“We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” – Winston Churchill
We are pleased to acknowledge the generosity of our donors who have already joined our Campaign. We invite you to add your name to this distinguished roll call of individuals and institutions with a deeply personal commitment to our community.
Your contributions are needed to provide augmented funding which will be strategically needed for use in facilities refurbishment, repair or replacement, or to provide free, accessible and culturally sensitive programs and resources that promote lifelong learning – early childhood to teens; adults to seniors.
SCL core funding comes from property taxes and Measure Y which brought up our Library’s ability to significantly upgrade and expand programs and resources for the communities we serve. But as our library became more connected to those we serve, we began to learn how much more needs to be done to meet our ultimate goal of serving our community with excellence.
Your contributions help provide that excellence. Throughout the county, whether refurbishing or refreshing facilities in urgent need of care; or providing grants for programs and materials needed by our branches to better meet the needs of those they serve, your contributions “help make a life by what you give.”
Thirty years ago, when Dorothy Hartley was raising her two daughters in Windsor, she always took them to the Bookmobile.
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“It was all we had back then, but it’s how I got my kids hooked on books! Books are so important for these young people. They bring hope; they bring education; they bring adventure.” Dorothy is one of five sisters, two of whom went on to be librarians themselves. She now lives in the Roseland area of Santa Rosa. Ask her about the new expanded full-service library now being created for Roseland and she gets just as fired up as she did decades earlier. “The young people in our community today urgently need to have that same hope, that same belief. That new library will put that right at our doorstep.” In fact, Dorothy herself is one of the reasons why those young people will get that inspiration because every month, for the past several years, she has arranged a standing monthly donation of $10 goes to the Sonoma County Public Library Foundation to help get that library built. Dorothy, thank you for your generous example. We know you will inspire others.
Suzanne Black, whose family has been making history in Cloverdale since settling there on a ranch in 1866, is about to help write a new chapter of history as well.
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On the hills just east of River Road, the ranch was the site for the Disney film, “Little Dog Lost.” Grandfather Hollis Black was well known for his 75-acre vineyard and winery, and his wife, Virginia Marsden Black wrote fiction for a number of national magazines including The Saturday Evening Post. “We’ve still got that historic house my grandfather built in 1906,” chimes in Suzanne. “Me and my sister had lived there with Mom and Dad, Elise and David Black. But when we were young, Mom didn’t allow us to have a tv. She loved books and instilled in us all the love of reading. And that’s why I want to include the Cloverdale branch in my Living Trust.” And with that, Suzanne makes history for her branch and the Sonoma County Public Library Foundation as with this gift she becomes a founding member of the Foundation’s new David Sabsay Legacy Society. You can become a member too, just by including the Sonoma County Library through its Foundation in your estate planning. For information click here.
Click the button below to proceed to our donation platform website. If you would like to view other giving options, please continue down the page.
Click here for information on where to send your securities.
More than 7,500 companies offer matching gift programs to their employees and some offer the option to retirees. Check with your company to see if you qualify.
If you are 70.5+ years young, please consider making a QCD; a direct transfer of funds from an IRA custodian. QCDs can be counted toward satisfying required minimum distributions for the year, and don’t require itemization, which means you can take advantage of the higher standard deduction, but still use a QCD for charitable giving. QCDs can be made in consultation with your financial planner or your IRA custodian.
Make checks made payable to Sonoma County Public Library Foundation. Indicate your preference in the memo space (Rosedale campaign; where needed, etc) and mail to
PO Box 1402, Santa Rosa, CA 95402
Our Tax ID: 68-0137105
David Sabsay, widely viewed as the father of The Sonoma County Library, spent 40 years creating a modern-day, countywide library system. Before retiring in 1992, Sabsay had taken the disparate library systems scattered across the county’s cities and united them into one institution: The Sonoma County Library.
Today, his legacy is one of the country’s bright signal fires illuminating how a library system can serve the urgent and worthy needs of a diverse county with compassion, creativity and cultural sensitivity.
Include the Sonoma County Public Library Foundation in your estate planning and you can assure that David’s vision endures and flourishes, prepared to meet the challenges ahead. Funds will be needed to meet a variety of needs: facility upgrades, to program resources updates, and staffing.
By simply letting us know you’ve included SCPLF in your estate plans, you are automatically a member of our new David Sabsay Legacy Society. You’ll be acknowledged in an Honor Roll on our website, and be invited to our annual Legacy Society Vision Breakfast.
The key language. Whichever means you choose, be sure and identify SCPLF specifically as the beneficiary using our legal name and tax ID:
Already have a will? You can add a bequest to the Sonoma County Library Foundation by means of a simple document called a codicil.
Bequests and trusts:
Retirement Funds: Designate SCPLF as a beneficiary of a remainder of your plan, and you avoid double taxation on retirement plan assets.
Life Insurance: Designate SCPLF as owner and beneficiary of an insurance policy and you make a gift with little immediate cost and receive a current income tax deduction and possibly future deductions.
Be sure to consult your own financial and estate counsel when considering any of these options.
For information on the David Sabsay Legacy Society, contact: Craig Palmer, Sonoma County Library, Fund Development Manager, cpalmer@sonomalibrary.org.
Since its initial formation in 1986, the Sonoma County Public Library Foundation has been equal parts vocal advocate, generous funder and staunch champion for the Sonoma County Library.