Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Library Funding topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Friends and Foundation reports $85,000 raised in MC Gives, outlines priorities for library support
Summary
The Monterey Friends and Foundation told the library board Jan. 22 that it has surpassed its $70,000 MC Gives goal and is directing future fundraising toward e-resources, makerspace staffing and larger community author events. A stock gift of $11,000 helped the campaign reach its current total.
Shannon Connor, president of the Monterey Friends and Foundation, told the Monterey Public Library Board of Trustees on Jan. 22 that the Friends have reorganized fundraising priorities and have already exceeded the group's MC Gives goal for the fiscal year.
Connor said the Friends retained an outside fundraising consultant last July and have moved from reactive, small "wish list" requests toward a set of longer-term priorities: continued support for the library's digital collection and language-learning tools (notably ZipBooks), funding for a part-time position to staff the makerspace, and underwriting larger author talks that could be held in bigger community venues.
The Friends also reported stronger-than-expected results from MC Gives. Speaker 2 said the organization set a $70,000 goal and had reached about $85,000 at the time of the meeting; the campaign benefited from a late stock gift of $11,000 and drew 208 donors, up from roughly 150 the previous year.
"That was just really, really exciting to see," Shannon Connor said, describing the stock gift as the kind of elevated individual giving the Friends want to cultivate. Trustee and staff discussion noted that the Community Foundation handles MC Gives transactions, which simplifies accepting gifts such as stock donations.
Board members discussed event support for the Friends' flagship fundraiser, Chocolate & Wine, where organizers rely principally on ticket sales and auction proceeds. Organizers said they are seeking donated wine and volunteer help, and that ticket and vendor commitments are a key driver of net proceeds.
Connor also said the Friends approved a larger capital item this year, authorizing funds toward an e-bike purchase that currently stands at roughly $42,000 in identified funding; some of that cost may be covered by MC Gives proceeds and will be branded as a Friends/MC Gives purchase.
The Friends asked trustees to circulate a call for new board members, especially people with experience in fundraising, and said they plan small donor cultivation events in the spring to strengthen leadership giving.
The board did not take formal action on the Friends' priorities at the meeting; the presentation served as an informational update and a request for informal support and referrals.
The board moved on to other agenda items after the Friends' report.
