Maintaining a separation between the Library and the Friends Group

Our library has a Friends group. Currently they have a webpage on our website that gives information about the group and a link to an email address if someone is interested in joining. They would like to add a PayPal link so that people can pay for a membership or donate to the Friends Group. The library has its own page for donations as well. I am concerned about the conflict this presents. The Friends group is a separate organization from the library. Someone donating on our website may be confused as to whom they are donating; they might also think that paying membership dues makes them a member of the library. I know from an accounting audit standpoint, all funds must be kept separate.

Many libraries require their Friends group to maintain their own website (which can be linked to from the library's site). This seems the simplest way to keep a separation between the groups. Our Friends group does not have the technical resources to do this.

So finally, my question: Is it essential to keep websites and donation buttons separate for the library and the Friends group, and why?

Mary Jo Finch

• friends-groups

Comments

• Epicentre: Perhaps it would be easier if we knew what type of library and where the website is hosted? The company/organization that hosts the site may be able to advise.
• Ashley Nunn: (Re-adding Mary Jo's comment): It is a public library, and we host our own website. So the Friends group would need to host their own.

Answer by Fisher

As long as the language is clear both on the webpage and through the paypal links that the person is donating to the Friends group, there should not be an issue. Any burden for making sure they are donating to the organization they intend is then on the user, not the library or the Friends group.

If there is a lot of concern and the Friends group cannot/will not start their own separate site, you could also add a note under/with the donate button to the effect of 'Did you mean to donate to XXX?' and link to the other's donation page.

Are Friends groups completely separate from their libraries? Yes. But they exist to support the library, so there is no conflict of interest in the keeping their page on the library's site.

Comments

Answer by Henry Mensch

Places like Dreamhost offer free web hosting to 501(c)3 nonprofits, so this is one avenue to help your Friends group develop their own web presence and to introduce clarity about who's doing what. Once in place, the library can link to the Friends group, but (assuming they don't try to use your library's look-n-feel) it should be clearer which is which.

Comments

• Joe: Depending on the size of the Friends group, they might not be a 501(c)3 ... our local library group decided it wasn't worth the hassle and filing fees; if someone wants a tax write-off, they can always funnel it through the larger county library system group, which is registered non-profit. There are, however, still places that will do free sites for anyone. Google Sites comes to mind, but I've never personally used them.
• Henry Mensch: if google sites is a part of google apps then the landscape has changed in the last week or so.
• Joe: They're related, but as of a check a minute ago, it's still free. And my understanding for some of the other stuff is that they grandfathered the accounts to some degree -- so basic services are still free, if you had signed up before they made the change.