Fundraising Committee

Are you interested in donating an item to the Silent Auction? Complete the Silent Auction Donation form.

History

The Fundraising Committee became an official committee of the Midwest Chapter of the Medical Library Association in November 2019. The origins of the committee started in 2016, when the Midwest Chapter Board requested that Edith Starbuck form a committee to raise money for the Chapter. From 2017-2019, the committee requested and received donations for the Silent Auction, which was held each year during the Chapter Conference. In 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the committee pilot-tested virtual fundraising.

The priority of the Fundraising Committee is to creatively raise funds for the Chapter, while creating engaging and fun activities for chapter members (and the committee too!). Each committee member contributes through marketing, working behind the scenes, assisting with creating programs, budgeting appropriately, representing the diversity of opinions and viewpoints from their geographic setting, networks, institutional memories, and more. Collectively, the committee uses feedback and evidence to determine the activities for the upcoming year.

Thank you for your support of the Chapter and participating in the fundraising activities. The Fundraising Committee could not function without the assistance, participation, and enthusiasm of the Chapter membership. All owl fans and all ideas are welcome!

Goals

2021 Committee Goals:

• Hosting a contest to choose a Chapter Owl to increase member engagement.
• Launching an Owlcollades program to recognize members’ contributions, increase engagement,  and raise funds.
• Offering Chapter Pins to increase member engagement and raise funds.
• Creating a Donor Honor Roll to recognize members’ support of the Chapter.

2022 Silent Auction:

• For the 2022 in-person meeting, the committee plans to again host a Silent Auction.
• We are actively accepting items and monetary donations.

Charge

The Fundraising Committee shall engage in activities to raise funds to support Midwest Chapter/MLA activities including scholarships and awards. The Committee proposes creative ideas for fundraising strategies and presents these ideas to the Executive Board for approval. It develops strategies for cultivating donations from members and designs activities intended to raise funds outside the normal bounds of membership fees, vendor sponsorship, and annual meeting registration fees. It develops and promotes fundraising activities, implements plans for fundraising activities, works closely with annual conference planners, and liaises with other Midwest Chapter/MLA committees as necessary. It shall document policies and procedures on the chapter website and in other relevant publications. The committee chair shall prepare a report for each Executive Board Meeting and submit appropriate documentation to the chapter Archives.

The Chair and one member are to be appointed in odd numbered years. The other member(s) are to be appointed in even numbered years. One member shall be the chair of the awards and scholarships committee. Two members will be from the planning groups of the two upcoming annual meetings.

Executive Board approved charge as amended 2/8/2018

Committee Members’ Roles and Responsibilities

The committee chair serves in the ‘Silent Auction: Conference Presence’ role. Other committee members will volunteer to take the lead in one role and select another as a secondary role.

Chair

• Developing a budget for the committee
• Presenting and writing reports for the Board
• Coordinating and serving as point person for committee Activities

All committee members

• Marketing/publicizing the fundraising project(s)
• Brainstorm fundraising ideas
• Developing marketing materials
• Creating and implementing processes for the fundraising project(s)

Current Roster

Chair: Samantha Loster

Members:

• Jessica DeCaro
• Kathy Koch