The most effective advocacy initiatives and library campaigns are grounded in a partnership that  leverages public dollars for private support, or vice versa. Fundraising always involves making the case for investment in something important to the community, whether the fundraising targets individual donors, foundations, or corporations, whether it is designed to increase an endowment, enable a new children’s project, enlarge a building, or build support from the business community.

Fundraising is becoming increasingly significant as a library support strategy. For a variety of reasons, including a trend to downsize government, the capacity for libraries to fulfill their potential may rest partly on how they engage the private sector.

Defining a Public/Private Partnership

Public and private partnerships benefit all sectors of the library community.

Supporters of public libraries are dedicated to the fundamental principle of public support for public institutions. However, some question the role of private dollars or corporate support in the context of public libraries. This is a valid issue but it cannot obviate the fact that the private and corporate sectors,as members of the community, should be expected to investment in developing and sustaining libraries. Fundraisers and advocates must pay careful attention to the ways in which public, corporate and private dollars work together.

A century ago, Andrew Carnegie’s investment in libraries provided the first large-scale model for a public/private partnership. Today’s challenge is how to define and structure private and corporate support so that it complements and leverages public funding. Changing public- and private-sector policies and mechanisms for institutional support require that library advocates attend to both sides of the equation. 

Uses of Private Fundraising

Private fundraising is involved in every kind of fund development that does not involve tax dollars. These purposes may include:

• Endowments—Funds invested on behalf of the library that provide a long-term fiscal base. Larger libraries may support particular divisions, lecture series, programmatic activities or staff positions through the interest generated by designated endowments. 


• Annual Funds—Funds raised yearly, usually for operational support. 


• Special Projects—Funds raised to enable the library to carry out a particular service or program, usually one that is new or experimental and not easily incorporated into the library’s regular budget.


• Capital Campaigns—Funds designated to support facility renovation or construction. Often, capital campaigns will also support operations of the new facility or a particular aspect of the institution. The momentum of a capital campaign can help raise operational dollars, which are otherwise hard to attract.
  

Techniques for fundraising are varied. They can be as simple as a proposal to a local community foundation for a new program initiated by a staff member, or as complicated as a multi-year capital campaign that involves a leadership committee, a feasibility study and professional staff. 

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