This Is How You Do It: Successful Fundraising for and in Your Library

(An Infopeople Online Learning Course)
January 13, 2009 - February 9, 2009

• Are you in facing a loss of funding for your library?
• Have you always wanted to create "streams of revenue" for your library?
• Would you like to be able to jumpstart your fundraising group members (friends, foundation, association, alumni etc) with fresh and proven fundraising ideas?

The problem: Budget cuts and other cuts from reliable sources of funding for libraries continue to hurt the growth and operation of libraries, and are creating a huge gap between the mission of the library and the services that are provided. In some libraries, collections are becoming smaller, hours are being reduced and positions when vacated are not being filled. To make matters more complicated, a recently released ALA study shows that more people in the United States have a library card (68%) than ever before.

The solution: Now more than ever, libraries and library support groups are utilizing effective methods of raising funds and building relationships by connecting with donors in their communities. Learn about programs, methods, tools and techniques to begin fundraising immediately and to create a fundraising strategy that will create streams of revenue (both in-person and online) for your library for years to come.

Workshop Description: Through focused learning and individual and group exercises this four-week online learning course will provide students with a comprehensive approach to raising funds for their libraries by means of a variety of fundraising revenue stream programs. The workshop will offer students three levels of participation, giving students the opportunity to customize the course to their individual and organizational needs. You choose the level of your participation!

Level 1: You may get what you need from the course by simply reading the course material and participating in the online discussions and chat sessions. If you don't have a current project and just want to learn more about the fundraising process for the future, this may suit you.

Level 2: The second level of effort involves doing the assignments that prepare you to begin create fundraising sources, but not actually implementing them. This is like test-driving the new car without buying it and having to do all of the maintenance.

Level 3: The most intense level of effort involves actually creating a fundraising strategy and/or implementing specific fundraising activities. Thus, in the second week you will identify the depth of your commitment, and in the third you will develop the goals and objectives for your fundraising efforts. In the fourth week you will identify either the specific fundraising tools that you and your library support group have activated and implemented or will submit your fundraising strategy that you have written in the course. In either case, I will provide you with written feedback. If you already have a clear idea of what you want to do and have identified a possible fundraising source, you may want to work at this level as it is a good way to structure your work and to get one-on-one coaching.

The instructor will provide sample fundraising programs, valuable templates, fundraising resources and aids and a webliography, as well as practical, useful tips that can be applied immediately.

During the course, you will be doing exercises and taking quizzes. You will also participate in online discussion forums as part of the online learning process.

Preliminary Course Outline: Using your web browser and your Internet connection, you will log in to the Infopeople online learning site and complete the following learning modules:

• Module One: Overview of Fundraising Opportunities
  • Fundraising examples that your library and supporting groups can begin to use in 2009 for fundraising success
  • Creating a fundraising presence on your website
  • More than just writing grants: Fundraising with businesses and associations
• Module Two: Building Your Fundraising Team
  • Who you want (and don't want) on your fundraising team
  • Where to find the "right people" for your fundraising team
  • Volunteers? Tips for building your support team for your fundraising efforts
• Module Three: Building Relationships with Your Donors: The Purpose of Fundraising
  • Understanding the process of cultivating donors for your library
  • What to say to a potential donor…yes, you have to ask for their gift!
  • Why donors choose your library…making the donor connection!
• Module Four: Writing Your Fundraising Strategy
  • Here we go!! Determining the best strategy for your fundraising efforts
  • Starting small? On-line and affiliate strategies that work!
  • Going for the big gifts? Long-term strategies including charitable giving and community programs that bring in big dollars and donations

Online Learning Details:
This four-week course will be taught online using the web. When you register, you will receive a registration confirmation that will include the URL to get to the course, as well as a username and password.

Every student proceeds through the online learning modules at his or her own pace. Students should expect to commit to spending a minimum of 2 to 2½ hours per week on this course in order to be successful. You can work on each module at your own pace, at any hour of the day or night. However, you will be expected to log in to the course each week to do that week's assignment. We ask that you log in sometime during the first week of the course to begin the course work.

Your instructor will be available for limited consultation support for two weeks after the official end date of a course, and the course material will stay up for an additional two weeks after that, to give those who have fallen behind time to work independently on the course. However, you will be expected to accomplish the majority of the course in synchronization with your peers during the first four weeks.

Who Should Take This Course: Anyone from the library community with an interest in fundraising or library professionals who must respond to the increasing pressures and consequences of reduced funding for their libraries. This course is also appropriate for library board members and trustees, members of friends groups, foundations and other library support groups and members of library association divisions, sections and special interest groups.

Prerequisites:
This course is taught over the web. You must:

• Be able to save Microsoft Word .doc or Adobe .pdf files to your computer and print them out. (For .doc files, a free Word Viewer is available at http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/search.aspx?displaylang=en. Search for "Word Viewer." For .pdf files, a free Adobe Acrobat Reader is available at http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/main.html).
• Be comfortable navigating on the web and navigating back and forward on a website that uses frames.
• To be most successful in this course you should be willing to share information with your colleagues and be willing to spend time reading and participating in the weekly discussion boards.

System Requirements: The online learning product that Infopeople uses is called Angel. The following are minimum system requirements for using Angel. You will need access to a computer that has at least these specifications to participate in an online course:

• Windows:
  • Microsoft Windows XP or Microsoft Windows Vista
  • Internet Explorer 7.0 and above, Mozilla Firefox 2.0 and above
  • Phishing Filter disabled (IE 7)
• Macintosh:
  • OS X and above (OS 9 will NOT work with our online learning product)
  • Mozilla Firefox 2.0 and above, Safari 2.0 and above
• General
  • High speed Internet connection (dial up not recommended)
  • Java enabled (from Sun Microsystems not Microsoft) - test my computer - Java download latest version
  • Pop-up blockers disabled

To be successful in this course, you should also be comfortable working in a collaborative environment (on-line, on the phone and in person) where risk taking and failure will be experienced and spur potentially huge personal and professional growth.

If you are not comfortable with any of the above, please consider taking this course with a colleague who does meet these requirements.

Fee: $75 for those in the California library community and $150 for those out-of-state.

Course Start: This 4-week-long online learning course starts on January 13, 2009.

If you would like to subscribe via RSS and be notified whenever new Infopeople training events are available, you can use these links:
**For new on-ground or online workshops: infopeople.org/workshop/rss
**For new podcasts: feeds.feedburner.com/InfopeoplePodcasts