Winter Fundraising Campaign

This year’s winter fundraising appeal is now underway and began last year with a mail appeal to our supporters. Many library lovers answered our appeal and we have raised over $47,000 so far.

Click here to view our mail appeal.

And this year, we’ve began a literal call-out to library lovers. Our Annual Telephone Campaign is currently underway until early March 2012. 

We’re calling Foundation supporters and Library users to ask for your support of programs and services that not only help make the Library thrive, but help those who need the Library most. 

You can help support children’s and adult literacy programs; research and homework help; assisting people with disabilities to access library materials; extending the Library's reach to our multicultural communities; adding books to shelves, and  much more.

If you receive a call, please take that opportunity to share with us what the Library has meant to you or to our city. We love to receive your stories as well as your donations!

Because with your support, we can help ensure that the Library fully taps the potential of all Torontonians through its 98 branches, and that its branches become even more welcoming and vibrant public spaces in the future. 

Note: If you receive a call you would like to verify, you can call the Campaign Manager, David Cuthbertson at (416) 849-9464 or call the Foundation office at (416) 393-7123.

You can support the Foundation in a number of ways, at any time:
• Click here to Donate Online
• Call us at (416) 393-7123 with your credit card donation
• Send us a cheque (payable to the Toronto Public Library Foundation) to TPL Foundation, 789 Yonge St, Toronto, ON M4W 2G8
• Pick up a brochure from or make a donation at your local Library branch

As a member of New Collection, you will enjoy exclusive events featuring prominent writers, artists and intellectuals for evenings of cocktails and current affairs. Membership is a unique opportunity for individuals under 40 to engage with other young Torontonians on the issues of the day. New Collection members will leave events smarter, savvier and full of exciting ideas.
 

By joining New Collection, you are supporting one of the city’s most important assets. Toronto’s Library plays a vital role in our city by making us all more resourceful, more connected and more successful every day. An investment in Toronto’s Library is an investment in Toronto’s success today, and for generations to come.
 

Membership Benefits
• Investing in programs and services, collections & community spaces at Toronto’s Library
• Three events throughout the year
• Private, after-hours, behind-the-scenes tours with curators of the Library's collections
• Lectures, programs, exhibits, and events presented by Toronto Public Library
• Charitable tax receipt for the maximum allowable amount
• Special edition membership card

Membership Fee:
*Payable in monthly installments
• $300 Solo ($25 per month)
• $500 Duo membership for two people ($20.84 per month)
• $500 Solo with hosting privileges at New Collection exclusive events ($41.67 per month)
 

For more information, contact Mimosa Kabir; T: 416.393.7237

You can make a donation online through CanadaHelps.

CanadaHelps is a registered charity created to accept donations online for all Canadian registered charitable organizations, including the Toronto Public Library Foundation.

An online donation through CanadaHelps will result in a charitable tax receipt issued by CanadaHelps. Please include your name and contact information so that we can thank you and keep you updated regarding news and events.

You can also make monthly donations, donations of securities, or create your own personalized giving page through CanadaHelps.

Honour the book lover in your life with a donation in their name.

The Honour with Books program offers you a distinctive way to honour someone who has made a difference in your life, or to celebrate any special occasion.

You can make a donation:

• in honour of someone as a tribute (to celebrate the holidays, a birthday, anniversary, wedding, school graduation, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day or any other occasion)
• in memory of a loved one as a memorial donation.

For every donation of $10 or more, the Library Foundation will send a card(s) acknowledging your gift to the family or person(s) of your choice and you will receive the tax receipt.

You can make an online tribute gift now through CanadaHelps by clicking below.  Once there, be sure to click on the "Designations and Gift Options" at the bottom of the screen, include the occasion and the recipients name and you can choose to send an e-card via CanadaHelps or we will gladly send a card out for you.

Click here to make an online gift now through CanadaHelps.

To make a gift by credit card, over the phone or to ask about our other donation programs, please call the Foundation at 416-393-7123.

If you'd like to mail in a donation, you can download and send in the form below with your gift.

Or pick up an Honour with Books brochure at your local library branch.

Give Joy this holiday season. You can now make a donation in honour of someone special in your life and we will send them a unique seasonal greeting card acknowledging your gift.

Visit our Give Joy page for more information.

Download the Give Joy Donation Form.

You can also commemorate your own special event and asks celebrants to donate to the Library in lieu of gifts. You can create a Giving Page through CanadaHelps (which commemorates your birthday, engagement, wedding, anniversary, baby shower, retirement and more by directing guests to the Foundation through your personalized giving page.

Please note: If requested by honouree, and unless instructed otherwise by donor, we will pass a donor's contact information (without donation amount) on for the purpose of personal thank yous.

Join our community of sustaining supporters by becoming a monthly donor. The benefits are great:

• Provides ongoing support, contributing to a stable base of funding
• Reduces administrative costs and time
• Is easy and convenient, doesn’t require envelopes or trips to the mailbox
• You will be kept up-to-date on Library Foundation news and invited to special events

Simply fill out the attached form, indicating the amount you wish to contribute per month and whether you’d like to do so through your chequing account (attach VOID cheque) or credit card (Visa, Mastercard, American Express).

