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

 What Friends Do  Role of the Friends  First meeting  Organizing your Friends group  Volunteers  Events  Your Friends

 Advocate  Increase public awareness of the library and its services  Raise funds, over and above the library’s operating budget  Sponsor programming  Provide support for library programs or special events  Establish a good volunteer base

 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 –  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.

 The primary organizer can draw up a simple agenda to keep the meeting on track.  Sample agenda:  Introductions  Explain what Friends groups can do for their libraries  Discuss the difference between Friends and the Library Board  Brainstorm ideas about the types of activities your Friends group might undertake  agreement by consensus

 Sample agenda:  Election of Steering Committee  President  Secretary  Treasurer  Other positions, such as a Volunteer Coordinator or Fundraising Chair, depending on the number of volunteers available  Ex-officio Library Board Trustee  Ex-officio Library staff liaison

 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.

Organization  Steering Committee  Governing Documents  Charitable Status  Advantages  Disadvantages

 This will be a preliminary planning meeting where a Steering Committee will be formed.  Additional volunteers could plan the first event.  If the pool of volunteers is quite small, that group may choose to be the Steering Committee and hold off on any other event planning.

 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.  The Steering Committee should strive for comprehensive, clear and uncomplicated documents.  Remember, the Constitution and By 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.

 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 Charities Directorate  Registering A Charity for Income Tax Purposes  Application to Register a Charity Under the Income Tax Act

 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.  Emphasize the personal stories and 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

 Characteristics  Job descriptions  Recruiting volunteers  Membership  Success!

 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 ( 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.  Whenever you are speaking to someone, be 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  Patience  Enthusiasm  Good organization  A feeling of accomplishment, even from one initial event

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

Contact: Dorothy Macnaughton Vice-President Friends of Canadian Libraries 67 Amber St. Sault Ste. Marie, ON P6A 6N6 (705)