Public library donations come from foundations, corporations, and individuals, with--you guessed it--individuals accounting for 90% of the largesse. In order to recognize fundraising opportunities, staff need to be approachable, good listeners, and providers of excellent service...all qualities which can lead to fundraising opportunities. Sort of. Follow the logic bridge in this example: a patron is understandably torqued about having to wait two hours to use a public computer, and makes his feelings known to a staff member, who, in turn, explains that computers don't grow on trees (only using much nicer terminology) and then asks if he'd be interested in learning how he might help out ye olde poor publick library. Now, a natural salesperson reading this is saying, "Yeah, I follow you, what's the problem? You gotta pay to play, buddy." Most librarians, however, wear the salesperson mantle uncomfortably, if at all. The program does offer a pretty good overview of the how's and where's of going after money, as well as assuring librarians that a lot of people do like to contribute for a variety of reasons (satisfaction, recognition, an opportunity to give back). Where viewers may balk is while watching the dramatic vignettes, where staff seem ready to try to "lock in" any patron who makes a comment. Of course, that's what discussion is for, and if the techniques described here and in the accompanying manual get one patron to show you the money, the tape will pay for itself. A strong, optional purchase. Aud: P. (R. Pitman)
Recognizing Fundraising Opportunities
(1998) 11 min. $99 (manual included). Library Video Network. PPR. Color cover. Closed captioned. ISBN: 1-56641-051-7. Vol. 14, Issue 2
Recognizing Fundraising Opportunities
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.