Give a Gift Today
Donations from library supporters, along with revenue from membership contributions, book sales and other fundraising activities, are used to help the Worthington Libraries achieve its mission and positively impact the lives of patrons and their families. While local tax dollars and allocations from the State Library Fund currently cover most of the needs of our libraries, philanthropic support from donors allows the library to enhance its programs and services to make the experiences of patrons even better.
There are two funds to choose from in making your donation, and both support the needs of Worthington Libraries and its patrons. Donations to the Friends Foundation of Worthington Libraries are 100% tax deductible as applicable by law for a 501(c)(3) organization (EIN Tax ID # 31-1356231). Your gift does make a difference.
Annual Library Grant Fund
The Friends Foundation’s Annual Library Grant Fund provides financial assistance for ongoing programs and activities of the library and supports recognition and development programs for library staff members. These programs promote literacy and learning for patrons of 
all ages, teen volunteer recognition, and fun and enrichment activities for families. Our Annual Library Grant also supports staff celebrations, team- building, training and various professional development activities. Some of these activities cannot be funded with tax dollars.
Each year many patrons and their families take advantage of these programs, which include the Summer Reading Club, funded through our Annual Library Grant since 2000, and author visits, which the Friends has sponsored since 2011. And for fun and enrichment, there are the popular Summer Movie Series, February by the Fire music programs and Community Breakfast.
If you would like to support these programs and other ongoing activities that enhance the programs and services of our libraries each year, make your donation to our Annual Library Grant Fund. Any amount of giving is appreciated, and you can designate an individual to honor or remember in making your donation.
The Friends Foundation of Worthington Libraries
820 High Street
Worthington, OH 43085
FRIENDS FUNDS AT THE COLUMBUS FOUNDATION
In 2002, the Friends established the Worthington Libraries Endowment Fund at The Columbus Foundation with a $10,000 contribution. Since then, the fund has grown substantially, enabling the library and the Friends Foundation to partner on major long-term projects, like the expansion of the Homework Help Centers in 2013 and the development of the Reading with Friends sculpture park at the Old Worthington Library in 2018. A total of $140,000 was spent on these projects
Your gift to the Friends Funds at the Columbus Foundation helps inspire a lifelong passion for reading and learning and provides needed services to members of our community. The library has established four key and powerful focus areas, and Foundation Funds will be used to support major projects and initiatives in these areas. You may direct your gift to one or more of these areas or make a gift to support other needs. Your give may honor someone or be in memory of a loved one by checking the appropriate box when you make your gift online. Read on to discover how you can play a part by boosting the power of:
Become a friends member
I joined the Friends nearly 30 years ago because as a resident and Worthington elementary school teacher, I knew a strong library was important to our community. At that time there was only one library, and we used a card catalogue. The return date
for the books I checked out was stamped on the back inside cover. Lots of things have changed since then, but my support for our libraries has stayed constant.
Please join me in becoming a member of the Friends.
Marty Jacobs
JOIN NOW
Shanna Schmiesing and her husband Jeff Bartolin know the value that the Worthington Libraries provides to our community, and they are demonstrating this appreciation through their membership and special donations to the Friends Foundation.
Shanna has been a fan of public libraries since childhood and even worked part-time in her college library. When their children were younger, they enjoyed the wide variety of the library’s children’s programs. She credits their love for reading in part to their frequent visits to the library and participation in library programs, including the Summer Reading Club.
The couple became Friends members in 2016 because they felt it was time to give back and show their support. But Shanna wanted to do even more to support the libraries. So, several years ago she started making a monthly payroll deduction through her employer, Abbott Laboratories. The company’s Employer Giving Program enables employees to give to selected charities and receive a 100 percent match. The Friends Foundation is on the list.
She feels good that she is regularly giving and showing her appreciation for our libraries. She encourages other Friends members and library patrons to find out whether their employer has a similar program and then join her in making contributions to the Friends.
SEE DONATION OPTIONS
(on this page)
your gift makes a difference
Storytelling
The library is a place of stories, most shared via eloquent written words. Gifts to the Storytelling Focus Area will help the library encourage reading by subsidizing or underwriting reading programs, early childhood literacy initiatives, other impactful programs and events and outreach offerings.
Human Connections
As a public space, the library brings people together through materials, resources and activities that promote understanding, inspire kindness and improve life in Worthington. Gifts to the Human Connections Focus Area will contribute to the library’s collection development, building updates, community outreach efforts and staff support.
Social Justice
Our library is a proponent of social justice and a beacon of intellectual freedom. Sensitive to our community’s diversity, the library creates programming, develops collections and revamps facilities to be more inclusive of under-served populations and coax greater use. Gifts to the Social Justice Focus Area will strengthen these efforts.
Sustainability
For our library, sustainability is not just about environmental concerns; it’s also about resilience — the ability to flex with a changing world. Gifts to the Sustainability Focus Area will help the library advocate its position as a vital component of the future by backing green-building enterprises such as gardening and landscaping projects, and by providing grants for staff and community wellness programs.
General Contribution
All of the Focus Area initiatives are important. Please use my gift to the Endowment Fund to meet the most pressing needs at this time.
If you prefer to make your donation by check, print donation form and send to:
The Columbus Foundation 1234 E. Broad Street Columbus, OH 43205
ADDITIONAL WAYS TO SUPPORT WORTHINGTON LIBRARIES
Matching Gifts
Many companies match their employees’ charitable contributions. Your Human Resources department will be able to assist you in making a matching gift. Some companies even extend this benefit to spouses of employees and retirees.
More Ways to Give
- Making the Friends Foundation of Worthington Libraries a beneficiary of your estate is an option for long-time patrons. We work with the Columbus Foundation to offer the options below, which may include a tax benefit. Please contact us for more information.
- Stocks/securities: Appreciated securities are popular gifts. Please contact us before initiating a donation of a stock.
- Life Insurance: Life insurance policies that have a cash value may be donated by designating the Foundation as one of the beneficiaries of the policy.
- Gifts with Retained Income: A Charitable Gift Annuity or charitable remainder trust allows individuals to make a meaningful gift to the Foundation without relinquishing the income from the gift property.
- Planned Gifts: Reduce estate taxes for heirs and leave a legacy in the community by creating a bequest to the Foundation in your will or trust.
Have Questions?
Contact us today to get answers to your questions.