Kathleen L. Schmand – Dean of James. E. Walker Library, Middle Tennessee State University
How did you come to academic library fundraising? Were you a librarian interested in raising money for a scholarship or program? Do you have a background in fundraising already, just not in a library? This session intends to help you get started in academic library fundraising. You might be in a one-person office or part of a larger fundraising team. You might also be a new library dean or have other fundraising responsibilities. Regardless of the size of your office or your role, there are some great ways to get started in identifying your donor base, building relationships with your development colleagues, types of fundraising, communicating your priorities to others, writing the winning proposal, and making the ask. I hope to share several of the insights I gained by building a robust development program in an academic library.
Speaker Bios:
Kathleen L. Schmand is a library professional with more than 30 years of experience in academic libraries. Since January 2021, she has served as the Dean of the James E. Walker Library at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU). In this role she is responsible for leading and promoting excellence across the organization, enhancing the quality of library programs, and advocating for the library locally, regionally, and nationally. Since 2006 she has actively engaged and grown her knowledge and skills related to academic library fundraising. While at Northern Arizona University she served as the Director of Development and Communications and established a new pipeline of donors, created donor communications, cultivated giving relationships and secured major gifts in support of library priorities. She continues to facilitate monthly ALADN networking sessions on Zoom and works collaboratively with the MTSU development office on growing library support in her new role.