Busy Week!

On Monday, Ed and I go out to collect the loose change from the 7 outlying change jars.  Then we take it to the bank for sorting and counting.  On Tuesday, I update Facebook, and this blog and, if it's the end of the month, the APB Community Page for the Friends.  On Wednesday, Jean and I write thank-you letters for gifts received last week and we check in with Louise to get the next funding pages.  On Thursday, I meet with Jean, this week to talk about recent fund-raising suggestions and offers from friends of the Library and the Library Building Fund.  On Friday, I check back with Sterling to see what the current total is ($1,085) and there are many bags and jars and boxes of coins still waiting to be counted.  Also, I communicate with the APB about having a regular column in the monthly paper, which will work if they have space, and Pat suggests putting in a regular graph to let people know how the donations are progressing.  And I write a column for the October paper, if there's room, anyway.  And on Saturday, Ed and I will work on the posters and paraphernalia for the October-November major fundraising event, which involves the International Market.

In the same time, Jean and Louise and Don have their own routines, working on different aspects of forthcoming fundraising projects, coordinating with the Whatcom County Library Foundation in regard to donations, talking to individuals about donations in the future.  And we write dozens of emails back and forth to one another to make sure we all know what's happening.  How could you even begin to do this without the internet, I think?  Telephones?  Really?

None of us has ever done serious fundraising before and we are having a crash learning course.  Every book we've read about fundraising reminds us to keep in touch with our donors, let them know what we are doing, the authors say.  That's what I'm doing right now.

And a couple of other things:  There's going to be a 'Small Art' sale on November 17 hosted by Auntie Pam at her store on Gulf Rd.  She will provide anyone who wants to participate by creating small art (any media) a small canvas (really, quite small, like 2"-3" or so) and then she'll have a party on 11/17 at her shop and they'll all be for sale with the proceeds going to the Library Building Fund.  I asked her to hold a tiny canvas for me; you might want to pick one up for you next time you're near there.

And also: Remember the new Matching Fund?  The five $1,000 gifts to be matched by ten $500 donations?  We have five matchers already!   And six more weeks left for another five to reveal themselves.  Then we will be $10,000 closer to our goal.

Keep talking to us with your ideas and thoughts about how we can do better.  We're making this library happen together!  We're at $59,000 in total donations received, and $7,000 more at least in pledges and checks on their way to us.  And also, it's not raining yet....

---Judy Ross