Assistant University Librarian for Development & Communication Towson University
Whether your library is just beginning to fundraise or is in the midst of a multimillion-dollar capital campaign, developing an engagement map can help you reach your target destination. Rooted in the customer journey mapping paradigm that many libraries have used to understand their users’ experiences, this application enables libraries to map out the communication practices they will use to engage their targeted fundraising prospects across the donor lifecycle. This poster will describe how library marketers and fundraisers can create their own philanthropic engagement maps by defining their fundraising destination, mapping out the route that donors will use to reach that destination, constructing onramps for prospects to join in on the journey, and identifying roadblocks that will prevent potential donors from giving. In addition, this poster will include a sample engagement map template that users can take back to their own libraries to complete. Thus, attendees at this poster session will be able to identify the components of an engagement map, create an engagement map for their own fundraising, and apply the communication practices outlined on their map to engage philanthropic prospects.