How To Start A Friends Of The Library Group

 While the Steering Committee is setting up a Friends group, the Library Board representative will keep their Board informed.. Fact Sheetsunder Resources on FOLUSA web site – www.folu

Dorothy Macnaughton

Vice-President, Friends of Canadian Libraries President, Friends of the Sault Ste Marie

Public Library

OLA Conference, February 2, 2008

Copyright © 2008 Friends of Canadian Libraries

 When the Friends consider their role, their objectives and how they will accomplish them, they need to consider how the

Friends organization fits in with the

library’s mandate and strategic plan

 Friends partner with the library,

undertaking complementary activities

 The Friends can pursue opportunities for advocacy activities and fundraising that

the library can’t

 The Steering Committee and, later, the

Friends President, should communicate

regularly with the Library Director/CEO or staff liaison

 The Friends are an independent

organization, with their own Board,

Constitution and By Laws

 The Friends Board is not a governance

Board

 The Library Board is a governance Board, responsible for monitoring the library’s

budget, staffing, policies and strategic

plan

 A good relationship should be established between the Friends Board and the Library Board

 Many Friends organizations have a Library Board member (Ex officio) on their Board

 While the Steering Committee is setting up

a Friends group, the Library Board

representative will keep their Board

informed.

 Library Trustees and staff should be

welcoming and appreciative of Friends’

volunteers, as they are not only giving a

great deal of time, they are also promoting the library in the community.

Friends of Libraries U.S.A Fact Sheets

(under Resources)

(on FOLUSA web site – www.folusa.org)

 Role of the Friends Board

 Role of the Library Trustees

 Board Development

Southern Ontario Library Service –

Initiating a Friends of the Library Group

 FOCAL’s forming a Friends Group Manual

First Meeting

 Promotion

 Planning

◦ sample agenda

 In the library and other prominent

locations, advertise a meeting to attract

interested people who are regular library users, who care about the library and who might have some time to give to support the library.

 You may also want to enlist the help of

Library Board Trustees and staff who could hand out invitations to the meeting to

people they know who have a vested

interest in the library.

 If the library has a newsletter, advertize the first meeting well in advance.

 Put a notice of the meeting on the library’s web site.

 Use free media opportunities (public service announcements)

 In all advertising, emphasize how the

proposed Friends group wants to help the

library and needs people who really care

about their library.

 If a Library staff person or a Library Board Trustee are spearheading the formation of a Friends group, they can make the necessary arrangements to book a meeting room,

arrange for chairs, etc.

 Otherwise, a key volunteer can take on this responsibility.

 Always have refreshments If the

primary organizer knows a volunteer baker, enlist their help If you are expecting a

larger crowd of people, Timbits work well

 At the first organizing meeting, at least one Library Board Trustee and one library staff person should be present to speak about

the need for a Friends group, to answer

questions and offer support.

 You could invite someone who is a member

of a local Friends group in your area or a

member of Friends of Canadian Libraries to provide information at this meeting.

 Request that people ask specific questions, particularly of the library representatives, bearing in mind that it will take time for the Friends group to undertake larger projects

or to provide funding for more expensive

requirements.

 Find out if the library needs advocates in

the near future or if there are some smaller items the Friends could fund.

 This will be a preliminary planning meeting where a Steering Committee will be formed

 Additional volunteers could plan the first

 At the initial meeting, ask for volunteers to

form a Steering Committee, which will lead in future to a Friends of the Library group

Some of these people may form the first

Executive of the Friends’ Board.

 A Library Board Trustee and a library staff

representative should be part of the Steering Committee (ex officio).

 One of the Steering Committee members

should be the Treasurer.

 The Steering Committee will be responsible for drafting the Friends’ Constitution and By Laws.

 The Steering Committee should

review several sample Constitutions

and By Laws, choose which ideas they like from those and draft their own

version which fits with their library’s goals and plans.

for comprehensive, clear and

uncomplicated documents.

Laws can always be altered later on.

 Governing documents – a Constitution and

By Laws - are a necessity to outline the

purpose of your group, the Executive

positions and a job description for each

position, what happens to the funds you

raise and your relationship to the Library Board and staff

 If you are planning to apply for Charitable Status, governing documents are required

as part of your application

 Keep your governing documents clear and simple.

 When your Steering Committee looks at Constitutions and By Laws from other

Friends groups, you may choose to use

many similar items, but there will also be unique points you want documented that define how you will be supporting your

library or your relationship to the library

 A charity can exist without having

registered charitable tax status

 There are a number of advantages:

 a) the organization may issue tax

receipts;

 b) the organization is exempt from

taxation;

c) the organization may more readily

qualify for other benefits

d) registered charities are automatically exempt from tax on their income

 Some of the disadvantages of

registration include the following:

 a) the organization must devote all of its resources to its charitable activities;

 b) the organization must make annual

filings with Canada Revenue Agency;

 c) none of the property of the organization may be distributed to the members on

dissolution or winding up of the

organization

http://www.law-nonprofit.org/25-6nfp.htm

 Register for Charitable Status immediately following adoption of the Constitution and

By Laws

 Be aware that if your library already has charitable status, this may impact on your application

