ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries 3 2 8 /C&RL News Conference C ircuit Lib rary fundraising tips and resources By Irene M. Hoffman and Amy Sherman Smith A report o n the M a n a g e m e n t Skills In s titu te f o r D evelo p m en t Officers O n March 1 3 , 1995, 21 library development officers from academic libraries in the U.S. and Canada convened at the University o f New Mexico, Albuquerque, for the Management Skills Institute for Development Officers. The institute was sponsored by the Association of Research Libraries (ARL), the Office of Man­ agement Services, Development Officers for Research Libraries (OMS/DORAL), and provided attendees with both practical and creative ideas for library fundraising. Sessions were led by recognized experts in library fundraising. Joan Hood, University of Illinois Library System; Bill Mott, Library Fund­ ing Associates; and Richard White, Emory Uni­ versity, led the seminars on development is­ sues. Maureen Sullivan, ARL, led the sessions on management skills. Firsthand examples o f successful fundrais­ ing programs, donor cultivation and recogni­ tion, planning how-tos, and strategic position­ ing and public relations were shared during the meeting. PAPP, Hood’s acronym for suc­ cess, provided a common thread that was wo­ ven throughout the institute. PAPP stands for: Positioning the library vis-à-vis the campus and the community; Access to the university’s cen­ tral pool o f donors; forging Partnerships (and friendships) that celebrate and support the library’s impact across all disciplines; and Pa­ tience because fundraising is a long-term pro­ cess. White’s presentation, “Fundraising for New Technologies,” highlighted the influence that new technologies have on fundraising pro­ grams. New technologies increase the fundrais­ ing ability because o f the state-of-the-art vis­ ibility they give libraries. White talked about the fundraising strategies for Emory University’s new Center for Library and Information Tech­ nologies and the collaboration between Emory, Harvard, and Yale as intellectual partners in the collecting, housing, and distribution of in­ formation. Another important finding came from the University o f Illinois. Hood challenged librar­ ies to cultivate donors from alumni lists, dis­ pelling the myth that alumni will only give to their colleges or schools. H ood’s exam ple showed that donors who have not previously given to their academic department often feel inclined to give to the library. O f the alumni she solicited, 27% gave to the library. O f those, 55% were first-time gifts to the university. Since the average annual fund donor there usually gives to up to five other units on campus, the library can be the key to unlocking donations from first-time givers. Mott gave a very practical presentation on board development. He stressed the importance o f developing an effective volunteer board within the context o f the fundraising mission, the friends group mission, or the program mis­ sion. He carefully detailed tips for creating a cohesive and well-organized board that begins with recruitment and continues with training, orientation, skills, and structure. The size of the group and the dynamic pro­ gram lent itself to lively discussions and ex­ changes of ideas. Overall, attendees came away with a lot of information and practical applica­ tions for their own fundraising efforts.— Iren e M. H offm an Irene M. H offm an is assistant to the d ea n f o r library p lan n in g a n d developm ent a t C alifornia Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, e-m ail: ihoffm an@ library.calpoly.edu; Amy Sherm an Smith is assistant to the d e a n f o r developm ent a n d plan ning, Office o f the d ea n o f library services, California State University, Fresno, e-m ail: Amy_Smith@csufresno.edu mailto:ihoffman@library.calpoly.edu mailto:Amy_Smith@csufresno.edu May 1 9 9 5 /3 2 9 ALADN : A n e w n e tw o rk fo r fu n d ra isin g Directly following the OMS/DORAL meet­ ing, almost 70 library development profession­ als came together for a conference titled “More Than Books: Building a Network o f Academic and Research Library Development Officers.” The meeting’s intent was twofold: to present a wide range o f sessions pertaining to library development issues, and to form, name, and inaugurate a new support network for academic library fundraising. Recognizing the need for a forum to discuss library fundraising issu es, the c o n fe re n ce evolved from the two previous DORAL pro­ grams. The organizers included Lynn Trojahn (University o f New M exico); Adam Corson- Finnerty and Seiden Smith (University o f Penn­ sylvania); and Carolyn Claflin (Yale University). Attendees came from the U.S. and Canada, and it was clear from their enthusiasm and excite­ ment that this is a newly developing specialty within libraries. Johanna Christensen (University o f Califor­ nia, Irvine) and Gwen Leightly (Smithsonian Institution) presented their strategies for orga­ nizing a new developm ent program. They started by explaining the need for a plan and shared a unique idea o f the “tool b ox”: a ready- to-use list o f all the giving opportunities avail­ able to donors that can be ready at a moment’s notice. Karen Siebert (University o f Texas at Aus­ tin) led a lively panel on the role o f the library director in the fundraising effort. The most im­ portant skills are leadership and vision. These provide a solid foundation for the goals and directions o f the fundraising campaign. She stressed the need for active, not passive involve­ ment in the process and the setting o f fundrais­ ing priorities. She also described the library director’s role as an internal cultivator o f major gifts and the sensor for understanding campus politics. A lively brainstorming session on constitu­ ency building on and off campus was facili­ tated by Seiden Smith. Some o f the ideas that came out o f that discussion include: tap into people who give student scholarships, use state and national fraternity/sorority organizations, use the library as a center for homecoming ac­ tivities, honor authors from the university, look for ties to student government, cosponsor events with other groups, identify and solicit honor- ary-degree holders, involve older folks from the community, and many more. Another session on “Innovative Fundraising Techniques” was full o f creative ideas. Lynn Trojahn started the discussion by describing the “Intel Score for Scholars” program, a joint fund­ raising activity between the basketball program and the library at the University o f New Mexico. Other innovative programs discussed included electronic bookplating, solicitation o f parents, and partnering with alumni associations. During the last part o f the conference the group was charged to design a new organiza­ tion for library development officers. To name the group, a contest was held in which all par­ ticipants submitted their ideas. Then, by ballot, ALADN (Academic Libraries Advancement and Development Network) was selected as the new name. ALADN is a grassroots organization and is not affiliated with any other library organiza­ tions. It has an inclusive membership, open to all library development officers in public or private universities in the U.S. and Canada. Three steering committees were formed: the Electronic Communications Committee, the Conference Committee, and an Outreach Com­ mittee. There are no dues. To join ALADN, con­ tact Carolyn Claflin, Director o f Development, Yale University, e-mail: carolyn_claflin@qm. yale.edu. The coup de grace o f the conference was the establishment o f a new library development listserv called LIBDEV. The administrator o f the list is Robert Hershoff (University o f Arizona). It is open to anyone interested in library devel­ opment issues and can be accessed by sending a message to: listserv@arizona.edu. The text of the message should read: subscribe libdev your name. LIBDEV provides communication, informa­ tion exchange, and shared expertise for any academic librarians, development officers, ar­ chivists, administrators, and anyone else con­ cerned with fundraising development for aca­ demic libraries. ALADN members voted to meet formally on an annual basis. The next meeting is planned for March 6 -8 , 1996, at the University o f Cali­ fornia at Irvine.— A m y S h erm an Sm ith mailto:listserv@arizona.edu