RUNNING HEAD: Fundraising Project 1

Fundraising Project
Ivy Tech Community College
Abigail McLinden
RUNNING HEAD: Fundraising Project 2

There are many ways the library can help the community, and many different ways the

library can raise the funds to do that. Some things can be extension of library functions, and

some will be new things that people don’t need to even go into the library to get the full use of.

For this paper, I’ve chosen to use the example need of a community garden. Community

gardens can be a great thing for a lot of people. Growing things is known to help mental health,

and the food from a garden is a great addition to anyone’s pantry. Especially those in greater

need.

As for what kind of fundraiser the library could run for this, I think a good way to start is

auctioning off plots for people to tend. I don’t think the entire lot should be auctioned in this

way, as that would prevent some of the lower-income families from getting access, but it would

be a good start. To make up some more of the costs, another fundraiser could be a book sale,

maybe with a special promotion/place for gardening books.

Community gardens costs can fluctuate, but for this example we’ll say that we need

$4,500 to get this up and running.

To begin, the library staff would have to decide what sizes the plots of land will be, and

which ones will be actioned and which will not. It’s also important to decide how much will go

into preparing the garden for the community. Will the ground be prepared, or simply divided up

into said plots? Will there be more solid structures outlining the spaces, like a planter, or will it

merely have string ‘fences’? As for the book sale, I’d assume the library already has a set-up for

their book sales, so just going back to that would be all that’s necessary. Perhaps setting up an

extra display, or putting the gardening books in a special up front and center place.
RUNNING HEAD: Fundraising Project 3

While the garden is being prepared, marketing can also swing underway. It should be

fairly simple to get the notice of the garden auction into the newspaper and other local news, and

the library can also advertise on it’s flyers. There can be a display on gardening books, with a

mention on a flyer there that it’s in preparation of a community garden being set up.

A good partner for this endeavor might be the Parks Department. The garden is outdoors,

and the Parks Department might like to encourage people to get outside, and learn more about

the environment and the plants they’ll need to tend. Possibly a local elementary school might like

a plot for their students to have some hands-on learning on gardening. A local college might also

like to partner, possibly it could be an activity for a club to volunteer to keep things tidy.

For the fundraisers chosen, first of all I think having an action for sections of the garden

is the best option because it’s something very directly related to the project being undertaken.

There could be an option for people to ‘donate’ their purchased plot, so they can have a small

stone with their name placed near the plot of land. But also, it’s something that people can put

money towards and also get back due to it. Donors can look directly at what they spent their

money on, rather just being abstractly aware that the money they gave went towards this project.

As for a book sale—well a book sale is a great thing for the library to run. When I

worked at the library, I know there were a lot more books available to sell than were often on the

book-sale shelves. Once a year my library would have a big sale with everything out. Having a

special display for gardening can tie it into the community garden, while still giving plenty of

options for everyone else to browse (and spend money on).

So this is one way that the library can take a service, and raise the funds with help from

the community.