 Contact the Charities Directorate (Canada Revenue Agency) as you are filling out the Application It should save time later on,

so they won’t need to contact you for

clarification

Canada Revenue Agency

 If you are applying for charitable status, once the paperwork is filled out and sent

in, some time may elapse before you

receive confirmation

 Every year, your Treasurer will be

required to provide financial

documentation to the federal government

by a specific date

 Keeping involved

 Encourage/recruit

 Recognition

 If you are fortunate enough to have

additional people turn out for the initial

organizing meeting, you don’t want to lose them while the Steering Committee is

drafting the governing documents

 Determine if there are a few people willing

to organize your first advocacy effort or

fundraiser

 Provide a checklist for people to indicate where their areas of interest are (e.g

-someone who has organized public

service announcements for another

organization might help out as Media

Coordinator)

 Encourage those present to recruit friends

to assist as well

 Ideally, the library will provide start up

funding Any additional funds the Friends raise can go to the library’s services and programs

 Make it easy for volunteers to work on a

simple project (the area of greatest need) to raise a small amount of operating money and perhaps some for the library’s needs

 If the library needs a group of advocates to lobby or promote specific needs to the public, the additional volunteers can work with the Library Board to assist with an advocacy

strategy.

 Once you know what type of activity you will

be working on, choose key people to organize and recruit volunteers.

 Its easier to get other people in the

community involved if you have a specific event in mind, can let them know exactly how they can help, how much time their task will take and if you have planned well

in advance

 Thank your volunteers in the library’s

newsletter and at your Friends meeting

 Fundraising

◦ Start up funding

 Book Sales

 Advocacy

 If you require your own start up funding, you could approach a couple of businesses willing to provide some funding, without a charitable tax receipt, OR

 Plan a small fundraiser or two which can generate some money quickly to help

cover start up costs

 If the Library provides your group with

start up funding, any funds you raise

above that can be designated for a specific library project and will give your group a great sense of satisfaction

 It helps if the person coordinating your

event enjoys organizing, planning and

working with people

 Make sure you have enough volunteers for the type of event planned

 Do some research and find out who the

media contacts are for PSAs and advertise your event at least two weeks ahead of

time to ensure your event is well

promoted

 Holding a fundraiser that garners media attention will assist your group in

becoming known in the community

 If you are holding a book sale or a yard

sale, for example, it should be held in a

location where many people will see it

 Research how other Friends groups organize their book sales.

 Determine the needs of the library and the volunteer labour you have available.

 Find a key volunteer to be in charge

of the Book Sale.

 Find a second key volunteer to

schedule volunteers.

 If you have only a few volunteers, find out if some local high school

students (who need their 40

volunteer hours) can help out.

 Schedule lots of time to set up and take down

 If you are attempting to lobby the

municipal government to avoid library closures, for example, request a

simple one page information sheet

from the Library Board explaining

what the main issues are and why the library branches shouldn’t be closed.

how much the library means to people

in the community

 Once members of your group have the library’s information sheet, ask them to write letters to the editor of the local

papers (in a coordinated manner) and/or phone their City Councilors

FOLUSA Fact Sheet on Advocacy

 During Steering Committee discussions, the

kinds of activities you would like to plan, key

volunteers required, and how often you need to meet should be determined These decisions can

be changed as your group matures.

 If there are enough volunteers, you may want to have a Fundraising Chair or a Book Sale

Coordinator and it would be a good idea to

include all key positions in your Constitution and

By Laws, even if you might not have people to fill them immediately.

 Simple job descriptions for key positions will help the volunteer understand the time commitment involved and the nature of their responsibilities.

 Promote your group at every opportunity and communicate how you will be supporting the library Speak about specific tasks the

potential volunteer could help out with.

 Contact those interested in volunteering

quickly before they end up volunteering for another organization

 Put posters in specific locations where

potential volunteers congregate – all library branches, Seniors’ Centres, etc.

 Generate media coverage of your

event/activities.

 Understand that recruiting volunteers

today requires updated and effective

strategies

 Check out “Recruiting and Retaining

Volunteers”, an OLA conference session,

2007 by Reva Cooper on the FOCAL web site (www.friendsoflibraries.ca) under

Conferences, Archives

 Refer to the FOCAL sheet, “Ten Tips for Recruiting Volunteers”

 Develop a simple one page handout explaining that you are a group of people who love their library and are forming a Friends of the Library group Later on, you can hopefully find a

volunteer with the skills necessary to develop a Friends brochure.

 Hand these out at every event or activity

 Be specific about skills desired for certain tasks and how much time the volunteer will have to commit.

enthusiastic about your involvement and

encourage others to join the group to help out.

 It is beneficial to have paid annual

memberships to ensure you have a good base of active volunteers and, especially in the early stages, some funds coming in

from membership dues

 If you offer reasonable dues, with a patron membership, which is a larger amount,

those people who don’t want to be actively involved can still offer financial support

 Develop a membership brochure

 Great support from your Library Board and staff

 Visibility in the community

 Excellent media contacts

 A good volunteer base

 Being willing to learn from what other Friends groups have done

 A good recruitment plan for additional volunteers and Friends members

 Manual: “How to Form Your Friends of the Library Group”, FOCAL 2007

 Available from the OLA Store and from

FOCAL

 FOCAL Website - www.friendsoflibraries.ca

 FOLUSA (Friends of Libraries U.S.A.) web site - www.folusa.org

Contact: Dorothy Macnaughton

Vice-President Friends of Canadian Libraries

67 Amber St.

Sault Ste Marie, ON

P6A 6N6 (705) 759-0733 focal@accessola.com