The study presents detailed data and commentary on how public libraries raise funds through book and other materials sales, grants, events and fundraisers, bequests, sale of naming rights, direct mail and online solicitation, activities of friends of library groups and other means. The study presents data on library receipts through wills, tributes and memorials, as well as channels such as grants and annual fund drives. Data is broken out by size of library for better benchmarking. The report also looks at the activities of friends of the library groups, giving data on size and growth rates and on funds raised.
Other issues discussed include online solicitations, publicity and marketing, development staff and the productivity of time spent on procuring grants. This unique study enables its readers to answer questions such as: how much do libraries receive through bequests? What are the most effective online fundraising tools? How much do friends of the library groups typically raise? How much money is raised from book sales?