Relationship building, advocacy and influence can be defined in many ways. At BCLTA we encourage boards to consider what they mean in using these terms and to be clear about what approaches and actions will best benefit the public library.
Often, when we think about relationship building and influence, we think about advocacy and then we think that it’s about sharing the good news of the public library to ask for sustained and increased funding.
The following questions may be helpful to your board’s exploration of relationship building, influence, and advocacy.
- What do we need right now and in the future in our relationship with the community and community influencers?
- What do we need right now and in the future in our relationship with local government and funders
- Think beyond money – is it trust, goodwill, understanding, better communication?
- In what ways has our approach to relationship building, influence or advocacy benefitted our long-term relationship with the community, funders, and local government?
- Is there anything in our current thinking or planning that could risk those benefits?
- In what ways has our approach to relationship building, influence or advocacy jeopardized or harmed our long-term relationship with the community, funders, and local government?
- Is there anything in our current thinking or planning that will help us overcome that jeopardy or harm?
- Are we sharing the best and most credible stories of the public library and its value to the community?
- Is our story one of scarcity or abundance? Does our story make sense or resonate with the listener?
- Are we hearing and understanding the stories from the community, funders, and local government?
- Have we asked for and listened to community stories that are not about the library? Have we listened to what is concerning and exciting local government? Have we asked local governments to come share with us their stories, plans, goals, and needs?
NOTES:
This approach makes most sense for municipal public libraries and public library associations; it may need to be adapted for regional library systems (Okanagan Regional Library, Fraser Valley Regional Library, Vancouver Island Regional Library) and for the Greater Victoria Regional Library.
For the purpose of this discussion, the term local government includes municipal, regional district, and First Nations governments.
Framework Focus: The people
Who is it that the board may want a strengthened or different relationship with?
- Elected official such as mayors, councillors, regional district directors, and First Nations chief and councillors
- Local government senior management staff although in general this connection is a staff-to-staff relationship with the library director
Other elected or community-based boards such as the board of education, an Indigenous organization, the Chamber, or the local arts council - Neighbours, friends, co-workers, people in the grocery store line-up, at the hockey game, and social media contacts – as a trustee with a public institution everyone sees you as a representative of the public library
- Who else?
Framework Focus: The goals
Relationship Building Goals
- Understanding goals and aspirations
- Understanding roles and responsibilities
- Spending time together to build familiarity and trust
- Sharing stories to build understanding, respect, and trust
- Collaborating on making a positive difference in the community
- What else and how else?
Influence Goals
- Through transparency and accountability gaining the trust of community influencers who will champion the value of the public library (see BCLTA Building Trust with Transparency and Accountability)
- Having a strong network of library supporters who will champion the library to friends, neighbours, and community decision makers
- Collaborating on making a positive difference in the community
- What else?
- How else?
Advocacy Goals
- Building a shared understanding of the value of the public library
- Securing the future of the public library in the community including new opportunities for the development of services, spaces, and resources
- Viewing the public library as a key player for emerging community initiatives, for the success of the Official Community Plan (OCP), and as a partner for capital projects and emergency situations
- Ensuring adequate, predictable, and sustainable funding for public library ongoing operations
- Collaborating on making a positive difference in the community
- What else?
- How else?
Framework Focus: Actions
- Document the plan
- The simple advocacy plan found on the Relationship Building, Influence, and Advocacy page can be adapted for relationship building or for influence.
- Include accountability – who, what, when, where, how and follow-up reporting in the plan
- Include learning and development in the plan (workshops, reading and discussion, … )
- Ask other libraries for their plans
- Make board time for community news and for reviewing local government documents such as the Official Community Plan and other planning and service reports, and relevant meeting minute. Include reports that may be catching local government attention such as those from the provincial government, the Union of BC Municipalities, the Union of BC Indian Chiefs, the BC Assembly of First Nations and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities.
- Collect stories – Surrey Libraries, Shared Stories, CBC Joins Forces with the Prince Rupert Library in Support of Indigenous Storytelling
- Invite local government in to share their stories, plans, and aspirations
- Invite the community, community-based organizations, funders, and local government to be part of your actions. Outcomes are stronger when more are involved.
- Involve the local government people on the public library board in strengthening the relationship with local government – ask them what they need for being able to champion the public library in government meetings
- Attend community events and meet people as a trustee (wear a trustee name badge)
- Develop key messages about the library
- Have stories ready to share that are credible, of interest, and relevant to the audience
- Does your board have a trustee who is local social media influencer? If yes, how might they be supported in using their influence for the library?
- Align your board plan with other library community engagement (community led, outreach, marketing, communications) plans and initiatives
- Review communication policies regarding media statements and who speaks on behalf of the public library
- What else?
- Who else?
- How else?
Framework Focus: The outcome or impact
- State what change the board wants
- Change in relationship
- Change in understanding of the library
- Change in understanding the community, funder, or local government
- Change in decision or policy
- What else?
- Track the indicators that might demonstrate that the board’s plan is on track or that the board’s plan needs reviewing
- Indicators might include:
- the number of people the board connected with
- changed perspectives or understanding on the board or with community members, community-based organizations, or local government
- strengthened board commitment to transparency and accountability
- greater interest from community members, community-based organizations, funders, and local government in the work of the board and the public library
- what else?
- Indicators might include:
- Appreciate and celebrate the smallest of changes – this builds commitment and momentum
- Appreciate and celebrate the input, influence, support, and collaboration from the community, funders, and local government
- Report to the community, funders, and local government on your desired outcome or impact, your actions, and the outcome or impact (don’t forget the indicators or small changes along the way)
- Be flexible, sometimes the best journeys take us somewhere different than planned
- What else?