CYPRESS CREEK FRIENDS OF THE LIBRARY
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
In August of 2017, torrential rains from Hurricane Harvey devastated the Houston area and brought 2-1/2 feet of water into the Barbara Bush Library. The storm also flooded three other branch libraries within the Harris County Public Library system. All of these libraries were closed to the public while damages were assessed and repairs were planned.\n\nAt Barbara Bush Branch, over 42,000 books were lost, representing about 25% of the collection. The vast majority of these were children's books from the first-floor Children's Area. \n\nThe Barbara Bush Library Friends' board knew that Harris County would be heavily burdened by having to do physical repairs and to replace furniture, carpeting, equipment, and computers at multiple locations. The Friends quickly voted to set a goal of raising $100,000 from the community to help replace the lost children's books, supplementing the insurance funding that Harris County would have available.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Enhance the library collection
The Friends raise funds to supplement the library collection beyond the level that Harris County can provide. This allows us to provide items that are uniquely in need by our local community, are present in inadequate quantities to meet demand, or have been requested by the library system.
Sponsor library programs for the community
The Friends raise funds to provide programs of interest for children, teens and adults that are beyond the scope of the funds provided by Harris County. This includes special events, as well as ongoing support for story times, children's crafts, teen activities, book clubs, English as a Second Language classes, and more.
Provide special items needed by the library
The Friends help provide special equipment or furnishings needed to serve the needs of library customers, or to assist staff in the performance of their duties. These are items beyond what the Harris County budget can provide.
Operate the Friends Bookstore
The Friends has a bookstore located inside the library that is run by volunteers. It sells items that are 100% donated by the community. This helps all of us to be good stewards of recycled books. All proceeds are used to fund the other programs sponsored by the Friends.
Where we work
External reviews
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Our Sustainable Development Goals
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Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
One of the basic programs that the Barbara Bush Library Friends promotes every year is to enhance the materials collection of the Barbara Bush Library. Following the devastation of Hurricane Harvey in the Houston area, this purpose took on new meaning. Over 25% of the collection was lost in the flooding that accompanied the hurricane. At its first meeting following this devastation, the board set a goal of raising $100,000 from the community to help replace these lost children's books, thereby supplementing the insurance funding that Harris County would have available.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
The board organized to raise these funds by several means:\n\n1) To alert library users of the results of the damage that the hurricane had done to the library, and to let them know that the facility would be closed until further notice.\n\n2) To set up mechanisms to receive donations by check at an alternate postal address, or online through our Network for Good account.\n\n3) To encourage library users to contribute to the fund being established to replace lost materials.\n\n4) To connect with local organizations and business to encourage them to donate to this worthy cause.\n\n5) To support volunteers and organizations in the community who were holding special fundraisers.\n\n6) To take advantage of appearances in the community to promote this fundraising effort and to keep people informed of the progress toward re-opening the library (at pop-up library locations, book stores, Chamber of Commerce meetings, etc.)\n\n7) To establish a procedure to ensure that all donors were properly acknowledged and thanked.\n\n8) To honor donors and celebrate meeting our goal by the time the library was re-opened.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
At the time of the flooding, we had many of the following capabilities already in place. Others were quickly put into place, some even before the flood waters receded. \n\n1) We had built a Constant Contact mailing list of library users and other interested parties, to communicate by e-mail newsletters with those most impacted by the damages to the library.\n\n2) We had established a banking account to receive checking donations, and a Network for Good account to receive online contributions.\n\n3) We had created a website and a Facebook account to communicate with others outside the library. During the post-hurricane period, people could easily share our posts with friends and relatives from other areas of the country who might support us.\n\n4) We are long-standing members in the Chamber of Commerce. That helped us to solicit business support. We also had built a list of organizations that had previously been sources of volunteer hours or monetary donations.\n\n5) Our board members were willing to work with local organizations who offered to support us through fundraisers (schools, book stores, Girl Scouts, etc.).\n\n6) Our board members were willing to make appearances in the community to promote this effort.\n\n7) A network of new volunteers was recruited to help write prompt thank-you notes to the many who contributed to our goal.\n\n8) With the cooperation of our library administration, we were able to offer our donors a “sneak peek” at the renovated library before its official re-opening to the public. Board members were the hosts at the party, and served special refreshments.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Our goal to raise $100,000 was accomplished. Once we hit our threshhold, any additional funds were dedicated to sponsoring the extra programming that the Barbara Bush Library Friends supports. This was especially critical since our normal major source of fund-raising, our used book store, had been closed throughout the post-hurricane period. \n\nWe have submitted checks for $100,000 to the Harris County Public Library gift fund, maintained for special purchases such as replacement of the lost children’s books. We have now turned our attention to the rebuilding of our book store, since 100% of its inventory and all furnishings were lost. We are re-building our capacity to once again serve the community by helping Harris County to provide modern and vibrant library materials, services, and programs to our neighbors.
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
CYPRESS CREEK FRIENDS OF THE LIBRARY
Board of directorsas of 10/16/2023
Sally Jabaley
Susheela Beteet
Susheela Beteet
No Affiliation
Susan Greer
No Affiliation
Lauren Murphy
No Affilation
Dympna Stemmler
No Affiliation
Ward Molen
Molen & Associates
Sally Jabaley
No Affiliation
Joanne Schroeder
No Affiliation
Chad Greer
No Affiliation
Ann Marek
No Affiliation
Cinda Schaffer
No Affiliation
Larry Jones
No Affiliation
Mary Garcia
No Affiliation
Beth Garrison
No Affiliation
Maryanne Alessandro
No Affiliation
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? No -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? No -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? No -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? No -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? No
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
No data
Gender identity
No data
Transgender Identity
No data
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data