Primary Research Group has published The Survey of Public Library Fundraising Practices, ISBN 978-1-57440-270-4.

The study presents detailed data and commentary on how public libraries raise funds through book and other materials sales, grants, events and fundraisers, bequests, sale of naming rights, direct mail and online solicitation, activities of friends of library groups and other means. The study presents data on library receipts through wills, tributes and memorials, as well as channels such as grants and annual fund drives. Data is broken out by size of library for better benchmarking. The report also looks at the activities of friends of the library groups, giving data on size and growth rates and on funds raised.

Other issues discussed include online solicitations, publicity and marketing, development staff and the productivity of time spent on procuring grants. This unique study enables its readers to answer questions such as: how much do libraries receive through bequests? What are the most effective online fundraising tools? How much do friends of the library groups typically raise? How much money is raised from book sales?

Just a few of the report's many findings are that:

• 49.1% of funds raised by the public libraries in our sample came from individuals (as opposed to institutions)
• Corporate grants and gifts accounted for 13.14% of funds raised
• "Friends of the Library" groups attracted a mean of 17 new members each year
• "Friends of the Library" groups raised a mean of $13,366 in the past year for the libraries sampled
• For libraries with budgets greater than $500,000, sales of DVDs, CDs, and other non-print materials accounted for 13.4% of sales of books and other intellectual property at fundraisers
• Only 7.7% of libraries with a service area of less than 2,500 have a library "wish list" so that patrons can buy books and donate them to the library
• Nearly half (46.34%) of all survey participants say that any amount of money (or other tangible assets) has been left to the library in a will or through a trust over the past five years

The study is available directly from Primary Research Group and also from major distributors of books and research reports. Print and PDF versions are available for $59.00. Site licenses are also available. For a table of contents, questionnaire, list of participants and an excerpt, or to place an order, visit our website at www.PrimaryResearch.com.