What are Friends Groups?
• 501-C-3 tax exempt charitable
organizations with a specific mission of
supporting their Library
• Have their own board of directors
• Have their own board meetings
• Have their own checking account
• Have their own treasurer

Role of Board Members
• Four basic responsibilities of board
members
– Set policy
– Raise money (resource the policy)
– Act as an ambassador for the Friends and the
Library in the community
– Replace yourself with someone better (when
the time comes)

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Role of Board Members
• Understand and carry out the mission—
which is to support the Library
• Take on responsibilities
– Chair a committee
– Organize an event
– Recruit new members/donors for the Friends
and the Board
– Raise money

More About the Board
• Should reflect the community your Library
serves
– Economic, racial, ethnic
– Leaders from various segments of the
community
• Should have people with specific skill sets
– Lawyer, Accountant, PR/Marketing, Fund
Raiser, Strategic Planner, etc.

3

More About the Board
• By-laws should include
– Terms of office
• How many terms a member can serve
– Rotation of board members
• Board member classes
– Officers and Committee Chairs
• Specific job descriptions
• Set dues structure for membership

Relationship with Library
• Should be one of mutual respect,
cooperation and collaboration
• Separate boards
– No overlap
– Friends board members may be future
Trustees and Trustees may be future Friends
board members, but there should be no
overlap between the two
• Except when first starting out

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• There should be a liaison from the Friends
board to the Library board and a liaison
from the Library board to the Friends’
board
– Each needs to be kept informed of each
other’s activities and how they can help each
other
• Can even have a Memo of Understanding

• Friends do not set Library policy but
support the Library’s policies
• Library board should value the opinions of
Friends in setting policy
• Friends fundraising is done with the
knowledge of the Library Trustees and in
coordination with Library Director

5

• Friends’ fundraising supplements the
Library’s operating budget
– Provide materials and programs to enhance
the Library’s offerings
– Should not replace money normally provided
for in operating budget
• Friends decide how to spend the money
after conferring with Library Board and
Director

• Friends are one of the connecting links
between the Library and the community
• Be prepared to make connections with
local community leaders, opinion leaders,
elected officials on behalf of the Library

6

• Need to maintain open communication so that
both parties—Friends and Library—continue to
be on the same page
• Friends of Southern Nevada Libraries
– Messy dispute around audits and disbursements
– Library had to sue to get the money from the Friends
before they disbanded
– Court found in Library’s favor because of Friends’
mission
– Lawsuit cost Library $45,000

Role of Library Trustees
• Set Policy
• Resource the policy—pass budget, secure
funding
• Be an ambassador for the Library in the
community
• Replace themselves with someone better
– Recruit new trustees whether they are elected
or appointed

7

• Develops and implements policies that
govern library services
• Hires Library Director
• Works closely with Director in developing
and presenting annual budget
• Works with Director to plan and set goals
• One member serves as a liaison to
Friends

• All should be members of Friends
• Advocates for the Library
• Present Library perspective to elected
officials, community leaders, opinion
leaders, etc.

8

Where The Two Meet
• Making sure the Library has the funds it
needs
• Representing Library in the community
• Be advocates for the Library
– Elected officials
• Desire to work cooperative with each other
• Desire to make the Library the best it can
be

Building Your Friends Group
• Brand, Message and Marketing
– What is the intersection of what values the
Friends stand for in the community and what
is important to the community
– Find that and you can build your group’s
brand, message and marketing from there
– Emotional Branding
• Love, Hate, Fear, Hope

9

Case Study: Saugerties Public Library
Special Legislative District Public Library, service pop. 19,868

• Needed to raise the identity of the Library before
asking public to vote on a $6.9 million
referendum
• SWOT analysis
– Library was important but not as important as town
recreation activities
• Strategy
– Triangulate recreation, make it integral to the library

Case Study: Saugerties Public
Library
• Rebranded Library
– New slogan
– New look
– New logo

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• Market the Friends
– Make sure your membership materials are at
• The Library circulation desk
• All your events
• At community venues
– Friends Newsletter/Library Newsletter
• Conduct membership drives
– Direct mail
– Friend to Friend
– Promote in Library and Friends’ newsletter

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• Marketing Tools • Marketing Tools
– Identity Brochure – Annual Reports
– Web Site – Displays
– Newsletter – PowerPoint
– Direct Mail presentation
– Advertising: – Speaking
• Newspaper engagements
• TV – Flyers, Posters
• Radio – Campaigns

Dues Structure

Professionally produced brochure

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• Dues Structure
– Individual: $30
– Family: $45
– Senior (Age 65+): $20
– Senior Family (Age 65+): $40
– Supporter: $75
– Sustaining: Minimum $10/month pledge
– Patron: $100
– Sponsor: $250
– Benefactor: $500

• What are the benefits of being a Friend?
– Special ticket prices
– Members-only night for annual book sale
– Meet and greets before author events
– Annual holiday thank you party
– Advance e-mail notice of events and
programs

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• Have a strategic plan so you know where
you are going and your members can
“follow”
– How you’ll raise money
– What types and how many programs
– What kind of outreach and advocacy

