Notes from Discussion Groups: Objective 5. Secure the resources to meet CUL’s goals and objectives.
Group #2879
Facilitator: Gordon Law
Note-taker: Anna Korhonen
LMT: Sarah Thomas
Attending: Eric Acree, Michael Cook, David Corson, Cecilia Sercan, Patrick Stevens
The objective
- The discussion began by clarifying resources needed to meet goals and priorities. The resources can be divided
- to sustain operations at longer haul
- to use for one-time big ticket items (like Olin/Uris renovation) that cannot be funded by discretionary funds.
- The goal is to find “spendable”, unrestricted money right now but we should not forget that we need funds also in the long term, 5-10 years from now.
Implementation
- Next campaign is program and theme oriented; to this end
- library could partner with faculty
- solicit faculty members for collections in special themes
- faculty may point access to donors interested in certain programs/themes
- partnering with faculty, sign-up with deans may result in donations where benefits can be shared with the school and the library
- library can go independently and be successful on individual donor level, or partner with the university
- library is not to compete with CU campaign donors but if CU seeks donors in their 60’s & 70’s, could library target donors in their 40’s?
- Find and target new donor groups
- undergraduates: future leaders but we have not addressed them as future donors
- build “ownership” early on in students
- library student workers with good past experiences – track them down later in alumni events and cultivate the library connection
- parents of undergraduates
- graduate students to expand the base of alumni who will give later (long-term)
- in addition to emeritus faculty, include current faculty as well
- What is it that the donor wants?
- tangible connection between the donor and CU
- recognizable connection
- recognition ties in
- association with Cornell brand, especially for alumni
- astute targeting necessary in alumni to tie the recognition to tangible memory
- visible recognition: name tied to buildings or equipment
- ¾ restricted money, tied to donors’ interests and targeted to physical objects – could we target that to digital objects?
- cultivation of long-time relations – how to keep the relation up for delivery in 5-10 years?
- balance between short-term and long-term needs and giving
- concern: not to sell yourself too cheaply – e.g. naming problems later
- Do research on what motivates foundations to give
- special themes like ‘open source’, ‘open courseware’
- study their funding cycles to see where their interests have been
- analyze their catalogs
- do they promote/support change or sustain traditional things and tie the library to these
- search the Boards for Cornell alumni; what are their interests; has faculty worked with any of them
- endorsements or trust built over time facilitate relationships
- Identify cycles and tie them to giving
- economy (bear or bull market)
- interests
- projects or combinations of projects
- To what extent is the fundraising quantitative or can we find creative ideas to approach donors? Access to donors is a key.
- Seed money & increased time needed for fundraising.
Potential Partners
- Colleges and units, funds to improve programs
- Alumni
- Current and emeritus faculty
- Future leaders – current undergraduates and graduate students, student workers
- University Development Office (contacts, gatekeepers)
Measure of Success
- Increased right kind of funding (unrestricted)
- Short-term funds rather than commitments – although needs ongoing
- New donors, even small donations that can grow later
- Outreach to new audiences and partners