&utm_source=pt&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_content=lefttop

Partnerships / Collaboration

Check out the magazine, The Collaborative Librarian, http://collaborativelibrarianship.org/index.php/jocl

Miscellaneous

WOW!! The Strategic Planning Funding Resource Committee has a website: http://www.accesspa.state.pa.us/funding_resources/
Committee Members include:  Kathy Arnold-Yerger – Municipal Support, Bernice Crouse – Annual Fundraising, Victoria Dick – Commercial, Mary Garm – Endowments and Foundations, Martina Kominiarek – Capital Campaigns, Diana Megdad – Grants, Pam Murphy – Fundraising Events

Please send your Funding Resource finds/suggestions to us and we will share your expertise with the world!  Libraries are THE collaborators and THE original networkers.
TechSoup has an article on choosing a low cost donor management system: http://www.techsoup.org/learningcenter/databases/page11928.cfm

Bridgespan has great links to information about managing in tough economic times: http://www.bridgespan.org./LearningCenter/Default.aspx?id=2786 (August 20, 2009)