Fundraising for Your Friends Group

• Direct Mail • Phone Solicitation
• On-line Giving • Pledge Program
• Special Events • Corporate Support
• Workplace Giving • Small Business Support
• Honors/Memorial Giving • Honors/Memorial Giving
• Program Admission • Capital/Endowment
• Grants Campaigns
• Planned Giving

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• Basic development activities
– Brochure
– Online
– Direct Mail/Annual Appeal
– Newsletter
– Special Events
– Workplace Giving
– Charge for programs

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• Develop a case statement
– A reason for people to give
– Emotional tie to facts, figures and benefits
• Have people on your board who “love to raise
money!”
– Yes, they do exist!
• Make sure everyone who is asking directly for
money has the case statement
– Speaking with one voice


• Build mailing list at every opportunity
• Have plans for each activity
– How much you want to raise
– What you’ll do to reach the goal
• Major campaigns—capital/endowment
– Community leaders/known names as
figureheads
– Work with a professional

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Fundraising for Friends Groups
• Always say THANK YOU!
• Always ask again
– People who give once are more likely to give
again
• Let your donors know what you’ve done
with the money
– They give to see action not have the money
just sit in the bank collecting interest

Getting Them In The Door--
Programming
• Have a program plan
– Just because you have a space doesn’t mean
you should hold a program if it’s not going to
attract folks
• Have a large program committee so that
you have lots of ideas and lots of folks to
do the work

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Getting Them In The Door--
Programming
• Develop programs that are timely and of
interest
– Community issues
– Local authors
– Book sales
• Make sure you have to do marketing and
PR for events

How to Keep Them Away!
• Poor timing
• Poor or no PR/Marketing
• Careless organization
• Unclear delegation of responsibilities
• Not enough volunteers
• Uninteresting topic

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Friends As Advocates
• Make sure you and the Library are on the
same page
• Plan
– What’s the goal? What’s the timeline?
• Strategy
– How will you accomplish your goal?
– What resources do you need?

• Tactics
– What tools will you use?
• NLS Grassroots Advocacy Network
• Postcards and letters
• Face to Face meetings
• Phone Calls
• Organize
– Getting the troops together and ready to act

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• Message
– What are you saying?
– Talking points, one-pager, Q&A
– Everyone must be saying the same thing
– Who will carry the message?
• Can you get community leaders/opinion leaders to
work with you
• Adds credibility

Reaching Out to New Audiences
• Consider forming a Teen Friends of the
Library
– Start them early in their love and commitment
to libraries
– Can get really good information and program
ideas
– Great collaboration with Library staff and
Friends

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What Happens When You Get Tired?

• All volunteer organizations go through
cycles
– People get tired, burnt out, bored
• Always recruit for new volunteers
– Take on new responsibilities
– See how well they do
– Potential board members


• Have a party for the old and new to get
juices flowing
• Re-evaluate mission, vision, goals and
objectives
– May be time to fine tune
– Friends founded in 1960’s met different needs
than what folks want today

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• Reorganize board
– Break down responsibilities
– Add positions
– Ease the burden
• Review membership benefits
– Are they in line with community expectations?


• Review how you’re reaching out to
members
– Is a print newsletter no longer needed?
– Can you do it all by e-mail?
• Membership recruitment should be year
round
– Not just during “membership drive” time
• Don’t forget to say thank you!

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Being a Good 501-C-3
• As a not for profit, tax exempt organization
with a 501-C-3 designation from the IRS,
you hold the public’s trust and the IRS’
attention
• Function as a business even though it’s
not about making a “profit”

• Make sure all board members understand
their roles and responsibilities
– Board training every two years would be good
• Duty of Care
• Duty of Loyalty
• Duty of Obedience

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• Duty of Care
– This is defined as “the amount of care that an
ordinarily prudent person would exercise in a
like position and under similar circumstances.”
In practical application, this means that board
members must exercise reasonable care
when they make decisions for the
organization.

• Duty of Loyalty
– This requires that board members keep the
best interests of the organization in mind at all
times when making decisions (i.e., avoiding
conflicts of interest).

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• Duty of Obedience
– This requires that board members’ actions be
consistent with the organization’s mission
statement, articles of incorporation, bylaws
and tax-exemption documentation. In other
words, the nonprofit’s central goals must
guide all board decisions and in addition,
board members must comply with all
applicable laws and regulations.

• Accounting
– Must have a treasurer who can keep good
books
• Receipts must be maintained
• Copy all checks before depositing them to keep a
record
• Petty cash
– Needs to be closely tracked
– Need receipts
• Reconcile bank statements

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• Know how long you need to keep files
• Develop a budget for each fiscal year
• Be clear about who can and can not sign
checks
• Yearly audit
• File your 990 on time (tax return)
• File with state on time

• Make sure your registered with the State
Charities Bureau out of the AG’s office
– You’ll get a charities registration number
• If you hire a fundraising consultant, make sure
they are also registered as a vendor
– They must send their contracts in to the AGs office
– Never work on a percentage, only flat fee for service

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