Ideas for Successful Friends of the Library Fundraising

Libraries are an essential part of communities for creating a haven of education and inspiration and opening our eyes to the world through books and publications. A critical component to the success of libraries everywhere are groups called Friends of the Library.

What are Friends of the Library Groups?

Friends of the Library are groups and individuals that help to preserve, support, and strengthen libraries. Friends of the Library members are library supporters who believe in the importance of libraries as the social and intellectual centers of communities and campuses. Members consist of individuals who use libraries, people who organize library fundraisers to foster development, and influential community members who help govern libraries nationwide.

These amazing groups of people are quite literally the greatest friends of the library in their community. As local governments have shifted the amount of support and funding given to libraries, Friends of the Library groups have become essential to the success and growth of local library systems. Libraries are seen as a place to provide resources that are not only useful but technologically up to date. Therefore, it has become even more critical for these groups to raise funding for new technology and tools.

10+ Great Friends of the Library Fundraising Ideas

There are many great library fundraising ideas for Friends of the Library groups to consider for their fundraising campaign. From applying for grants to hosting book sales to organizing a community fundraising event to planning a unique fundraising initiative such as a reading challenge… there are many different fundraisers to consider. Don’t be afraid to be creative and think outside the box. To keep libraries up with technology, community demand, and the latest and greatest resources, here are some ideas to help any Friends of the Library group raise vital funds and awareness for the community library.

Host Friends Nights at Local Restaurants

How about offering a “Friends Night” Fundraising campaign? Your Friends of the Library group could partner with a different local business each month to offer a Friends Night. For example, a local restaurant would host Friends Night on a Tuesday night from 5 – 9 pm. Restaurant patrons would be informed that a percentage of their dining bill will be donated to the local Friends of the Library group to support a specific fundraising cause.

Organize a Walk-a-thon for the Library

Walk-a-thon fundraisers are a great way to use the power of community members to come together and raise money from their network of family and friends. Participants commit to collecting pledges and donations for your library and often work in teams to inspire others. The event could begin and end in the library parking lot to increase exposure to the media and the participants about the library and the resources available there. Additionally, by reaching out to sponsors for the event, you could have them sponsor mile markers, provide in-kind support of water or food or create a matching gift Challenge to increase participation for money raised. Tracking and monitoring donations and participants can be overwhelming for some groups, which is why our Peer-to-Peer software for walk-a-thons is a great tool to ensure that walk-a-thons are a success. Using walk-a-thon software helps to create a seamless experience for both the participants and the Friends of the Library organization. Tracking donations made far and wide, ensuring pledges are paid and allowing credit card payments to be processed online come together to help ensure any event is a success.

Host a Used Book Sale

One of the most popular Friends of the Library fundraising events nationwide is hosting a used book sale. Organizations gather donated books and then hold a weekend-long pop-up book sale to raise money and exposure for the library. Because the books are donated by members and supporters, book sales are entirely profitable. Many Friends of the Library groups choose to hold book sales at the library itself, maybe outside under a large tent. Another venue could also be approached for an in-kind donation of space to hold the sale. A book sale also provides an excellent volunteer opportunity for the members of the Friends of the Library, keeping them engaged and energized around your mission.

Be sure to sell coffee, pastries, and raffle tickets as an add-on to the event. Some Friends groups also host silent auctions to raise more.

Offer Naming Opportunities

There are numerous naming opportunities throughout a library. Many times, people who are passionate about an entity, building or place enjoy coming back to see their name displayed within the building to show their support and connection to the organization. Every library has rooms, shelves, sections, benches and even the building itself that could be named based on a certain donation level. Members of the Friends of the Library group often feel so passionate about the library, they may want their favorite section or shelf named after them as a way of leaving a legacy.

Keeping track of naming opportunities supported or still available is critical for the success of a campaign such as this. Having fundraising software that allows for the tracking of donations, gifts secured and donor information is important for record-keeping and donor stewardship. Our donation software can help.

