Depending on how you look at it, this year is either going too fast, or not fast enough.
Either way, we’re now at the halfway mark of 2020 for private funding, with last month adding another $3,170 to the tally. That brings the total so far to $37,655 — or 34.9% of the goal.
June results got a nice boost on the 1st — the last day of the Friends’ matching-funds campaign — with additional donations later in the month making up the bulk of the total.
The Friends’ two drive-up book sales (June 12 & 26) generated nearly $4,000, not all of which is reflected in June results, but will be included in a future library contribution. The Friends’ ongoing fundraising efforts account for the largest single portion of EPL’s private funding.
This year’s target of $108,034 accounts for about a third of the library’s budget, with state and local funding making up the rest. The pandemic has hurt revenue for our municipal partners, however, and meant the cancellation of the Friends’ spring book sale (among other things) — making the climb for the rest of the year seem even more steep — with 65%, or $70K, still go to.
The goal is within reach, though, and your contributions are greatly appreciated, whether you purchase raffle tickets, make a one-time donation or set up an automatic monthly contribution, or any of the other ways listed on our ‘Support EPL‘ page, some of which are totally free, such as using Amazon Smile for your online shopping.
Thank you — we couldn’t do it without you!
Note: For new readers, or anyone who’d like a refresher on what private funding is and why it’s so important to the library, check out ‘Where does the library get its money?’ and ‘A decade of library financials’ from our blog archives.
