Key Activities and Accomplishments
● The Libraries continued to grow its robust fundraising base. As of June 2019, approximately $1,237,240 was raised, exceeding the goal of $450,000 set by the university, of which approximately $471,529 is cash and $765,711 is in-kind. The increased cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of the Libraries’ donors and prospects, as well as enhanced outreach to cultivate donors for the new library, has helped grow our donor base to a total of approximately 431, of which 128 are new. Approximately 65 of these are Conwell level donors who have given $1,000 or more.
● Completed approximately 127 meetings with current and prospective donors. We continued to steward existing donors through meetings; letters; newsletters; holiday cards; the 2018 calendar with images from the Special Collections Research Center and Blockson Collection; invitations to library programs and events; and other mailings.
● Several gifts have been secured to name spaces in the new library Charles Library. This includes $50,000 from Mark Vogel, $30,000 from Joseph Duckworth, $20,000 from Leonard Mellman, $10,000 from Russell Ring, $10,000 from Estelle Alexander, and $10,000 from Pat Luddy. Several other major proposals for the new building are in the pipeline for possible gifts in FY ’20.
● The Libraries top gifts received this fiscal year included:
○ An in-kind gift from Larry Magid of business records and memorabilia;
○ An in-kind gift from Golden Auctions of Tupac Shakur lyrics and memorabilia;
○ $156,120 from Pew Charitable Trusts for the Blockson Collection’s Black Lives Have Always Mattered project;
○ $50,000 from Mark Vogel for the Library Endowment Fund;
○ $38,000 the Philadelphia Jewish Archives Center for the PJAC endowment;
○ $30,000 from Joe Duckworth for the Library Endowment Fund;
○ $25,000 from Audrey Merves through the Louis and Bessie Stein Foundation for the PJAC endowment;
○ $20,000 from Leonard Mellman for the Library Endowment Fund;
● We have researched several foundations and funding entities including trusts in an effort to obtain additional naming gifts to support the new library endowment, totaling approximately $745,000.
● Through the generous support of our donors and friends, including our newest Board of Visitors members, Sue Popkin and Mickey Langsfeld, the Libraries reached its $1.8 million endowment goal to preserve and sustain the Philadelphia Jewish Archives Collection.
● We prepared and mailed the fall and spring library appeal letter to the Libraries' donors and prospects, which combined generated approximately $11,314. Approximately $41,680 has been raised to support the Libraries' Annual Fund.
● Approximately $464,245 has been raised for the Special Collections Research Center. Of amount raised, $457,875 was in-kind.
● Approximately $327,895 has been raised to support the Blockson Collection. Of the amount raised, $307,000 was in-kind.
- Approximately $9,850 has been raised to support the Livingstone Undergraduate Research Awards.
● In addition, we developed a range of publications highlighting various funds and programs, including the Livingstone Undergraduate Research Awards.
● We continued to fundraise for the new library building by:
- identifying and cultivating major donors and prospects to provide naming gifts for the new building;
- updating new library website to reflect naming gifts received;
- planning alumni events in key cities such as Washington D.C., Los Angeles, and San Francisco to garner support for the new building;
- sending announcements about and current construction images of the new library to Libraries’ donors and prospects; and
- planning new strategies to raise naming dollars including lower levels of $10,000 and above.