Friends of the Boca Raton Public Library, Inc.

Boca Raton, FL | https://www.bocalibraryfriends.org

GuideStar Charity Check

EIN: 59-2004980

Contributions tax deductible
as of August 2024

IRS BMF 509(a)(1)
as of August 12, 2024

View summary

Charity Check report

Mission

The Friends of the Boca Raton Public Library supports, enhances and advocates for the value of the Boca Raton Public Library as a vital center of knowledge for a diverse and dynamic community. Our mission is accomplished through partnership with the library, fundraising, community outreach, advocacy and thriving membership and donors.

Ruling year info

2006

Board President

Tracy Wasserman

Main address

400 NW Boca Raton Blvd.

Boca Raton, FL 33432 USA

Show more contact info

EIN

59-2004980

Subject area info

Public affairs

Libraries

Philanthropy

Population served info

Adults

Children and youth

NTEE code info

Fund Raising and/or Fund Distribution (T12)

Public, Society Benefit - Multipurpose and Other N.E.C. (W99)

Libraries, Library Science (B70)

IRS subsection

501(c)(3) Public Charity

IRS filing requirement

This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.

Tax forms

Show Forms 990

Communication

Blog

Programs and results

Reports and documents

What we aim to solve

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

We aim to increase the awareness and growth of the Boca Raton Public Library, raise funds for new library technology and programming, and develop educational programs of community interest.

Our programs

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?

Music series

We sponsor a Sunday music matinee at the Boca Raton Public Library put on by a local band or orchestra group each month from September through April.

Population(s) Served

Adults

Book discussions

We sponsor a book club discussion via Zoom each month year round. Upcoming book discussions are listed on our website.

Population(s) Served

Adults

Library Support - Programs for youths

We fund the following children/young adult programs at the library each year:
*YA Author/ Speaker Event
*Children's Book Week
*1000 Books Before Kindergarten
*Book Groups for Children and Teens
*Family Book Brunch
*National Scholastic Chess Foundation for Youths
*Fall-o-ween magic show
*Farmer Jay gardening glasses
*Summer reading events and giveaways at the library

We fund the following library special collections and projects for children and youth:
*Backpacks and Kits
*American Girl Doll collection
*Tumblebooks database
*AWE Learning Stations

Population(s) Served

Children and youth

Library Support - Adult Services

We fund adult education and literacy programs at the library including:
* Speaker presentations (speakers are from Florida Atlantic University or are Florida Talk presenters or local authors)
* Cultural performances (i.e., dance or music performances)
* ESOL classes
* Citizenship classes

Population(s) Served

Adults

Library Support - Discover Studio

In 2016, we funded the library's Discover Studio to teach emerging technologies, including 3D printing, music production, audio podcasting, and photo and film editing as part of the library's role as a partner in education for the community. In 2017, we funded the expansion of the Discover Studio to include Little Makers and Youth Makers with technology designed for youth.

Library Support - Online subscriptions

In 2016, we fund several online subscription services for library cardholders: Value Line Investment, Universal Class, and Lynda.com. In 2017, we funded Gale Legal Forms, an online three-year subscription legal form database. In 2018, we funded additional databases - Tumble Books Online (3 year subscription), Tutor.com and Kanopy Streaming

Population(s) Served

Adults

Where we work

Awards

Mayor's Proclamation re: National Friends of Libraries Week 2017

City of Boca Raton

Best Friends Website 2019

Florida Library Association

Outstanding Friends Board Member-Cyndi Bloom 2020

Florida Library Association

2020 Special Projects Award (for online bookstore) 2021

Florida Library Association

Affiliations & memberships

Florida Library Association -2019 to present 2023

American Library Association - 2019 to present 2023

Photos

Videos

Our results

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.

Evaluation documents

Number of overall donors

Totals By Year

Population(s) Served

Related Program

Type of Metric

Input - describing resources we use

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

Tracked donations include donations reported on our website by dollar amount under Our Supporters. Donations under $75 are not tracked.

Number of list subscribers

Totals By Year

Population(s) Served

Adults, Parents, Children and youth

Related Program

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

Includes number of subscribers to our monthly newsletter, and beginning in 2017, also includes subscribers to our bookstore newsletter.

Number of volunteers

Totals By Year

Population(s) Served

Related Program

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

Our volunteers include the Board members, the people who run our programming (speakers, musicians, and special events), volunteers who run our bookstore and local college interns.

Total number of organization members

Totals By Year

Population(s) Served

Related Program

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Holding steady

Context Notes

Total number of Friends members who pay yearly membership.

