Fundraising

LAKEWOOD, CO

The Jefferson County Public Library implemented a naming rights program in conjunction with the recent remodel of its Golden Library. See the brochure (PDF, 994 kb), guidelines (Word, 34 kb), and policy (Word, 45 kb) for more information.

CARMEL, IN

The Friends Library Store at the Carmel Clay Public Library has commissioned a special edition of 100 signed and numbered prints of a mural entitled Nature’s Gateway which was recently installed in the children’s storytime room at the library. The full-color reproductions, professionally photographed, have been matted and framed and are ready for hanging. Prints sell for $210. As a bonus, with each mural comes a free one-year coupon for a family-level Friends membership.

NORTH KINGSTON, RI

A Century of Books for all the Mind’s Journeys is a guide to 100 American classics, published by Friends of the North Kingston Free Library and available at the library for $5. The selection for 1899, for example, is McTeague, Frank Norris’s colorful story of late nineteenth century San Francisco.

ABBOTSFORD, BC, CANADA

Their seventh annual bridge tournament was a successful fund-raiser for Friends of the Abbotsford Libraries. Eighty-eight bridge players competed for the many donated prizes, and the winners received gift certificates to a local restaurant. More than $350 was raised.

LITTLE ROCK, AR

Friends of Central Arkansas Libraries took their store on the road this spring. Two of the volunteers pulled a selection of giftwares from the Library Store and set up a boutique at a national convention of iris fanciers and growers recently held in Little Rock. In less than three hours they made the equivalent of several weeks worth of sales! Now they are considering making more field trips to conventions.

ROCKVILLE, MD

"Born to Read" is a major project of the Friends of the Library in Montgomery County. The program reaches out to parents and babies, especially at-risk families, and teaches them to love books. Sessions held in the library show parents, caregivers, and babies how much fun reading and books can be. One source of funding for the program is donations, and the Friends help to encourage gifts by placing a bookplate in a children’s book for each $35 donation. It’s a great way to recognize a birthday, anniversary, or other special occasion, and grandparents can use this as a wonderful way to welcome a special child.

HOBOKEN, NJ

The Great Hoboken Spelling Challenge, sponsored by Friends of the Hoboken Public Library, has just made its fifth annual appearance and has become a standing-room-only event. Three-person teams, many sponsored by local businesses, compete for donated prizes. A team can earn points in advance by collecting pledge money -- each $100 gives the team an extra point, up to a maximum of ten. The winning team was “Food for Thought,” sponsored by Amanda’s Restaurant.

UPLAND, CA

The Upland Friends reported in their newsletter a project of their sister organization, the Upland Public Library Foundation: "The UPL foundation sponsored the wildly successful chocolate tasting bash -- "Simply Sinful Samples" -- held at the Library on January 26th .... About 250+ guests gained at least 5 pounds each!! I never saw such a variety of chocolate -- from the giant chocolate-dipped strawberries to the chocolate enchiladas. You should have been there!"

PALOS VERDES PENINSULA, FL

New at the Library Shop of the Peninsula Friends: the Library Shop will accept donations of certain collectibles, fine gifts, rare books, etc. which will be placed on sale for a limited period of time and, if unsold, returned to the donor. Opening the program was a generous donation of a nine-piece set of hand-painted plates from the "Gone With the Wind" series produced by the Bradford Exchange.

ALLEN, TX

Friends of the Allen Public Library announce their second annual tea, a fund-raiser to support the purchase of children's books. This year's tea will be a three-course high tea of sandwiches, scones, and pastries. The entertainment will be a fashion show of vintage clothes. Door prizes will be awarded, and there will also be a raffle of an American Girls doll.

AJAX, ONTARIO, CANADA

A member of the Library Board makes book lamps in a variety of colors and shades. The lamps are displayed and sold at the library for $40 each, with the proceeds being donated to the Friends of the Ajax Public Library.

UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI, OH

The Library Guild, Friends of University Libraries, sponsors an Adopt-A-Book program with a twist -- For the cost of treatment, you may adopt a valuable volume in need of preservation or restoration. A bookplate will be placed in the adopted book to commemorate a special occasion or person. Many of the library's holdings are irreplaceable and in need of modern restoration techniques; Adopt-a-Book helps to preserve valuable materials for future study. (For example: A 3-volume Flora of North America, published in the 1820s and beautifully illustrated, needs an estimated $2,450 worth of work.)

