[OPLINLIST] Library Foundation - Responses

[Jenna Harmison]

This is the information compiled regarding Library Foundations and Friends organizations. 

I received five responses regarding library foundations and I've compiled them below. Contact information has been removed, but the library names are still listed. 

I also found a few interesting things:

Friends of the Library USA- Establishing a Friends of the Library PDF 
[link may not work... if it doesn't, click on the link under "Available documents"].
http://www.folusa.org/sharing/establishing-a-library-foundation.pdf

ALA article about Foundations:
http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2013/03/opinion/advocates-corner/library-foundations-raise-money-for-libraries-right-advocates-corner/

Association of Library Trustees, Advocates, Friends and Foundations Fact Sheets:
http://www.ala.org/united/friends/factsheets

Hope this helps!

Jenna Harmison

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You should do both! Foundations are more for long-term giving options... such as the library being a beneficiary of trusts, land, stock, wills, etc. If you already have a county or "area" foundation, your foundation could be under their umbrella with their 501(c)3 designation. That is what they do here in Paulding County.
http://www.pauldingcountyareafoundation.net/  I think Wood County and many other Ohio counties have umbrella foundations. A foundation might have brochures at attorney's offices, etc. so people know that the library is an option for their estate.
 
The Friends groups are more day to day, event to event support and sustainability. The Friends can help fund special projects, programs and events. They work hand-in-hand with library administration and staff.
 
Does this make sense? We love our Friends groups! They have been a tremendous support for different speakers, SRP, give-aways, food, etc. We are still working on establishing our Foundation for more long term and "bigger" giving.
 
Good luck!

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Birchard Public Library has both a Friends Group and a Foundation.  Both of them have 501 status. 

They both donated to our recent levy campaign.  

When a patron wants to make a sizeable contribution to the library, we suggest that they make it to the foundation.  The foundation has more options when it comes to investing.  

Our Friends pay for smaller things, like a new storytime rug or a speaker at a program.  

Our foundation pays for things like a new custom reference desk or all new computers for the computer room.

Hope this info helps.
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We have both at Geauga Co. Public Library.  We don't have a main library and small branches, we have 4 full service branchers, 2 stations and very busy bookmobile.

Foundation is system-wide and bigger contributors and movers/shakers and hold system-wide events and pay for programs that benefit all county residents - they pay the biggest share and run our annual Distinguished Speaker event (Craig Johnson of Walt Longmire fame is coming in Nov); they fund our Books and Bears program for county-wide kindergarteners to get their special library card, book and stuffed bear each fall; they bought our early learning PC stations for all branches; they sponsor the Chapman Award - nominations county-wide - to someone or group who promote reading or libraries; a signature fundraiser event is mini-golf in the library on a pancake breakfast Sunday in March - we close a branch next door to a Kiwanis pancake breakfast site on a Sunday and promote both events...this year they paid Eagle scout troop to make our own course which in past we rented from a library in Michigan.

We have 7 Friends groups each focuses on their own branch - run booksales, candy sales at circ desks, holiday tree silent auctions and use the money to fund things and programs for their branch or bookmobile. Not all of the Friends have 501c3, maybe 2 of the groups have it.

Hope this helps!
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Brown County Public Library has both Friends and a Foundation. We believe they serve distinctly different financial and service roles in support of the Library.
 
Please contact for more information.

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The Washington County Public Library in Marietta has a friends group (actually each location in our system has their own) and we have a Library Foundation (and the Friends group has their own foundation account as well). The friends group having total control of their monies is a good thing. Then what they make at book sales etc. can be used for things such as summer reading, new desks, computers etc. With a foundation, you usually can only spend the interest gained on the account (which depends on the market). I would have the friends get their 501c3 first.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 
Jenna Harmison 
Champaign County Library 
1060 Scioto Street 
Urbana, OH  43078 
937-653-3811 
www.champaign.lib.oh.us