You can increase, decrease or cease your donations at any time and will receive a charitable tax receipt for the cumulative total of your annual donations at the end of each calendar year.

You can also make a single donation directly, payable by:

• Cash
• Money order
• Cheque (made payable to the Toronto Public Library Foundation)
• Credit card (Master Card, VISA, American Express)  over phone or through mail
• Online through CanadaHelps

The donation of appreciated stocks, bonds and mutual funds is the most tax-effective way to make a gift during your lifetime or as part of a legacy gift.

For your gift of cash or appreciated securities, bonds or mutual funds you will receive a tax receipt that creates a tax credit. However, the extra tax incentive available for gifts of appreciated publicly listed securities makes stocks the least expensive way to give. Donors receive a tax credit for their gift and have the additional tax incentive of paying no capital gains tax.

The donation of qualifying shares purchased/received through employee stock options would be treated in a similar manner as a gift of publicly listed securities. These donations are therefore eligible for reduced capital gains inclusion rates providing the shares are donated within 30 days after their acquisition and in the year they were acquired.

Are you a Literary Circle Member?

Literary Circle members believe that an investment in the library is an investment in Toronto’s success. They believe in supporting an organization with an established infrastructure, a proven track record, and the expertise, ideas and relationships necessary to be a driving force in shaping Toronto’s future.

Literary Circle members cherish the opportunities to experience exclusive programs and events.

Literary Circle members, through their support of $84 or more a month, enable Torontonians to reach their full potential.

Literary Circle members make a difference to our library and our city.

To find out more about the power of your support and the privileges of membership call 416-397-5924.
 

The Literary Circle is a dedicated group of individual donors who recognize the value of the Library and the Library Foundation. They give $1,000 or more annually to the Toronto Public Library Foundation’s work. 

For their generosity and commitment, supporters are recognized as members of a special Literary Circle tier, commensurate with their level of support and receive special benefits associated with each tier:

• The Reader’s Circle ($1,000 to $4,999)
• The Collector’s Circle ($5,000 to $9,999)
• The Conservator’s Circle ($10,000 to $24,999)
• The Reserve List Circle ($25,000 to $99,999)
• The Philanthropist’s Circle ($100,000 and over)

Matching gifts are a great way to double your donation and increase its impact. Many employers sponsor matching gift programs and will match any charitable contributions made by their employees. Inquire as to whether your company participates in a matching gift program. If so, request a matching gift form from your employer, and send it with your gift. We will do the rest.

You can direct your donation (minimum $50) to whichever library collection, program or branch that is closest to your heart, or you can make a general donation and the Foundation will allocate the funds towards the Library’s greatest need.

Here are some of the programs and services that benefit from your support:

Simply indicate where you want to direct your gift on the donation form in the space provided.

Do you live in the United States but appreciate the Toronto Public Library?

Perhaps you are a frequent user of the Toronto Reference Library when you travel to Toronto, or appreciate access to the Library’s special collections or online digital collections or perhaps a loved one lives in Toronto and is an avid user of the Library.

Whatever the reason you appreciate the Library, you’ll be happy to know that the American Foundation for Toronto Public Library supports the collections and programs of the Toronto Public Library.

The American Foundation for Toronto Public Library is a 501 (c) (3) organization. This means that a gift, cash or in-kind, to the American Foundation for Toronto Public Library can be claimed on your tax return.

Check out our website.

The Toronto Public Library Foundation extends a heartfelt THANK YOU to everyone who supported the Library by making a donation between July 1st  and Sept 30th, 2011, including:

Reserve List Circle ($25,000 - $99,999)

The Estate of Norman G. Hinton
Estate of Patricia Thorsley

Reader’s Circle ($1,000 - $4,999)

Rita O'Neill
Barbara Rusch & Donald Zaldin
John R. Farrell
Linda R. Goldman
John & Judith Grant
Chester & Camilla Gryski
K & M Jones
Rory MacDonald
Patrice E. Merrin
Harry & Evelyn Rosen
Mary-Ellen Simon
Jennifer Surridge
Anonymous

Friends ($250 - $999)
 

Alison Luby
James N. Hepburn
Rachel Muehrer
Lynda Newmarch
Helene Lavine
Wendy Atkinson
Donley Mogan
L. Quack
Richard Stromberg
Rosslyn Swanson
Peter Webb
Philip Cunningham
Sheila Bourke
Denise Herrera Jackson
Salina Lee
Lenore Walters
B. Whitlock
Gordon Wong
Anonymous (9)

Gifts-in-kind ($1,000 +)

Massey College, University of Toronto
Kaare Hagar
Ron Lightburn
Mr. Harold Medjuck

Click here for a list of our corporate and foundation sponsors and supporters.