The Accidental Candidate

What Directors Can Learn from the

Front Line of Library Advocacy

Building voter support for libraries

The Fight for Local

Funding

What EveryLibrary Has Learned….

Librarians (you) are the candidate

The Haycock Rule

People don’t do things for you

because they like you, they do

things for you because they

believe that you like them.

Library Funding Landscape

● 70% - 99% revenue from zipcode level

o Taxes are the bulk of the funding

o Local charity adds capacity

● Program / Collections / Services Grants

● Capital campaigns

● Small donors

Library Funding Landscape

● 30% --> 1% funded from another source

o State funding

o Federal funding

o Grantmaking organizations

Building voter support for libraries

EveryLibrary

364 Day Advocacy

Voter Engagement on Election Day

Library Advocacy Ecosystem

o Local - Trustees, Staff, Friends/Foundation

o Systems and Coops

o State Libraries and Associations

o National Library Associations

o Foundations and Nonprofits

Library Taxes

Libraries run on taxes.

Property tax, Sales tax, Use tax, or special

fees.

1. “Regular Order”

2. Election DayBuilding voter support for libraries

Library Advocacy Ecosystem

● 70% - 99% funded at zipcode level

o Local - Trustees, Staff, Friends/Foundation

o Systems and Coops

o State Libraries and Associations

o Regional and National Associations

o National Foundations and Nonprofits

Election Day Challenges

● Libraries as units of government

● Friends and library foundations

● State Libraries and Systems/Coops

Building voter support for libraries

Challenges

● Libraries as units of government

o Self-ID as “Neutral”

o Perception as “Non-Political”

o Legit Prohibitions on Speech

● Friends and library foundations

● State Libraries and Systems/Coops

Building voter support for libraries

Challenges

● Libraries as units of government

● Friends and library foundations

o Set up to fundraise and socialize

o Long term funding partners

● State Libraries and Systems/Coops

Building voter support for libraries

Challenges

● Libraries as units of government

● Friends and library foundations

● State Libraries and Systems/Coops

o Focus on education and training

o Tool Kits and TtT

Building voter support for libraries

EveryLibrary Insights

What are we seeing...

Building voter support for libraries

Why Libraries Lose

● The day of the vote is the first time enough people see

the Plan

● Any tax is a bad tax

● Mistrust of management or governance

● Zero-Sum Games / Anti Access

Who Opposes Libraries?

● Anti Taxes

● Against the Staff or Leadership

● Community “Zero Sum”

● Anti-Access

1. Small and leaderless?

2. Organizized but Unsupported

3. National Action

Building voter support for libraries

Anti Tax

● Is there a strong anti-tax group in the area?

● Is there a vocal opposition to tax measures?

● Is there organization against “waste”?

● Were there previous initiatives that failed?

● Are there comments on online media or blogs in opposition?

“The Library Tax is a Different Tax”

Building voter support for libraries

Against the Staff or Leadership

● Is there a self-appointed watchdog group / individual?

● Is there local outcry against the library staff or government employees?

● Does the community look unfavorably on the library leadership?

● Does the local political body support the board and staff?

“Open, transparent, and consultative process to get here.”

Building voter support for libraries

Community “Zero Sum”

● Why did previous initiatives for schools, police, fire, parks, or libraries fail?

● Is the opposition personal?

● Is the community changing rapidly - demographics or income?

“We want the library to be the at the center and this plan does that.”

Building voter support for libraries

Anti-Access

● Porn and children’s safety

● Materials challenges

● People use the Internet / the Library for “illegitimate” reasons

● Who is the “Them” in your community?

Building voter support for libraries

What Activates Voters

#1 - Nothing Impacts Voter Behavior More than their

Perception of the Librarian and the Library as Institution.

#2 - Awareness that there is a Measure

on the ballot.

Building voter support for libraries

What Activates Voters

If that is right, then we have a noun problem….

Building voter support for libraries

Library

The Library as…● Educational Partner

● Economic Development Engine

● Social Leveler

● Place of Discovery

● Personal Refuge

Voters see the library as a

“Transformative Force”

Building voter support for libraries#everylibrary

Voter also want to see the

“Passionate Librarian” at work

I am the Librarian who….

… find a job

… learned to read

… connected with family

… new skill/artistic expression/moment of discovery

Building voter support for libraries

Addressing the Challenges

Partial Fix: Build a 501c4 within the political action

committee rubric.

