ACRL College & Research Libraries News

Association of College & Research Libraries

Library fundraising tips and resources

By Irene M. Hoffman and Amy Sherman Smith Irene M. Hoffman is assistant to the dean for library planning and development at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, e-mail: ihoffman@library.calpoly.edu; Amy Sherman Smith is assistant to the dean for development and planning, Office of the dean of library services, California State University, Fresno, e-mail: Amy_Smith@csufresno.edu

Conference Circuit

On March 13, 1995, 21 library development officers from academic libraries in the U.S. and Canada convened at the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, for the Management Skills Institute for Development Officers. The institute was sponsored by the Association of Research Libraries (ARL), the Office of Management Services, Development Officers for Research Libraries (OMS/DORAL), and provided attendees with both practical and creative ideas for library fundraising.

Sessions were led by recognized experts in library fundraising. Joan Hood, University of Illinois Library System; Bill Mott, Library Funding Associates; and Richard White, Emory University, led the seminars on development issues. Maureen Sullivan, ARL, led the sessions on management skills.

Firsthand examples of successful fundraising programs, donor cultivation and recognition, planning how-tos, and strategic positioning and public relations were shared during the meeting. PAPP, Hood’s acronym for success, provided a common thread that was woven throughout the institute. PAPP stands for: Positioning the library vis-à-vis the campus and the community; Access to the university’s central pool of donors; forging Partnerships (and friendships) that celebrate and support the library’s impact across all disciplines; and Patience because fundraising is a long-term process.

White’s presentation, “Fundraising for New Technologies,” highlighted the influence that new technologies have on fundraising programs. New technologies increase the fundraising ability because of the state-of-the-art visibility they give libraries. White talked about the fundraising strategies for Emory University’s new Center for Library and Information Technologies and the collaboration between Emory, Harvard, and Yale as intellectual partners in the collecting, housing, and distribution of information.

Another important finding came from the University of Illinois. Hood challenged libraries to cultivate donors from alumni lists, dispelling the myth that alumni will only give to their colleges or schools. Hood’s example showed that donors who have not previously given to their academic department often feel inclined to give to the library. Of the alumni she solicited, 27% gave to the library. Of those, 55% were first-time gifts to the university. Since the average annual fund donor there usually gives to up to five other units on campus, the library can be the key to unlocking donations from first-time givers.

Mott gave a very practical presentation on board development. He stressed the importance of developing an effective volunteer board within the context of the fundraising mission, the friends group mission, or the program mission. He carefully detailed tips for creating a cohesive and well-organized board that begins with recruitment and continues with training, orientation, skills, and structure.

The size of the group and the dynamic program lent itself to lively discussions and exchanges of ideas. Overall, attendees came away with a lot of information and practical applications for their own fundraising efforts.—Irene M. Hoffman

ALADN: A new network for fundraising

Directly following the OMS/DORAL meeting, almost 70 library development professionals came together for a conference titled “More Than Books: Building a Network of Academic and Research Library Development Officers.” The meeting’s intent was twofold: to present a wide range of sessions pertaining to library development issues, and to form, name, and inaugurate a new support network for academic library fundraising.

Recognizing the need for a forum to discuss library fundraising issues, the conference evolved from the two previous DORAL programs. The organizers included Lynn Trojahn (University of New Mexico); Adam CorsonFinnerty and Seiden Smith (University of Pennsylvania); and Carolyn Claflin (Yale University). Attendees came from the U.S. and Canada, and it was clear from their enthusiasm and excitement that this is a newly developing specialty within libraries.

Johanna Christensen (University of California, Irvine) and Gwen Leightly (Smithsonian Institution) presented their strategies for organizing a new development program. They started by explaining the need for a plan and shared a unique idea of the “tool box”: a ready-to-use list of all the giving opportunities available to donors that can be ready at a moment’s notice.

Karen Siebert (University of Texas at Austin) led a lively panel on the role of the library director in the fundraising effort. The most important skills are leadership and vision. These provide a solid foundation for the goals and directions of the fundraising campaign. She stressed the need for active, not passive involvement in the process and the setting of fundraising priorities. She also described the library director’s role as an internal cultivator of major gifts and the sensor for understanding campus politics.

A lively brainstorming session on constituency building on and off campus was facilitated by Seiden Smith. Some of the ideas that came out of that discussion include: tap into people who give student scholarships, use state and national fraternity/sorority organizations, use the library as a center for homecoming activities, honor authors from the university, look for ties to student government, cosponsor events with other groups, identify and solicit honorary-degree holders, involve older folks from the community, and many more.

Another session on “Innovative Fundraising Techniques” was full of creative ideas. Lynn Trojahn started the discussion by describing the “Intel Score for Scholars” program, a joint fundraising activity between the basketball program and the library at the University of New Mexico. Other innovative programs discussed included electronic bookplating, solicitation of parents, and partnering with alumni associations.

During the last part of the conference the group was charged to design a new organization for library development officers. To name the group, a contest was held in which all participants submitted their ideas. Then, by ballot, ALADN (Academic Libraries Advancement and Development Network) was selected as the new name.

ALADN is a grassroots organization and is not affiliated with any other library organizations. It has an inclusive membership, open to all library development officers in public or private universities in the U.S. and Canada. Three steering committees were formed: the Electronic Communications Committee, the Conference Committee, and an Outreach Committee. There are no dues. To join ALADN, contact Carolyn Claflin, Director of Development, Yale University, e-mail: carolyn_claflin@qm. yale.edu.

The coup de grace of the conference was the establishment of a new library development listserv called LIBDEV. The administrator of the list is Robert Hershoff (University of Arizona). It is open to anyone interested in library development issues and can be accessed by sending a message to: listserv@arizona.edu. The text of the message should read: subscribe libdev your name.

LIBDEV provides communication, information exchange, and shared expertise for any academic librarians, development officers, archivists, administrators, and anyone else concerned with fundraising development for academic libraries.

ALADN members voted to meet formally on an annual basis. The next meeting is planned for March 6-8, 1996, at the University of California at Irvine.—Amy Sherman Smith