Host a Year-End Campaign

The last six weeks to a month of the year is vital to most organizations’ fundraising efforts. Kicked off by #GivingTuesday and running through December 31, the year-end giving season simply cannot be ignored by nonprofit fundraisers. Many organizations receive 30% or more of their fundraising dollars for the entire year during this period.

Year-end giving and appeals work great for Friends of the Library fundraising. These can be online product sales, general donation appeals, and more.

Wine Tasting Events for the Library

Wine-tasting events are very popular social events. After all, most people love tasting wines! This makes finding participants for the event pretty easy. If event promotion is done well, you are very likely to attract people outside of your library’s usual donor base purely on the popularity and appeal of wine tasting events.

Your committee will need at least one wine connoisseur to be your wine expert and assist with bringing in others in the wine industry. Ideally, the wine connoisseur is also connected to wine merchants, vineyards, sommeliers, restaurants, or wine bars in your area. Read more on how to organize a wine tasting fundraiser for your library.

Research Grant Opportunities

There are many grant opportunities for technology, program assistance, capital campaigns, and other needs associated with raising money for a library. Researching the types of grants available, along with writing the grants, can take a bit of time but the results can make a tremendous impact on the success of a fundraising campaign. A great place to start researching grant opportunities available, and the parameters that need to be met, is The Foundation Center’s database of foundations and their grant opportunities. You can search the database by geographic location, grant focus area, or even amounts given to help narrow your focus for applications and increase the likelihood of securing grant funding.

Host a Book Themed Cake Party

Special events are always a great way to engage supporters and donors, increase awareness around a mission and provide an opportunity for a fun and enjoyable experience. A different kind of idea for a fundraising event could be a cake decorating contest that is centered around a book theme. Entrants would create cakes around their favorite books and display them at the event. People would purchase tickets to the event and vote for their favorite book cake. It’s a different twist on the typical fundraising event while keeping with the library theme. And who doesn’t like a great piece of cake?

Create a Friends of the Library Book

What better way to raise money for a library than to create a book to sell? Libraries hold memories and stories for people that frequently visit them. An idea would be to create a book that is comprised of stories written by the members of the Friends of the Library group, telling their memories and stories of their life experiences within a library. By having individuals write their stories and memories, they are creating a lasting impact and legacy of the imprint that libraries put on people’s lives. Include vintage photos of the library and patrons for even greater impact. Once the individuals have written their stories and submitted it, all of the stories would be put into a book, which would then be printed and sold for profit. In-kind donations of printing services could be arranged with a local printer, allowing the cost to produce the book to be significantly decreased, increasing the amount of money raised. By sharing stories of their life, it connects your passionate supporters to your mission even more and creates a legacy of support for generations to come.

Building Community Awareness and Support

Friends of the Library groups aim not only to raise money for the library but also to create awareness and appreciation for the library within the local community. So when planning friends of the library fundraisers, make sure you promote your fundraisers outside of the library. Spread the word to local media, utilize social media networking channels, post announcements on your organization’s website, create flyers to post on community bulletin boards, send email announcements to your loyal supporter base and ask them to help spread the word. Look for businesses to sponsor your fundraiser with financial donations as well as assistance promoting your library fundraiser. All of these efforts will help increase the success of your fundraising campaign and help you spread the word about your library or special cause. After all, a library is not just a place to check out books, it’s a place to gain knowledge, explore new ideas, and a social gathering place where people can enjoy spending time together.

For more guidelines and information about planning your fundraising initiative, read our fundraising tips.

Don’t Forget to Say Thanks

However you raise funds for your local library, remember that thanking donors is a crucial step to creating lasting relationships and a legacy of success for your library. Every person who is a part of a Friends of the Library group makes an impact on the critical work and support that libraries provide in our communities. By taking the time to genuinely thank each supporter, you acknowledge that their passion matters and makes a difference.

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