Charles City County Library Campaign

The Challenge

Charles City County is the only jurisdiction within the Commonwealth of Virginia without a public library facility. For 27 years, the county shared library service at the Heritage Public Library with a neighboring county. In January 2008, things went from bad to worse when the Heritage Library building was declared unsafe for occupancy and was closed.

The Solution

Because Charles City County already had the books, the furniture and the land to build the library, MPD used a “field of dreams” concept, staging library scenes in the open horse pasture where the library will one day be built. These compelling photos, which feature real Charles City County residents instead of models, form the core of the materials (Case for Support booklet, brochure and website) being used to create awareness and raise funds for the new library. Not only were real Charles City County residents photographed, but a long list - age six to 80 - also provided personal stories about why a library was important to them. Putting names and faces on the cause helped to make it more real and relatable to donors. As a result of the passion demonstrated by these materials, which have received unsolicited accolades from fundraising professionals, the county has raised $3.2 million and is working to match a $250,000 challenge grant.

Visit the website: charlescitylibrary.org