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Yesterday's post was about money. What a fitting topic for SO many reasons!
He talks about one of my personal "pet peeves": "knowing about what you sell". The example he gives is: "If you're in the music business, but you never buy tickets or downloads...".
His point being that "money is more than a transfer of value"; "it's a statement of belief".
As we enter the holiday season, a season for giving, let us return to the idea that during this time when non-profits (LIBRARIES) are mailing their annual fund drive letters for year-end, tax deductible contributions, we need to remember that giving begins "at home". We already know that staff members give. They are usually the first to buy raffle tickets or purchase give-aways/incentives to support their library--why?, because they believe in the mission of the library.
Board members are volunteers who give (sometimes) generously of their time, but is that enough? How can board members expect their peers to give to the library if they themselves do not. As Seth would say: "that's a sign, and not a good one." Yes, time is valuable, but time does not pay the operating expenses of the library.
If each of your board members personally asked their "contacts" for a year-end contribution to the library and set a personal goal of 5 gifts of $100 each, a 7-member board could raise $3,500. If each of your 7-board members themselves wrote a check to the library for $100, that would give the library an additional $700 for a total of $4,200!
If the board members gave their gift of $100 FIRST before making "the ask"--then their opening for "the ask" could be: "I believe in the mission of our community's library. I gave $100 to back that belief, would you consider a $100 year-end gift to further the mission of your library into the new decade?"
How can we possibly expect our community to support our library if board members do not? It IS a "statement of belief".
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3 comments:
Very appropriate and so true. It is a message I've been trying to convey for a long time. I'll use Seth's suggestions as well and maybe it will inspire my board to move forward.
I recently found out my small gift last year was three times greater than one board members; how motivated am I to give when the next mailing comes out?
To quote Michael Kumer: "board members need to make a meaningful gift". He defines meaningful as the point at which you "care" how it is being used. Not all board members can write a $1,000 check. That may be meaninful to some; but, for others, meaningful may be $100. The point is that board members GIVE! It isn't a "contest" to see who gives how much. And giving because you believe in the mission of the library and the role it plays in the community--not because you want a "pat on the back".
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