Impact Report

Over $4.5 million raised for Library Advancement

Foundation supporters continue to champion community-building, inclusive, and educational resources at the Library in FY23. Here are the highlights.

YOUR ANNUAL GIFT IMPACT FY23

$900,000
FY23 Annual Contributions

A Letter from the Executive Director

This year we turned ten. Thank you for helping us reach this milestone, a full decade of delivering impact, innovation and inspiration to Charlotte Mecklenburg Library. In fiscal year 2023, together we raised more than $4.5 million in annual and CommonSpark campaign support from more than 2,000 generous friends including two estate gifts.

Your gift is a catalyst for access and expansion in the Library. You helped fund print and digital collections including books for the new Pineville location; system-wide programming like Community Read and Summer Break; MoLi, the new Mobile Library; Library staff professional development and resources; “Framed: Step into Art,” the summer exhibit at ImaginOn; EpicFest, a free family literary festival; Living Archives, a project documenting the lives of minority communities during the pandemic; and branch enhancements.

We created the Flight Fund this year, an internal grant program for Library staff with remarkable ideas in need of financial liftoff. More than 14 programs totaling $25,000 were funded and included a family literacy night in collaboration with Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools and Read Charlotte, a gardening program at Allegra Westbrooks Regional Library in partnership with the Lincoln Heights neighborhood, and a DIY clay play for older adults in partnership with Clayworks.

Many of you joined us last November when we brought our gala Verse & Vino back in person with over 1,100 in attendance and raising more than $500K. We also developed a new engagement opportunity last year called Book Club Madness with almost 1,000 participants in 175 book clubs vying for a chance to win a table at Verse & Vino. We are bringing the popular competition back this Spring. We hosted local authors at our Spring/Summer series Final Draught to sold out audiences. We held a planned giving webinar that included helpful tips on writing your legacy.

Finally, I want to share our progress with the CommonSpark, a campaign to address the needs of a growing Library system including a new Main Library in uptown Charlotte. We have a little less than $18M left to raise to meet our goal of $165M. We launched the community phase of the campaign with Around the World in 21 Branches, a touring festival shining a spotlight on the importance of libraries in our communities. We hope you’ll join us at one or two of our upcoming stops.

Thank you for your dedication to learning, literacy and opportunity, for supporting the spaces in our community that welcome all, and for valuing intellectual freedom. Together we will take our Library from good to great.

Jenni Gaisbauer
Executive Director

YOUR COMMONSPARK CAMPAIGN GIFT IMPACT FY23

$117,000,000
Total Dollars as of August 2023

During FY23, more than $1 million was raised toward the comprehensive goal of $165 million for a total raised-to-date of $144,085,857 for the CommonSpark campaign — 87% to goal.

The CommonSpark addresses an integrated set of needs including: a new Main Library with an innovative combination of resources, collaborative spaces, technology, and cultural experiences; Library Administration Center; systemwide technology, innovation and programming; an endowment for future needs; and annual operating support.

To learn more about the CommonSpark Campaign, please contact Jenni Gaisbauer at 704.416.0801 or jgaisbauer@cmlibrary.org.

Rendering of new Main Library at the corner of Sixth and Tryon Streets

Library by the Numbers

Take a look at Charlotte Mecklenburg Library’s statistics for fiscal year 2022.

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