The Small but Powerful Guide to Winning Big Support for Your Rural Library
Tools for Success
Annual Report
An annual report provides comprehensive information on an organization’s activities throughout the preceding year. Annual reports provide community leaders and other interested people with information about the library’s activities and performance. It should be brief, attractive and reinforce the library’s key message. Make sure it gets into the hands of funders and other key stakeholders.
Business Card
Don’t forget the obvious. Be sure to include the library’s URL and hours. Give it out as often as you can.
Communication Plan
A plan will help you get a bigger bang for your buck. Elements include goals, objectives, positioning, key messages, target audiences, strategies for delivering the message and evaluation.
Fact Sheet
A good way to present key points quickly. Keep narrative to a minimum. Use bullets to highlight key facts/statistics. Shorter is better—no more than two pages. Use with public officials, community groups, reporters or anyone who wants nformation fast.
News Release
Newspapers and other media welcome a well written news release and will often run it “as is.” Start with the most important information and end with the least. Be sure to cover the 5Ws (Who, What, When, Where, Why)—and H (How). Keep it short— one page if possible.
Public Service Announcement
Free space for ads may be available from local newspapers and radio stations. Ask about availability and guidelines.
Website/Blog
Both can be useful tools for providing timely
information, especially to those who might not come into the library. The trick is to keep them simple and current.
