Acknowledgments
I want to thank my dear friend, Ulla de Stricker, for encouraging my writing for many years and celebrating my passion for libraries. Her guidance through the process of conceiving and writing this book has been invaluable and is appreciated beyond measure. I'm grateful for my co-writer and colleague, Laura Sloop Henzl, whose partnership has provided strength, humor, and inspiration throughout the journey. It has been my great pleasure to see her embrace the mission of the library with a passion that rivals my own! Thank you to Dr. Dwight Burlingame, my professor at the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at Indiana University, for your guidance and oversight of the research that informs the content of this discussion and for your own, valuable scholarship on this topic. To my colleagues in the library and in the small but supportive world of library development: Your willingness to contribute to this book through your success stories and your encouragement has been so meaningful. To my friends and family who have seen very little of me the last few months as I spent weekend after weekend in my yellow chair surrounded by papers and books typing away furiously: I promise that I will see you again very soon! I want to thank my development colleagues at Purdue for their willingness to let the library into their proposals and their cases for giving to their own donors. You have helped me communicate the value of the library to more people than I would ever have been able to do on my own. I thank my colleagues in the Purdue Libraries who provide the amazing stories I get to tell to donors. Without your passion and sense of mission for your work, my job would be an impossible task. Finally, I want to thank the donors who give their precious dollars to support libraries throughout the world. Your support is what makes the magic happen. Thank you all for your part in giving library users the tools and expertise to do what no other institution does—provide access to knowledge for everyone. There is so much information out there, and librarians and information professionals evaluate it and deliver it to anyone who asks for it. They believe, as I do, that information is the key to leveling the playing field—to allowing all students and scholars the opportunity to do their best work and become the best versions of themselves.
April 2016
I want to thank my parents, Dean L. and Joyce E. Sloop, for introducing me to God, teaching me about servant leadership, and empowering me to follow my dreams. Although my Dad is no longer with us, I carry him in my heart every day. He taught me to see the good in the world, to embrace challenges, to give back to others, to never give up, to pursue education, and to never stop learning. Thank you to my husband, Jeffrey L. Henzl, for your support and for taking on extra hours with our toddler boys, Owen Dean and Landon James, while I typed away in my home office. To my co-writer and colleague, Kathryn Dilworth, for introducing me to “library world” and for listening to my long-winded visions of igniting passions in higher education and making fundraising more collaborative across disciplines and with colleagues. Working with her on this book has been an invaluable and enjoyable experience; and I will be forever grateful for her partnership and collaboration on such a worthy project. To Ulla de Stricker for her expertise and time invested in guiding us through this process. To my advancement colleagues and friends from my alma mater, Manchester University, thank you for introducing me to a career in fundraising and for the opportunity to work with such compassionate and collaborative colleagues. To my friend and former colleague, Timothy A. McElwee, Ph.D., thank you for showing me early in my career how to implement servant leadership into academia. To my many mentors and colleagues throughout my years at Purdue University, for teaching me invaluable lessons, for partnering on exciting and meaningful projects, for your investments and knowledge shared and most importantly, for your friendships. To my friends and family, for support and the gift of life-long friendships. To the donors who give of their time, talent and treasure, thank you for making the world a better place for the next generation! And finally, to the readers, I hope this book will empower you to do wonderful things in your fundraising careers and for your academic library. Keep following your dreams. Keep building those relationships. Donors often become life-long friends as well, and there is nothing better than friendships that share the same passion for giving back and philanthropy in all forms. Love all. Love is.
April 2016