Nancy Dowd (LibraryAware, NoveList) and Erin MacCord (NJ Talking Book and Braille Center) share ideas of how librarians can combine their marketing and development ideas to raise visibility and support for libraries.

1. A MARRIAGE MADE IN HEAVEN:
MARKETING AND DEVELOPMENT
Nancy Dowd, LibraryAware Product Lead, NoveList
Erin MacCord, Development Officer, NJ Talking Book & Braille Center

2. RECRUITING CHAMPIONS
FOUR BASIC STEPS

3. 1. IDENTIFY WHY YOU WANT A CHAMPION
Champions can help your library promote a service, improve its
image and even gain support from other influential members of the
community but it is important to know why you want a champion
before you begin. A champion is one part of an overall marketing
plan.
Advantages
– Helps your brand stand out
– Improves brand recall and instant recognition
– Provides leverage for strategic partnerships
– Can extend/improve your brand identity
– Media Attraction

4. EXAMPLES OF SPECIFIC NEEDS
• Support a Cause
• Promote a Campaign
• Launch a New Collection/Service
• Revive Support for Library
• Help Connect to Specific Demographic

5. 2. IDENTIFY THE TYPE OF CHAMPION YOU NEED
Top Three Ways a Champion
Can Offer Support:
1. Provide Testimony
2. Offer an Endorsement
3. Act as a Spokesperson
* You can ask a champion for their
testimony or endorsement and
build relationship to achieve this
level.

6. IMPORTANT FACTORS TO
CONSIDER WHEN SELECTING A
CHAMPION
• Does their image and perceived values
match with your library’s?
• Are there are any risks?
• Is it the right match for your
community and targeted audience?
• Are they believable?
• What other products or organizations
are they supporting?

8. 3. RESEARCH
Ideally you would like to find a champion who
matches both your library’s values and budget,
which in most cases is zero. The key is to research
and look for reasons why someone would want to
be your champion.
• Find connections to your library, town or
state
• Find connections to your cause
• Find connections between potential
champions and your network
• Ask staff to tap their connections
• Look at your card holders

9. 4. Make Contact
Many famous people are represented by agents or publicity firms. But many are also available
via Twitter and Facebook or have their emails listed somewhere on the web. Dig deep. If you
contact a person through Facebook or the web, keep you message short and enticing.

10. You want to prove it will be a
successful campaign
and worth your champions time.
Emails should:
• Identify why the person was chosen to be a
champion
• Outline exactly what you need champion to do
• Include marketing plan and budget
• List of other champions, sponsors, etc.
Tips
• Keep track of all correspondence
• Always follow up with a thank you note
• Pursue, don’t pester
• Speak to the right person

11. Dear
The New Jersey State Library would be honored if you would become a "New Jersey
Library Champion." We would like to ask you to send us a photograph and a quote
Sample Letter 1 about libraries and how they have affected your life. We will use the photo and
quote on a poster that will be part of a series of posters that we'll be creating and
distributing to the more than 400 public libraries in New Jersey,
Our "Library Champions" campaign will demonstrate how libraries have the power to
transform people's lives.
Books are integral to libraries. We are the place where children learn to love reading
by providing an outstanding assortment of books that stir the imagination and
inspire dreams of greatness. Last year children participating in our summer reading
program read over 3 million books. While a popular notion claims reading is
declining, we are seeing an increased use of our libraries by people of all ages.
We are also more than just books - we are about the people who come into libraries
to connect with other people; with family members who live far away or are serving
our country overseas. We help people find jobs, write resumes, get help with health
questions, find scholarships to help them afford college, and more.
The theme for this campaign is about libraries and their transformative power, so we
would like your quote to support that message.
We know that you have been very involved in encouraging children to read with your
commitment to the XXXX and believe our two organizations XXX logo on your
champion poster.
We hope you will consider becoming our champion.
Sincerely yours,
Nancy Dowd
Director of Marketing

12. Dear
The New Jersey State Library is sponsoring a public awareness campaign featuring role models from the
sports, arts, entertainment and literary fields encouraging people of all ages to keep reading and learning
at the library. We would be honored if a member of the XXX team would become a “New Jersey Library
Champion." The Devils, Yankees, Giants and Eagles are already participating but many of your fans here
Sample Letter 2 in NJ have expressed a very strong desire to have your team participate.
All we would need is a photo and a quote from your player(s) about libraries and how they have affected
their lives or words to encourage youngsters to read, learn and use their library. For example, XXX’s
quotes is, “"Without the book, without the knowledge I wouldn’t be where I am today.” We will use the
photo and quote on a poster that will be part of a series of posters that we'll be creating and distributing to
the more than 400 public libraries in New Jersey. We are also looking to secure a billboard for your player
that will be located in South Jersey.
Our “Library Champions” campaign will emphasize that libraries have the power to transform people’s lives
by offering free and excellent reading and learning opportunities for everyone.
Books are integral to libraries. We are the place where children learn to love reading by providing an
outstanding assortment of books that stir the imagination and inspire dreams of greatness. Last year
children participating in our summer reading program read over 3 million books. While there is a popular
notion that reading is declining, we are seeing an increased use of our libraries by people of all ages – we
saw an increase of over 2 million people from the previous year- that’s over 49 million visitors in one year!
We are also more than just books – we are about the people who come into libraries to connect with other
people; with family members who live far away or are serving our country overseas. We help people find
jobs, write resumes, get help with health questions, find scholarships to help them afford college, and
more. Libraries provide the Internet for people who have no connection in their homes, and also help them
make social connections by serving as community centers.
We hope a player who is an important role model will consider becoming our champion.
Sincerely yours,
Nancy Dowd
Director of Marketing