Number of Facebook followers

Totals By Year

Population(s) Served

Related Program

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

Total number of major library projects funded

Totals By Year

Population(s) Served

Related Program

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Holding steady

Context Notes

In 2019, in addition to funding library events and programming, we started funding special projects, such as the bookmobile in 2019 and the Storywalk nature walks in 2020 and 2021.

Number of high-profile speakers or participants participating

Totals By Year

Population(s) Served

Adults

Related Program

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Holding steady

Context Notes

We have approximately 12 author/professor/professional speakers per season (from Fall of one year through the Spring of the next).

Our Sustainable Development Goals

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.

Goals & Strategy

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Reports and documents

Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.

Charting impact

Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.

What is the organization aiming to accomplish?

To continue to provide support for new library initiatives and programming not funded by the City of Boca Raton. Our funding enables the Boca Raton Public Library to provide new technologies to the community, such as the Discover Studio which is completed funded by the Friends. Our Sunday Music Matinee program brings people into the library and aligns with our mission to support and enhance the Boca Raton Public Library as it serves our community.

What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?

To raise funds through membership dues, bookstore sales, fundraising special events, community grants and donations.

What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?

We run an independent used bookstore. All books are donated by the community, the bookstore is run by an all volunteer-staff, and the bookstore itself is located in the lobby of the Boca Raton Public Library in rent-free space. In 2017, bookstore sales were over $98,000.

We also actively pursue grants and sponsorships. In 2022 and 2023, we partnered with Kendra Scott Jewelry as a recipient of the Kendra Gives Back program and raised over $700. In 2018, we were awarded a $1,000 Walmart community grant for our Florence Fuller Development Center programs at the library, and a $500 grant from the Junior League of Boca Raton and a $1,000 sponsorship from the law firm of Boyd, Richards, Parker & Colonnelli, PL for the library's summer reading program. In 2016, the Junior League of Boca Raton awarded us a $2,000 grant to help fund the library's summer reading program. In 2015, retired IBM employee/Board member, Krista Maki, secured a $2,000 grant from IBM for the new Discover Studio at the library.

We receive donations for community organizations and individual donors. All our supporters since 2018 are listed on our a website. We also raise funds through yearly membership dues.

What have they accomplished so far and what's next?

Each year we continue to meet the library's funding requests. We have developed a strategic business plan for the bookstore, including marketing sales through a separate email newsletter dedicated to the bookstore. We have expanded our reach by partnering with local businesses, including Habit for Humanity (recipients of our overstock books), the Rotary Club of Boca Raton (partner on book donation drives), and Boca Helping Hands (location of funded community bookshelf).

We developed a regular social media marketing campaign in conjunction with a professional digital marketing company to expand our reach, and increase sales and engagement with and awareness of our used bookstore, our programming and our contributions to the library.

Each year we fund several major special library projects which include:
*2019 - library mobile van
*2020 -2023 - Storywalk Trails (3) and Little Free Libraries (7)
*2022- 2023 - AWE Literacy Stations (4)
*2023 - mobile hotspots for checkout (25)

How we listen

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.

We demonstrated a willingness to learn more by reviewing resources about feedback practice.

We shared information about our current feedback practices.

How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?

To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve
Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?

We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We act on the feedback we receive, We share the feedback we received with the people we serve
What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?

It is difficult to identify actionable feedback

Financials

Friends of the Boca Raton Public Library, Inc.

Fiscal year: Oct 01 - Sep 30

Financial documents

Revenue vs. expenses: breakdown

SOURCE: IRS Form 990

NET GAIN/LOSS: in

Note: When component data are not available, the graph displays the total Revenue and/or Expense values.

Financial data

SOURCE: IRS Form 990

Digitizing IRS form 990 data

Friends of the Boca Raton Public Library, Inc.

Revenue & expenses

Fiscal Year: Oct 01 - Sep 30

SOURCE: IRS Form 990 info

Fiscal year ending: Download Data

Revenue
Contributions	$6,259
Program Services	$0
Investments	$28
Special Events	$0
Sales	$88,075
Other	$10,200
Total Revenue	$104,562

Expenses
Grants	$44,086
Salaries & Employee Benefits	$0
Professional Fees	$3,300
Occupancy	$0
Printing, Publications, Postage, etc.	$1,792
Other Expenses	$36,198
Total Expenses	$85,376
Net Gain/Loss	$19,186

Revenue
Contributions	$3,332
Program Services	$0
Investments	$100
Special Events	$0
Sales	$88,018
Other	$10,094
Total Revenue	$101,544