RANDOM LAKE, WI

Friends of the Lakeview Community Library promised to raise $200,000 toward the renovation of the town auditorium into a library. They held "endless fund-raisers," which included bake sales, pizza sales, candy sales, rummage sales, quilt raffles, pancake breakfasts, a holiday homes tour, a "Kids R Kute" contest and a Cabin Fever Reliever (a local talent show), tulip bulb sales, Christmas holly sales, and Valentine's Day cheesecake sales, used book sales, and a campaign for direct contributions. Here's an unusual twist they tried: a series of ballroom dance lessons leading up to a Library Ball!

BEDFORD, TX

The Friends of the Bedford Public Library continue their efforts to reach their goal of $25,000 to purchase the life-size bronze sculpture The Need to Know by Hollis Williford. Containers labeled "Turn Copper into Bronze" have served as collection points for pennies and other small change, yielding more than $2000 in the first 10 months of the campaign. Now the Friends have announced a contest: "On August 9, The Friends will give you the opportunity to weigh in the loose heavy coins from your pocket, purse, piggy bank or pail; dump them into the Turn Copper into Bronze receptacle; and have a chance to win dinner for two ... If you dump the coins weighing the most, you will be richly rewarded."

ELM GROVE, WI

The Friends of the Elm Grove Library have a traditional Memorial Day fund-raiser: Bookie Cookies. These large (four-and-a-half-inch diameter) cookies are a special feature at the Memorial Day parade.

COLUMBUS, OH

The Friends' Library Store is joining the Columbus Museum of Art and other downtown museums on December 2 from 5 to 10 pm to present the annual "ShopAround." Transportation between locations will be provided by special trolley-style buses. Each shop offers a variety of specially selected gift items for holiday giving. In addition, everyone who participates in this shopping event will have an opportunity to win a membership to each institution, including the Friends of the Library. Columbus Friends also sponsor the Java Master coffee service at the library, which will offer tasty treats for sale.

DESTREHAN, LA

A local restaurant owner volunteered to have a "Friends Nite" at her new restaurant once a month for three months. On those Tuesday evenings between 6 and 8 pm, she donated a portion of the receipts to the Friends -- just mention "Friends of the Library" to the waitress!

BOLINGBROOK, IL

Friends of the Fountaindale Library recently presented their second interactive mystery play, "The Murder of the Loaded Librarian." Both performances were sold out, and over $1000 was raised. Next year, the Friends plan to do four performances! Seating is limited to 50 for each performance, and hors d'oeuvres and dessert are served, for a ticket price of $10 per person. Refreshments and prizes are donated by area merchants.

ROME, GA

The Friends of the Sara Hightower Regional Library had such success with their first publishing venture that they are embarking on another. The History of Lindale, researched by Polly Gammon, is selling "like hotcakes" at the Friends of the Library Gift Shop. The interest has been so great that a companion piece is planned, to allow anyone interested in sharing their experiences and knowledge of Lindale to see their work in print. Contributions can consist of anything not under copyright, including photos, poetry, essays, notes, or letters.

HUTCHINSON, KS

"Books a la Carte" is a new project of the Friends of the Hutchinson Library, in partnership with a local business. The Friends were searching for a way to increase the visibility of their organization in the library and in the community, and KOCH Industries was interested in supporting education and literacy; the result was a $2500 grant to fund the purchase of a merchandise cart that can be used at Friends' sales locations, in the library between sales, and at local community events to publicize the library and to sell memberships, books, and library items.

VANCOUVER, BC, CANADA

Vancouver Friends acquired copies of two local newspapers for the years 1958 to 1960, and offered them for sale: "Buy the actual newspaper for the day you were born, the days your children were born, for an event in which you were involved ... the possibilities are endless." The newspapers were bound in volumes containing the papers for two or three months and were sold at $20 per volume.

INDIANOLA, MS

"Do It! Buy the Book!" was the motto of a radio-thon organized to assist the book budget of the Sunflower County Library System. When cutting the book budget became necessary because of budget shortfalls, the station manager of a local radio station put together a proposal for a fund-raiser. The radio-thon was held on a Sunday afternoon at the library, with a popular local radio personality making appeals 3 times an hour as the station interrupted their regular programming to ask for pledges.

LAS CRUCES, NM

Friends of the Thomas Branigan Memorial Library are the pleased recipients of 10 shares of Disney stock donated by Life Members and currently valued at over $1000. Are any Friends out there actively soliciting gifts of staocks? Do you have a system in place for accepting and managing such gifts?