Buy the Library Time to Improve Its Fund-Raising Record and Consider Its Long-Term Options
Borrow Money from PPL’s Discretionary Funds
If the Library foresees that it does not have enough funding to provide all of the services it is currently providing, and to finance all nine branches as well as Central for the coming year, it would be a huge mistake to make a hasty decision regarding the long-term future of the library system in the next few weeks. Now that the Library Partnership Advisory Committee is in place, give this group a chance to consider possible options carefully and without time pressures. The Library Reform Group feels that PPL can raise the additional money to support the current system, and PPL needs time to improve its fund-raising record. LPAC needs time to explore possible cost-cutting measures.
Buy time by placing $3,000,000 from PPL’s discretionary funds in reserve to be used over the next three years for budget overruns. Replenish these reserve funds with money from new fund-raisers and a more aggressive development strategy. In the meantime, LPAC can be monitoring PPL’s progress in improving its fund-raising track record and considering long-term plans that might cut costs. (See Maureen Roman’s How to Save PPL without Destroying It for more details.)
Earmarking of Donations for Immediate Library Use
It is the current practice of the Board of Directors to treat all donations to PPL as donations to a Board-designated endowment fund, unless the donor specifically earmarks the money for a given branch or program. These funds are deposited into the PPL foundation and only 6% of the average savings balance of the fund plus the endowment is transferred to the PPL each year to pay for operating expenses. This means that if a donor gives $100 to the library, only $6 is used each year. We would recommend that, for the immediate future, the default be reversed: donations would go directly to PPL for immediate operational expenses unless the donation is specifically earmarked for the endowment. In addition, we recommend that the Board receive regular monthly reports as to how much is raised by the Foundation in donations.
Change in institutional philosophy
The attitude at PPL seems to be that it is impossible to raise more money than is currently being raised and therefore there is no use in trying harder. This attitude is self-defeating.
Change in leadership style
In order to raise more money from private and public donors, the Library Director must demonstrate more clearly and decisively that the Library is worth the investment. It is not enough to approach City officials only at budget time; the Director must develop and sustain an on-going, friendly relationship with public officials throughout the year, as the Hartford Chief Librarian does, for instance. Yearly telethons, occasional library events, and solicitations through the mail are not enough to convince potential donors to continue their giving, much less to increase it. The Director should attend community and Friends meetings regularly, meet face-to-face with donors frequently and in a variety of settings, and become the public face of PPL more convincingly than is occurring at present.
Change in attitude toward potential donors
Several donors have reported that their offers to give money to PPL have not been followed up with phone calls, letters or personal contacts from Library representatives. Potential funds have been lost due to indifference on the part of the Library.
Encouragement of current branch library friends groups and strong effort to form Friends groups at Central and at the branches that do not currently have Friends groups
Friends groups are the foot soldiers in the campaign to organize fund raisers, lobby public officials for additional funding, and help to improve the Library’s reputation within the general public. Friends groups currently feel that they are working in opposition to the Library administration; nascent Friends groups have been actively discouraged from organizing.
Improvement of relations with City and State officials
PPL currently receives nearly 2/3 of its operating funds from the City of Providence and the State of Rhode Island, yet the relationship between Library and public officials is often adversarial. While the Mayor’s office has begun to work more closely with the Library recently, PPL needs to take further steps to foster a positive relationship with public officials at the state and the city levels. The Library might sponsor regular legislative breakfasts with state officials, or it might invite City Councilors to a special opening of a History of Providence exhibit at Central. When new state legislators or city councilors are elected, the PPL director needs to call upon each of them individually and outline the Library’s accomplishments and goals. The Hartford Public Library fosters a close relationship with City officials, repeatedly asserting “A Great City Needs a Great Library”—and HPL’s public funding has increased accordingly.
Improvement of relations with area colleges and universities
In Hartford every local college and university president is a member of the library corporation. The library demonstrates its usefulness for the colleges by being a resource for students in urban studies programs, by digitizing special collections material of interest to university students and faculty, etc. In turn, college and university presidents introduce writers and other speakers at library lectures and are more receptive to library requests for funding of programs and services of use to students and faculty. There are a number of college and universities in the Providence area; it would be to PPL’s advantage to working relationships with them.
Specific Suggestions for Improvements in PPL’s Fund-Raising Record
Increase in size of development staff
With only two development staffers, PPL can do little more than tread water in terms of fund raising. It needs to begin to fund raise much more aggressively. PPL is currently operating with two development staffers, and part of their time is devoted to other duties. Although it will cost more up-front to hire additional staff; good development people will raise more in donations and grants than their salary and this will prove to be a sound investment in PPL’s financial future.[2]
Establishment of Recurring Annual Fund-Raising Events for the General Public
The Providence Preservation Society has an annual historic house tour; the Big Sisters of RI has an annual auction; other organizations have walks and 5 K races. PPL has nothing. The Library should start holding an annual fund-raising event THIS SPRING. It could be a spring or summer festival at Central, a RI Authors Support Our Library Day, or a day-long or weekend-long set of seminars on a variety of book-related topics. General admission could be low, perhaps $10 to $15 per person and $25 per family, with a higher cost of $100 for those who attend a pre-event reception. The important thing is that it puts PPL in the public eye, provides good press, and provides an opportunity for large numbers of people to support their library.
Establishment of a Capital Improvements Strategy
The library has branches that need substantial renovation or upgrades. Most do not meet the highest energy conservation standards and the majority of the branches are in need of significant repair/upgrades.
City and state officials should consider giving PPL set-aside recognition for library services through their Request for Proposals and formal project development and permitting approvals process. The City and PPL could secure “linkage” funding support or ask developers and investors to dedicate funds to library renovation, repair or relocation as part of the City’s neighborhood stabilization strategy.
The City should include conditions which promote investment in PPL’s library branch programs as a component of its community benefits measures. These benefits will not accrue to PPL this fiscal year but they will provide PPL with future benefits that come from the City’s revitalization activities.