Expenses
Grants	$64,382
Salaries & Employee Benefits	$0
Professional Fees	$4,275
Occupancy	$0
Printing, Publications, Postage, etc.	$1,367
Other Expenses	$46,982
Total Expenses	$117,006
Net Gain/Loss	($15,462)

Revenue
Contributions	$2,609
Program Services	$0
Investments	$100
Special Events	$0
Sales	$89,934
Other	$10,990
Total Revenue	$103,633

Expenses
Grants	$45,767
Salaries & Employee Benefits	$0
Professional Fees	$4,726
Occupancy	$1,001
Printing, Publications, Postage, etc.	$1,851
Other Expenses	$34,965
Total Expenses	$88,310
Net Gain/Loss	$15,323

Revenue
Contributions	$5,679
Program Services	$0
Investments	$100
Special Events	$0
Sales	$82,383
Other	$11,244
Total Revenue	$99,406

Expenses
Grants	$38,881
Salaries & Employee Benefits	$0
Professional Fees	$4,168
Occupancy	$1,587
Printing, Publications, Postage, etc.	$1,225
Other Expenses	$49,128
Total Expenses	$94,989
Net Gain/Loss	$4,417

Revenue
Contributions	$14,659
Program Services	$0
Investments	$117
Special Events	$0
Sales	$90,629
Other	$8,156
Total Revenue	$113,561

Expenses
Grants	$51,600
Salaries & Employee Benefits	$0
Professional Fees	$3,490
Occupancy	$1,323
Printing, Publications, Postage, etc.	$1,198
Other Expenses	$44,985
Total Expenses	$102,596
Net Gain/Loss	$10,965

Revenue
Contributions	$70,496
Program Services	$0
Investments	$98
Special Events	$0
Sales	$43,033
Other	$8,446
Total Revenue	$122,073

Expenses
Grants	$104,712
Salaries & Employee Benefits	$0
Professional Fees	$4,437
Occupancy	$1,344
Printing, Publications, Postage, etc.	$1,651
Other Expenses	$21,698
Total Expenses	$133,842
Net Gain/Loss	($11,769)

Revenue
Contributions	$12,401
Program Services	$0
Investments	$78
Special Events	$0
Sales	$41,983
Other	$6,754
Total Revenue	$61,216

Expenses
Grants	$13,631
Salaries & Employee Benefits	$0
Professional Fees	$3,818
Occupancy	$1,344
Printing, Publications, Postage, etc.	$809
Other Expenses	$25,499
Total Expenses	$45,101
Net Gain/Loss	$16,115

Revenue
Contributions	$13,691
Program Services	$0
Investments	$42
Special Events	$0
Sales	$79,927
Other	$8,864
Total Revenue	$102,524

Expenses
Grants	$58,347
Salaries & Employee Benefits	$0
Professional Fees	$1,930
Occupancy	$1,690
Printing, Publications, Postage, etc.	$1,766
Other Expenses	$22,457
Total Expenses	$86,190
Net Gain/Loss	$16,334

Revenue
Contributions	$31,264
Program Services	$0
Investments	$163
Special Events	$0
Sales	$79,632
Other	$8,141
Total Revenue	$119,200

Expenses
Grants	$65,941
Salaries & Employee Benefits	$0
Professional Fees	$2,804
Occupancy	$3,600
Printing, Publications, Postage, etc.	$802
Other Expenses	$29,661
Total Expenses	$102,808
Net Gain/Loss	$16,392

Friends of the Boca Raton Public Library, Inc.

Balance sheet

Fiscal Year: Oct 01 - Sep 30

SOURCE: IRS Form 990 info

The balance sheet gives a snapshot of the financial health of an organization at a particular point in time. An organization's total assets should generally exceed its total liabilities, or it cannot survive long, but the types of assets and liabilities must also be considered. For instance, an organization's current assets (cash, receivables, securities, etc.) should be sufficient to cover its current liabilities (payables, deferred revenue, current year loan, and note payments). Otherwise, the organization may face solvency problems. On the other hand, an organization whose cash and equivalents greatly exceed its current liabilities might not be putting its money to best use.

