Tag Archives: Friends Of Yalsa

Friends of YALSA is happy to introduce our 2021 Campaign, YOU + YALSA = the Sky’s the Limit.  We invite you to donate to Friends of YALSA to help fund our array of scholarships, awards, giveaways, and a new idea that we’d like to offer to volunteers this year and in the years to come.

Why donate in 2021?

This year’s new initiative is supporting volunteers with slow or unreliable internet access. With virtual activities becoming a bigger part of professional organization opportunities, we want to make sure that everyone who wants to volunteer with YALSA does so without concern about internet service. We’d like to use a portion of funds raised from our 2021 campaign to purchase hotspots to be loaned out to volunteer members whose internet service does not support the amount of virtual work that needs to be done throughout the year. YALSA’s current membership is over 3,700 strong.  Please consider a donation to help colleagues from around the world the opportunity to participate in YALSA volunteer appointments to the best of their ability, regardless of internet service.

So, what else does Friends of YALSA support? 100% of your donations fund FOY’s initiatives, which includes YALSA’s Awards and Grants.

Here are some recent recipients:

• 2020 Emerging Leader:  Seungyeon Yang-Peace, Las Vegas Clark County Library District, Nevada
• 2020 Innovation Award:  Brittany Garcia, Rancho Cucamonga Public Library, California
• 2021 Writing Award Winners:  Jennifer Banas (The Journal of Research on Libraries and Young Adults); Terry Lewis and Cate Sweeney (Young Adult Library Services); Deborah Takahashi (YALSABlog)
• Shipping of Great Books Giveaway:  Belfast Area High School; Franklin Township Public Library; Townsend Harris High School

Would you consider making a donation to Friends of YALSA during 2021? You may donate by credit card via the ALA Development Office’s secure website, or send a contribution by mail by downloading and completing the paper form. Send your donation to: Friends of YALSA, 225 North Michigan Ave, STE 1300, Chicago, IL 60601.

Thank you in advance for your support, gift, time and generosity.

Sincerely,

~Amanda Barnhart, YALSA President 2020-2021,

~Traci Glass, YALSA Financial Advancement Committee Chair on behalf of the Financial Advancement Committee

2020 has been a challenging and difficult year. As we move through this final month of 2020, I’ve been thinking about the things I’m most grateful for and a big piece of that is the support I’ve felt from my YALSA and ALA colleagues. Just being able to talk about books, attending sessions at the year’s virtual YALSA Symposium, and “seeing” everyone at this year’s virtual Annual conference was something that buoyed my spirit and reinvigorated the love I have for this work. Coincidentally, we recently celebrated #GivingTuesday, and I was excited to donate to Friends of YALSA (FOY) to help others achieve their dreams of studying and working in the library field. As someone who was helped by FOY funds through the Board Fellow Program, I know how important these opportunities are to growing passionate and dedicated folks in the profession. During this unprecedented time, teens need us more than ever, and Friends of YALSA provides scholarships, leadership opportunities, conference attendance assistance, and much more through monies donated all year to support those who work for and with teens.

This year, our big fundraising raffle was cancelled due to the Symposium being virtual, but in light of that, we have a fun surprise!  YALSA is offering the chance of winning a free virtual author visit from Gretchen McNeil, author of 2020 YALSA Teens’ Top Ten winning title, #MurderFunding and 2019 YALSA Teens’ Top Ten winning title #MurderTrending. While donating is not required to enter to win, we truly hope you will consider donating to FOY or specifically to our Give $20 in 2020 campaign as it winds down for the year. If you have already donated this year – THANK YOU! If you have not donated, please consider giving if you are able to help support your colleagues during these difficult times. And, be sure to fill out the form to throw your name (or the name of a colleague if you’d like to gift the visit) in the hat for the opportunity to treat your teens to a virtual author visit. Please submit the form by January 30, 2021.

Thank you to Gretchen and Freeform Books, an imprint of Disney Publishing Worldwide for donating this awesome prize.  And, thank you, to all of you, for supporting each other in all the ways you do during this time.

-Traci Glass, Financial Advancement Committee Chair

What’s really cool about the money that is donated to Friends of YALSA (FOY), like through our Give $20 in 2020 campaign, are the programs the donations support. One program especially close to my heart is YALSA’s Board Fellow program! In 2019, I was honored and thrilled to be named YALSA’s Board Fellow.

I first heard about this opportunity a few years prior at the 2016 ALA Annual Conference in Orlando, Florida. I sat next to a YALSA member on a bus to a publisher event that evening. I was so happy being a part of the Great Graphic Novels for Teens selection committee, but I was also thinking of going outside my comfort zone in terms of getting more involved in YALSA. I really had no idea how to do that until I started talking to the YALSA member next to me. All these years later, I wish I knew who I spoke to because that person changed my YALSA life I explained to them about feeling like I wanted to do more, but I wasn’t sure how to do that exactly. I felt like applying to be on the YALSA Board proper was too big of a step for me, and it was then that they told me about the Board Fellow program. It seemed like the perfect step in the direction I knew I wanted to go. I could meet Board members, see how the process worked, be active and engaged, and grow my leadership skills in ways that I could use in my YALSA volunteer work, as well as at my own organization. I would be a non-voting member, but I was totally fine with that! I wanted to see how it worked before I threw in my “ayes” or “nays”.  It took me another couple of years to muster up the courage to apply, and I am so glad that I did.