13. Dear,
Thank you for taking the time to speak with me this morning. As I explained, the New Jersey State Library
is sponsoring a public awareness campaign featuring role models as "Library Champions" from the sports,
arts, entertainment and literary fields encouraging people of all ages to keep reading and learning at the
library.
Sample Letter 3 Statistics indicate one out of every three students in the United States are at risk of not graduating high
school. The good news is that strong reading skills and a love for learning are the best tools to
combat those numbers. NJ libraries are working to ensure our children and adults have these necessary
tools to be successful in their lives. This campaign introduces role models who will encourage children to
read, learn and use their library.
Our athletes have all volunteered because they believe in the transformative power libraries can offer our
youth. We are hoping XXX Trucking does too.
We are looking for your company to donate the space on the back door panels of trucks whose main
routes are in New Jersey and the surrounding vicinity. We will provide professionally designed skins of
library champions and pay to have them professionally installed. We would love the images to stay up for a
year but if that period of time were too long, we would ask that the minimum time be three months.
The role of XXX trucking would be part of a larger statewide effort by libraries to reach the members of our
communities directly. We will be providing posters, banners and promotional materials to public and school
libraries that they will use in their outreach efforts. We will also be running PSAs, creating videos and
pursuing an aggressive media campaign.
I believe this campaign fits with your company’s values as it speaks to providing the tools for people to
reach their fullest potential.
Thank you for passing this information on to the person who will be able to make the final determination.
Best Regards,
Nancy Dowd
Director of Marketing

14. Include your media plan if you have one.
MEDIA RELATIONS
Develop news releases, and other media materials for distribution
to editors and reporters.
ADVERTISING
Create effective, key message-based advertisements for print, TV,
radio
and online media featuring high profile champions; negotiate
additional “runs” through media public service announcements.
Placements will include:
· Billboards on prominent roadways
· Wrap advertisements on commercial vehicles
· Video advertising at Path Train stations
· Billboards on public buildings
COMMUNITY RELATIONS
OUTREACH KITS
Develop and distribute “Library Champion” branded outreach kits
to NJ libraries throughout NJ to help them to reach audiences at
local community events and fairs, tradeshows, back-to-school
nights, speaking engagements with community and business
groups

16. LEVERAGE YOUR CHAMPIONS

22. CHAMPIONS AND DEVELOPMENT

23. First Things First - Make a Case Statement
1. Describe your library
2. Include your library's mission - not word for word
3. Include a compelling reason why a donor should give dollars to
your library.

24. The Communication Audit
1. Have each department list the audiences they are trying to
reach.
2. Have them write out the story they are telling about their
department – just a couple of sentences.
3. Create a list of every communication channel available to the
library.
4. Have each department identify which communication
channels will help reach their each audience - include the media,
stakeholders and elected officials.

25. 1. Writing the Development Plan
• Background
• Case Statement
• Economy & philanthropy
• SWOT Analysis (Strengths, Weakness, Opportunity & Threats)
• Organizational Development
• Funding History
• The Friends of the Library vs a Foundation Board
• Combining Marketing and Development
• Creating the Development Department

26. 1. Managing the Ask
• Annual Fund
• Grant Writing
• Earned Income
• Donor Recognition
• Special Events
• Civic/Corporate Presentations
• Major Gift Prospecting
• The Friends

27. 3. The Friend Raiser
Create an event to recognize Champions
• Sell tickets for tables
• Look for sponsors
• Silent auction
Make sure you follow-up with acknowledgements
Make the ask for future support

28. 4. From Friend Raiser to Fund Raiser
• Donor Database
• Donor Research
• Simple Acknowledgement
• Annual Report
• Direct Mail
• Matching Gifts/Corporate Gifts

29. CONTACT INFO:
Nancy Dowd
ndowd@ebscohost.com
Erin MacCord
emaccord@njstatelib.org
Photos used in this presentation depicted or were part of
NJ State Library’s Library Champions Campaign