❖ Structure - raise and expend political money for

lobbying purposes

❖ Purview - local funding and library authority

❖ Attitude - political Action committee

EveryLibrary Vision

“Any library ballot measure anywhere matters

to every library everywhere”

Building voter support for libraries

EveryLibrary Mission

“Building Voter Support for Libraries”

Building voter support for libraries

EveryLibrary Structure

o Built as national 501c4

o Donor supported

o Do not support candidates for any level of office

o Focused on local library ballot measures like bonds,

levies, millages, parcel taxes, warrant articles, and

other referendum

EveryLibrary Work

Information Only Training and Coaching

Vote YES Consulting and Advising

Rapid Response

Building voter support for libraries

EveryLibrary Record

2013 - 7 campaigns, won 5

2104 - 21 campaigns; 8 still to go in November

$40 Million in stable tax revenue to date

ROI - $1 : $3,300

Building voter support for libraries

EveryLibrary Operations

Data-driven focus on voters● “From Awareness to Funding”

● PEW, ALA, etc

● Political Sciences

● Campaign Best Practices

Building voter support for libraries

Voter Data That Frames

Our Discussion

“From Awareness to Funding” Says….

National Voter Attitudes

37% will Definitely vote yes for the library

37% will Probably vote yes for the library

26% will Probably or Definitely vote no or

may vote either way.

Building voter support for libraries

Library Use Does Not Matter

The research revealed an important distinction between the public library user

and the public library funder. Not every library user is a library funder; not every

library funder is a library user. A voter’s willingness to support increased

library funding is not driven, or limited, by library use. In fact, the advocacy

research found that there is little correlation between frequency of library visits

and willingness to increase funding for libraries.

- OCLC "From Awareness to Funding" p. 7-2

Building voter support for libraries

Library as Transformative Force

For the target supporters, the library is not perceived as just a provider of

practical answers and information; the most committed supporters hold the

belief that the library is a transformational force.

- OCLC "From Awareness to Funding" p. 7-4

Building voter support for libraries

Attitude - Not Demographics

A crucial and somewhat unexpected finding from the segmentation analysis

was that demographics and lifestage were not important constructs in the

library supporter segmentation. In fact, demographics are irrelevant to library

funding support. The factors that determine residents’ willingness to

increase their taxes to support their local library are their perceptions and

attitudes about the library and the librarian, not their age, gender, education

level or household income. Library funding support is an attitude, not a

demographic.

- OCLC "From Awareness to Funding" p. 7-3

Probable and Super Supporters

They recognize the value of a ‘passionate librarian’ as a true advocate for

lifelong learning.

- OCLC "From Awareness to Funding" p7-4

Building voter support for libraries

What Activates Voters?

Seven Factors:

➔ A Reason to Vote

➔ Mobilized

➔ Personal Contact with Candidate or Issue*

➔ Culture/Tradition/Habit of Voting*

➔ Trust in Government

➔ Decided to Vote

➔ Weather/Access to PollsBuilding voter support for libraries

What Activates Voters for the

Library?

#1 - Nothing Impacts Voter Behavior More than their

Perception of the Librarian and the Library as Institution.

#2 - Awareness that there is a Measure

on the ballot.

Building voter support for libraries

What Activates Voters for the

Library?

The Librarian is the “Candidate”

The Library is the “Incumbent”

Building voter support for libraries

EveryLibrary Engagement

Campaigning to Win

Information Only Campaign

● We have a responsibility - in the public trust - to talk

about the plan for the library.

● Plan “A” and Plan “B”

● Public Employees on Public Time or

Representatives of the organization acting in an

official capacity.

Building voter support for libraries

Information Only Campaign

➢ Official Plans

➢ Staff/Trustee Training and Coaching

➢ Media Outreach

➢ Coalition Building

➢ Engaging Watchdogs

➢ Stakeholder Engagement

➢ Messaging Environment

Building voter support for libraries

Vote Yes Committee

● Not the Library

● Not the Friends

● Not Governance

Dedicated to helping Get Out the Vote (GOTV) for the

library measure - as citizens, neighbors, and

stakeholders - with a defined role for the campaign

season.

Building voter support for libraries

Vote YES Campaign

➢ Technical Assistance

➢ Campaign Team

➢ Messaging

➢ Fundraising and Direct Funding

➢ Opposition Engagement

➢ GOTV - Volunteers

➢ Communications

Building voter support for libraries

John Chrastka and Patrick Sweeney

www.everylibrary.orgfacebook/everylibrary

@everylibrary

john.chrastka@everylibrary.orgpatrick.sweeney@everylibrary.org

Building voter support for libraries

Thank You