Fiscal year ending: Download Data

Assets	Oct 01, 2014	Sep 30, 2015	Change
Contributions	$6,259
Cash & Equivalents	$147,006	$167,226	$20,220
Fixed Assets (LBE - Depreciation)	$0	$0	$0
Other	$0	$0	$0
Total Assets	$147,006	$167,226	$20,220

Liabilities	Oct 01, 2014	Sep 30, 2015	Change
Total Liabilities	$0	$1,034	$1,034

Fund balance	Oct 01, 2014	Sep 30, 2015	Change
Net Assets	$147,006	$166,192	$19,186

Assets	Oct 01, 2015	Sep 30, 2016	Change
Contributions	$3,332
Cash & Equivalents	$167,226	$151,889	($15,337)
Fixed Assets (LBE - Depreciation)	$0	$0	$0
Other	$0	$0	$0
Total Assets	$167,226	$151,889	($15,337)

Liabilities	Oct 01, 2015	Sep 30, 2016	Change
Total Liabilities	$1,034	$1,159	$125

Fund balance	Oct 01, 2015	Sep 30, 2016	Change
Net Assets	$166,192	$150,730	($15,462)

Assets	Oct 01, 2016	Sep 30, 2017	Change
Contributions	$2,609
Cash & Equivalents	$151,889	$166,851	$14,962
Fixed Assets (LBE - Depreciation)	$0	$0	$0
Other	$0	$0	$0
Total Assets	$151,889	$166,851	$14,962

Liabilities	Oct 01, 2016	Sep 30, 2017	Change
Total Liabilities	$1,159	$798	($361)

Fund balance	Oct 01, 2016	Sep 30, 2017	Change
Net Assets	$150,730	$166,053	$15,323

Assets	Oct 01, 2017	Sep 30, 2018	Change
Contributions	$5,679
Cash & Equivalents	$166,851	$170,806	$3,955
Fixed Assets (LBE - Depreciation)	$0	$0	$0
Other	$0	$0	$0
Total Assets	$166,851	$170,806	$3,955

Liabilities	Oct 01, 2017	Sep 30, 2018	Change
Total Liabilities	$798	$336	($462)

Fund balance	Oct 01, 2017	Sep 30, 2018	Change
Net Assets	$166,053	$170,470	$4,417

Assets	Oct 01, 2018	Sep 30, 2019	Change
Contributions	$14,659
Cash & Equivalents	$170,806	$182,963	$12,157
Fixed Assets (LBE - Depreciation)	$0	$0	$0
Other	$0	$0	$0
Total Assets	$170,806	$182,963	$12,157

Liabilities	Oct 01, 2018	Sep 30, 2019	Change
Total Liabilities	$336	$1,528	$1,192

Fund balance	Oct 01, 2018	Sep 30, 2019	Change
Net Assets	$170,470	$181,435	$10,965

Assets	Oct 01, 2019	Sep 30, 2020	Change
Contributions	$70,496
Cash & Equivalents	$182,963	$171,158	($11,805)
Fixed Assets (LBE - Depreciation)	$0	$0	$0
Other	$0	$0	$0
Total Assets	$182,963	$171,158	($11,805)

Liabilities	Oct 01, 2019	Sep 30, 2020	Change
Total Liabilities	$1,528	$1,492	($36)

Fund balance	Oct 01, 2019	Sep 30, 2020	Change
Net Assets	$181,435	$169,666	($11,769)

Assets	Oct 01, 2020	Sep 30, 2021	Change
Contributions	$12,401
Cash & Equivalents	$171,158	$189,316	$18,158
Fixed Assets (LBE - Depreciation)	$0	$0	$0
Other	$0	$0	$0
Total Assets	$171,158	$189,316	$18,158

Liabilities	Oct 01, 2020	Sep 30, 2021	Change
Total Liabilities	$1,492	$3,535	$2,043

Fund balance	Oct 01, 2020	Sep 30, 2021	Change
Net Assets	$169,666	$185,781	$16,115

Assets	Oct 01, 2021	Sep 30, 2022	Change
Contributions	$13,691
Cash & Equivalents	$189,316	$204,885	$15,569
Fixed Assets (LBE - Depreciation)	$0	$0	$0
Other	$0	$0	$0
Total Assets	$189,316	$204,885	$15,569

Liabilities	Oct 01, 2021	Sep 30, 2022	Change
Total Liabilities	$3,535	$2,770	($765)

Fund balance	Oct 01, 2021	Sep 30, 2022	Change
Net Assets	$185,781	$202,115	$16,334

Assets	Oct 01, 2022	Sep 30, 2023	Change
Contributions	$31,264
Cash & Equivalents	$204,885	$221,842	$16,957
Fixed Assets (LBE - Depreciation)	$0	$0	$0
Other	$0	$750	$750
Total Assets	$204,885	$222,592	$17,707

Liabilities	Oct 01, 2022	Sep 30, 2023	Change
Total Liabilities	$2,770	$4,085	$1,315

Fund balance	Oct 01, 2022	Sep 30, 2023	Change
Net Assets	$202,115	$218,507	$16,392

Operations

The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.

