Small Town Library Reads Between the Lines in Online Fundraising

This week is National Library Week and we are honored to help various educational charities in their pursuit of creating positive environments of learning. One particular library has an amazing story using a Fundly campaign that was covered in The Daily GOOD. We are excited to share this example of a grassroots online fundraiser that had stellar results.

In Shutesbury, Massachusetts the local library mirrors many other small town libraries: built in 1902, this 900-square foot building lacks running water and a space to sit down. Also, while many of the townspeople are stuck using dial-up internet at home, the library offers the advantage of wireless internet. However, without chairs and tables in the building many have taken to sitting in their cars to plug away on their laptops.  Nevertheless, the minimal accommodations rarely hinder patrons from using this valued facility.

Young and old alike gather at this reading center to browse through the shelves of books and flip through pages of beloved novels.

Like many government funded services, this little library has undergone budget cuts which could hinder the future of this community pillar. “While the state agreed to cover 60 percent of the $3.5 million needed to build a new, energy-efficient building that could provide a suitable home for a town of eager readers, the town needs to prove it can cover the other 40 percent by the end of June. A recent town-hall vote to raise taxes to come up with extra funding resulted in a tie, with many opponents saying they simply couldn’t afford to pay more taxes. So a group of passionate townspeople is taking fundraising into their own hands by creating a grassroots campaign centered around digital media,” explains an article in The Daily GOOD.

With a creative and appealing video posted on YouTube garnering nearly 35,000 hits and a fundraising page with Fundly, this local project has been able to raise nearly $40,000 in a little over a month. From all over the country as well as Singapore, Australia, Canada, Kenya, and Europe, this grassroots campaign is proof that online fundraising can be extremely successful regardless of your computer skills and marketing experience.
At Fundly we have seen countless success stories just like this one. With passion, creativity and dedication, the possibilities are endless when you combine a worthy cause with the power of the internet.