As many Seattleites and those from surrounding suburbs know, our library systems are certainly something to write home about. We have a rock-star architect Rem Koolhaas designed downtown Central Seattle Public Library, complete with wind-tunnel delivered books and historically low hold times. There are also 25 other libraries in Seattle system scattered in neighborhoods throughout the city.
A completely different system, the King County Public Library, spreads across cities, suburbs, lakes and the Puget Sound with a total of 43 libraries in the system- more on this system momentarily.
Of course, we also have the university libraries of the UW (a state of the art research library), Seattle University, and Seattle Pacific University. Each university library has a slightly different focus, and all have resources on nonprofit sector.
Libraries, of course, relate to nonprofit fundraising in more than one way. First, the hard facts related to the need (or problem statement) of a particular nonprofit can be researched in depth. Compelling statements of need on homelessness, overtly, domestic violence, etc, can be composed from the statistical facts at your fingertips- either remotely through the internet, or in person at one of the many local libraries.
Secondly and perhaps more uniquely, we are fortunate to be fundraisers in a city where expensive grant research tools are available for free at a local library. The King County Public Library System provides a comprehensive resource in its Nonprofit Resource Center (NRC), located at the Redmond Library. The NRC is focused on proving resources related to philanthropy, charity giving, and nonprofit sector fundraising. The NRC provides online tools are available for access from anywhere, such as the calendar of workshops and courses in nonprofit management at http://www.kcls.org/forms/nfpcal/nfpcal3_Result.cfm/.
The King County Library System is part of the network of “Cooperating Collections” of the Foundation Center, meaning that they make information on private charitable giving readily available to the public. Moreover, a research tool that many organizations pay thousands of dollars per year for, The Foundation Center’s Foundation Directory Online Professional- for free! This database is updated weekly, and includes over 250,000 IRS 990’s (foundation financial reports) and over 80,000 foundation giving programs. To funnel you through this towering amount of information, the Foundation Directory online is fully searchable, and can generate very specific results and foundation information.
Take a seat at the computers housing this information at the Redmond location, and save your searches to your own data storage devices such as a zip drive, iPod or USB device. Walk away from your visit with a wealth of information, at only the cost of your time.
Books and articles related to the nonprofit works and fiscal sponsorship are also available at the NRC. The librarian in charge of the NRC and spearheading the relationship with the Foundation Center is named Jeanette Privat. Her knowledge about the industry is up to date and relevant. Jeanette is serious about helping nonprofit employees navigate the plethora of information available, and is great at what she does.
With over 2.4 million items in the King County Public Library System, and a whole section at one of it’s main libraries (Redmond) dedicated to nonprofit and philanthropy resources, I could go on all morning about planning your next trip to Redmond, meeting Jeanette, and fulfilling your research needs. Rather, I’ll leave it to you to explore at http://www.kcls.org/philanthropy/. The Nonprofit Resource Center is a great example of public dollars serving public interests in a sustainable way.