Documents

Letter of Determination is not available for this organization

Form 1023/1024 is not available for this organization

Board President

Tracy Wasserman

LinkedIn profile

Since its incorporation in 1990, the Friends of the Boca Raton Public Library has striven to assist the Library to broaden and enrich library-based services. In its first year, the Friends raised $5,000 for the Library; the Friends average donation to the Library now is $50,000 to $60,000 per year, with an additional $250,000 gift bequeathed for the building of the new Downtown Library in 2011, and the purchase of the library's mobile van for $77,000 in 2019. We also fund the library special community projects, such as the community bookshelves at Boca Helping Hands and Patch Reef Park, Boca's Storywalk Trails, and the Little Free Libraries in Boca Raton that are run and maintained by the Boca Raton Public Library with books from the Friends bookstore.

Friends of the Boca Raton Public Library, Inc.

Officers, directors, trustees, and key employees

SOURCE: IRS Form 990

Compensation

Other

Show data for fiscal year

Compensation data

Download up to 5 most recent years of officer and director compensation data for this organization

There are no highest paid employees recorded for this organization.

Friends of the Boca Raton Public Library, Inc.

Board of directors
as of 10/29/2023

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Board of directors data

Download the most recent year of board of directors data for this organization

Board chair

Ms. Tracy Wasserman

Friends of the Boca Raton Public Library, Inc.

Term: 2020 -

Tracy Wasserman

Friends of the Boca Raton Public Library, Inc.

Victor Martinez

Friends of the Boca Raton Public Library, Inc.

Joanne Toulantis

Friends of the Boca Raton Public Library, Inc.

Marilyn Spechler

Friends of the Boca Raton Public Library, Inc.

Manjunath Pendakur

Friends of the Boca Raton Public Library, Inc.

Cyndi Bloom

Friends of the Boca Raton Public Library, Inc.

Pat Moran

Friends of the Boca Raton Public Library, Inc.

Alexis Johnson

Friends of the Boca Raton Public Library, Inc.

Ilena Alvarez

Friends of the Boca Raton Public Library, Inc.

Farah Nerette

Friends of the Boca Raton Public Library, Inc.

Marian Nease

Friends of the Boca Raton Public Library, Inc.

Board leadership practices

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.

Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? No
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? No
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes

Organizational demographics

SOURCE: Self-reported; last updated 3/5/2023

Candid has made improvements to the race and ethnicity options.

Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.

Leadership

The organization's leader identifies as:

Race & ethnicity

Multi-Racial/Multi-Ethnic (2+ races/ethnicities)

Gender identity

Female, Not transgender

Sexual orientation

Heterosexual or Straight

Disability status

Person without a disability

Race & ethnicity

Gender identity

Transgender Identity

Sexual orientation

Disability

We do not display disability information for organizations with fewer than 15 staff.

Equity strategies

Last updated: 12/19/2020

GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more

Data

We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.

Policies and processes

We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.

Friends of the Boca Raton Public Library, Inc.

Mission

Is this your nonprofit?

Programs and results

Reports and documents

What we aim to solve

Our programs

Music series

Book discussions

Library Support - Programs for youths

Library Support - Adult Services

Library Support - Discover Studio

Library Support - Online subscriptions

Where we work

Awards

Affiliations & memberships

Our results

Evaluation documents

Number of overall donors

Totals By Year

Population(s) Served

Related Program

Type of Metric

Direction of Success

Context Notes

Number of list subscribers

Totals By Year

Population(s) Served

Related Program

Type of Metric

Direction of Success

Context Notes

Number of volunteers

Totals By Year

Population(s) Served

Related Program

Type of Metric

Direction of Success

Context Notes

Total number of organization members

Totals By Year

Population(s) Served

Related Program

Type of Metric

Direction of Success

Context Notes

Number of Facebook followers

Totals By Year

Population(s) Served

Related Program

Type of Metric

Direction of Success

Context Notes

Total number of major library projects funded

Totals By Year

Population(s) Served

Related Program

Type of Metric

Direction of Success

Context Notes

Number of high-profile speakers or participants participating

Totals By Year

Population(s) Served

Related Program

Type of Metric

Direction of Success

Context Notes

Our Sustainable Development Goals

Goals & Strategy

Reports and documents

Charting impact

What is the organization aiming to accomplish?

What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?

What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?

What have they accomplished so far and what's next?

How we listen

Financials

Financial documents

Revenue vs. expenses: breakdown

Financial data