I feel the Board Fellow program really opened my eyes to the work of the Board and introduced me to so many friends I have made in the process.  My experience as the Board Fellow showed me the bigger picture of YALSA work and how it affects all of us who work for and with teens in our libraries. I was incredibly thankful to receive the stipend that the Board Fellow receives from monies donated to FOY to help defray conference attendance costs over my one year appointment term.

The application for YALSA’s 2021 Board Fellow is due by December 1! I hope everyone who wants to take that next step in YALSA leadership will consider applying. And, thank you to everyone who has donated to FOY. Your contributions have helped members like me and from around the world. As I mentioned in my post last month, we know that everything is challenging right now. If you’d like to and are able to contribute, please consider becoming a Friend of YALSA (any denominations welcome) or donate $20 as part of this year’s Friend of YALSA fundraising campaign Give $20 in 2020. Thank you for your work supporting teens in our community and supporting your colleagues near and far.

-Traci Glass, Financial Advancement Committee Chair

Hello, YALSA members and teen advocates,

As the Chair of the 20-21 Financial Advancement Committee (FAC), I am honored to work with a wonderful group of folks to help raise funds to support our fellow members through these difficult and trying times. You might be asking yourself – what is the FAC?  What do they do?  The Financial Advancement Committee provides oversight and continued enhancement of the Friends of YALSA program, including promotion, fundraising, and donor recognition. We work with the Board and staff year-round to create and implement virtual fundraising campaigns and fundraising efforts at conferences, aimed at both members and others, to support the $19,595 worth of member scholarships and stipends YALSA gives out annually. Currently, we are already working on ideas for virtual fundraisers for the Virtual Symposium, new fundraising campaigns for 2021, and working with YALSA staff to start planning the 2021 Coffee Klatch that is held annually at the ALA Annual Conference.

You have probably noticed all of the great scholarships and stipends that YALSA gives out even if you didn’t realize that the FAC oversees the money that goes into funding these opportunities.  Friends of YALSA funds opportunities, scholarships, and grants like the shipping expenses for the Great Books Giveaway, sponsoring Spectrum Scholars and Emerging Leaders, sending YALSA members to ALA’s National Library Legislative Day, and much, much more. We all know how challenging it is right now for all of us. If you’d like to and are able to contribute, please consider becoming a Friend of YALSA or donate as part of this year’s fundraising campaign Give $20 in 2020.  Thank you for your work supporting teens in our community and supporting your colleagues near and far.

I am excited to share this year’s Financial Advancement Committee group with you! And, we hope that you will consider volunteering for this committee in the future!

Traci Glass, Chair
Stephanie Charlefour, Virtual Member
Carrie Kausch, Virtual Member
Amber Loveless, Virtual Member
Kayla Payne, Virtual Member
Shira Pilarski, Virtual Member
Celeste Swanson, Virtual Member

Several years ago, the YALSA Fiscal Officer resigned and for a little over a year, I assumed her role. It was 18 months of ‘new growth opportunities’ and, thanks to Beth Yoke and Nichole O’Connor, I learned what was important to a non-profit organization.

And what was that? Make sure that the profits realized from activities, match not only the organization’s needs, but also the amount of staff and volunteer time that is required. That message came across over and over and I became more aware of how great ideas from members impact the staff and make the use of volunteers imperative. Working with Nichole, who’s involved with all the ticketed activities YALSA offers at conferences (such as the Edwards luncheon/brunch, Printz Awards, Morris/Non-Fiction event), I collected a lot of information about cost and attendance. Although the numbers at each event did vary, depending upon location and expected authors, when we set up a spread sheet showing ten years of activities, it was obvious which events were really popular and which were waning. Hmm – time to evaluate those ticketed events. As the Board considered what we’d found, adjustments were made to determine if the event should continue and, if it would continue, what changes could make it more financially viable. The response of staff and Board to the cost/expense of these activities, reinforced the need to carefully scrutinize financial obligations, and YALSA does that. In other words, our donations are in ‘good hands.’

As members, I encourage you to join Friends of YALSA, aka FOY, and when you have the opportunity, ask the Fiscal Officer how the budget is going. Are there activities that will have to be eliminated or refined?  Does YALSA continue to contribute to the Spectrum Scholarship? Does YALSA continue with its division scholarships, awards and grants (close to $200,000 a year are offered to members)?

When you become a member of Friends of YALSA, you give back to your division and to your members. As you prepare for the fall, please consider the request from FOY to ‘Give $20 in 2020.” Your twenty dollars will be put to good use as YALSA continues its tradition of supporting the Spectrum Scholar, Emerging Leader, National Library Legislative Day, various Writing Awards and many other member opportunities.

Give $20 in 2020 today.

~Pam Spencer Holley, YALSA member