Christmas Every Day
During her tenure, Kathryn has helped the Foundation grow into a mature development operation, comprising appeal mailings, planned giving, and events, as well as supporting the board through its own growth. Additionally, she participated in conversations with the library trustees, the Foundation and the Friends of the Library to help develop their vision of themselves as a three-legged stool supporting the library. She feels herself fortunate to have worked with Kerry Brandon, Janet Tiampo and Jeanne Krieger, presidents of the Foundation, as well as Connie Rawson and Koren Stembridge, the Library Directors.
The need for the Foundation and the Annual Fund is great. The library is a municipal entity supported by tax dollars, but once Proposition 2 ½ took effect in 1982, most of the library’s budget went toward salaries and operating costs—not collections and programs. Up until 2004, the endowment played a role in filling the gap in the materials budget. But between spending $1 million of the $2 million endowment for the building campaign and the increased demand for materials, the endowment was no longer sufficient to fill the budget gap. Since 2004, the Library has needed an additional source of revenue.
The Cary Memorial Library Foundation was ready to fill that gap, having just successfully completed a $4.2 million capital campaign for the building renovations. The quality of Cary Memorial Library’s collection depends on the generous gifts of donors. Charitable contributions make up some 40% of the annual budget for books and other materials in the main collection. According to Kathryn, “The Foundation provides over $160,000 each year for materials, programming, and other needs. Lexington residents are such voracious readers that although hundreds of new materials that are added to the collection each year, they fly off the shelves.”
During Kathryn’s first year, she focused on the annual appeal, which raised $84,892 from 519 people her first year. This past year, the annual fund raised $214,000 from 1,181 people. By her third year, thanks in a large part to the initiative of then Foundation board member Claude Brenner, the Foundation developed the Maria Hastings Cary Legacy Society to receive planned gifts. Since its inception, 19 people have included the Foundation in their estate plans. Kathryn says, “We now receive at least one planned gift a year, and more people are being intentional about giving to the library.”
The next component to add to the development operation was events, with a focus on improving the Foundation’s stewardship and cultivation efforts. The Cary Library Art Sale and Soiree (CLASS), a large-scale juried art show and silent auction was launched in 2009, followed by Grape Expectations, a wine tasting event. These first two events opened up a new way for people to experience Cary Library as a place to celebrate as a community. Last year, the Foundation hosted the fun and festive Cary’s Cupids, which will be held again on February 9, 2013.
Kathryn emphasizes that the Foundation would not be able to achieve the results it has without the many volunteers who donate hundreds of hours. Volunteers range from board members, to committee members, to those who work on the phonathons and mailings. She points out that phonathons can be the most daunting volunteer task. Her first one was held soon after the new building was completed in April 2004. Not everyone was enamored with the new library: people complained about the amount of space and the empty shelves! Phonathon callers would listen patiently to the negative comments. For example, one citizen didn’t want to contribute until the library lights were turned off at night. The volunteer told the library staff; the timers for the lights were adjusted. The following year the caller was able to tell the complainer that the lights were fixed. He retorted, “I know that, and I will give you a donation this year.”
Eighty percent of Lexington citizens have library cards. “We all benefit from the library,” Kathryn comments, adding that “Lexington residents are so generous. Their love for this library has made this job a joy. I feel like it’s Christmas every day around here when I open the mail.”
Through Kathryn’s guidance and the hard work of the volunteers, the Foundation has been able to fill the gap that occurred after the building campaign and help make this great library an extraordinary library.