Lancaster Public Library
Location: Lancaster, PA
Organization Type: Public Institution
Services Provided: Capital Campaign, Prospect Research, Planned Giving, Grant Writing, Cultivation Strategies and more.
Goal: $10 Million
Lancaster Public Library’s capital campaign name, “FABULAS,” comes from the Latin and Spanish words for stories. It’s also a homonym of the word “FABULOUS,” which is a testament to the momentous fundraising support and community pride we helped generate for this important campaign. Here’s the story…
After previous campaign attempts failed to gain traction, LPL hired LDC to guide a $6.7 million capital campaign to build a new library a block away in Ewell Plaza. COVID made it a $10 million campaign. Our campaign plan and grant writing services helped cover a third of the cost with public funding.
In 2018 Lancaster Public Library found itself with an aging building increasingly in need of costly repairs, diverting funds from books and services. Attempts to raise funds for repairs or renovations to their Duke St. building fell far short of their goals. Then an unexpected plot twist occurred. Lancaster Parking Authority invited LPL to anchor the first two floors of its proposed nine-story parking garage on the former Lancaster Square (now Ewell Plaza), one of the most significant community gathering places in downtown Lancaster. The Parking Authority would provide the building’s shell and provide the space for 99 years at no cost.
LPL hired our team to plan and implement a $6.7 million capital campaign to fit out their new space, working with a new executive director and a newly hired first-time director of development. We teamed up with Fig Industries to create an eye-grabbing case for support with the theme Fabulas: The Campaign for Lancaster Public Library’s Next Chapter. (Fabulas is the Latin and Spanish word for stories.)Then just as we launched the campaign’s quiet phase, COVID hit. We advised continuing the campaign, albeit at a slower, quieter pace. We used the time to bolster legislative support for crucial public funding and met with volunteers and potential donors over Zoom, keeping the focus on major gifts. Our lead donors kept the campaign moving forward.
By the time COVID lifted, soaring construction costs had pushed our goal up 50% to $10 million. To reach that amount, we helped LPL secure $3.25 million in state funding, including the largest grant in the organization’s history—a $2.5 million Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP) award. American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding provided the opportunity to obtain $500,000 from the City of Lancaster.
An active Campaign Communications Committee spearheaded four key events during the campaign’s public phase. A well-attended press conference and donor reception at the adjacent Holiday Inn Lancaster announced the start of construction in April 2022. In November existing and potential donors enjoyed hors d’oeuvres and hard-hat tours starting from the modern CARGAS offices next door to LPL’s new location. After the Duke St. building closed, we invited the community to help move the library. Families and other book lovers carried hundreds of children’s books to their new home during the April 2023 Book Parade. The library opened to the public on June 2, 2023, and at the June 27 ribbon-cutting, Campaign Chair Henrietta Heisler announced the total raised to date: $10,005,857.
The new library has received rave reviews, and the numbers of patrons and library cards issued surged upward in its first few months.With the community’s continued support of this beautiful new facility, Lancaster’s future will be absolutely fabulous.