From Zero to Friend Making in 30 Months
Transcript of From Zero to Friend Making in 30 Months
From Zero to Friend-Making in 30 Months:
Starting a Library Fundraising Program from Scratch
Kenneth Burhanna, Assistant Dean for Engagement & OutreachKaren Hillman, Director of Marketing, Communications & PR
Kent State University Libraries20 April 2015
Challenges & Opportunities
1. Very few formal friends, but Libraries well regarded with enthusiastic new leadership.
2. Legacy of May 4 1970 has long challenged Special Collections & Archives, as they built the preeminent collection on the event.
Challenges & Opportunities
3. The metrics of our institutional advancement office did not work for the Libraries. By going our own way, we freed ourselves to pursue friends and build a foundation for future fundraising.
Challenges & Opportunities
4. Creating buy-in is difficult, especially with faculty members in the library.
But it is the right thing to pursue, as faculty and staff can be our most passionate and best placed advocates.
Tips & Lessons Learned
1. Think friends, not funds to start.2. Friend-making starts with engagement.3. Infiltrate your communities.4. Get top down buy-in and support.5. Build internal buy-in.6. Find ways to contribute to the advancement initiatives
of others.7. Look for collaborative opportunities.8. Develop goals no one can argue with.9. Develop tangible goals.10.Build a support network (mentors, guides).