The Leadership Circle is a gathering of individuals, families and institutions who make annual significant gifts of $5,000 and above and set an inspiring example for others. There are many ways to join the Leadership Circle, best started in a personal phone call to talk about your interests. We welcome you to call our Executive Director, Marie Ciepiela, at (415) 477-5220, marie.ciepiela@friendssfpl.org 
 
Members of our Leadership Circle make their gifts in several ways, including Donor Advised Funds (DAFs), direct cash, stock gifts, Qualified Charitable Contributions (QCD’s), and online donations through our web portal. 

Donate online here  
Appreciated Stock here 
QCD here ​

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 “I give to Friends of the SFPL because we need our libraries now more than ever - they not only lift us up with stories, they are community anchors that bring us together and local economic engines that enable people to apply to college, find jobs, secure government benefits, and gain the skills they need to move forward. The wide-ranging, positive impact our neighborhood libraries have on all of us cannot be understated.”
                                            – Alissa Lee, Board Member 

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“Our children began attending “Baby Rhyme Time” at the Library when they were just a few months old. Surrounded by books, music, and the diverse families that comprise our neighborhood, our son and daughter began their lives with a sense of joy around learning. But libraries are about so much more than our own family. Libraries are democracy, equity, and inclusion; they help to bridge the digital divide; and they provide shared public space that helps to anchor our community. As investors in and advocates for the library, Friends is critical to making our library system one of the best in the world.”

- Sarah Ives, Board Member 

​Members of the Leadership Circle

$25,000 - $49,999
​Anne R. Blackman 
Lisa Brown & Daniel Handler
C. Dory Culver 
Eucalyptus Foundation 
Fong Family Revocable Trust 
Mimi and Peter Haas Fund 
Franklin P. Johnson 
Edith L. and Ira J. Plotinsky Charitable Remainder Trust 
Alice Russell-Shapiro 
Sarah Smith Jones & Jason Jones 

$10,000 - $24,999
Benton-Yang Foundation 
Jarie Bolander 
Dodge & Cox 
Louella C. Fung 
Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation 
John D. Goldman 
Drew Hamlin 
James C. Hormel 
Sarah F. Ives
Elizabeth Kelly 
Matthew Kenaston
Kislak Family Foundation, Inc. 
Elizabeth Klein 
Alissa Lee
Kuen Lee 
Michael G. Linn 
Alexander M. & June L. Maisin Foundation 
Microsoft Corporation 
Judith C. Miner
Morrison & Foerster Foundation 
Matt Rubens 
David Stringer-Calvert 
Nancy Wakeman
Albert W. Wald 
Elizabeth Watkins​

 $5,000 - $9,999
Katherine M. Bella 
Briscoe Ivester & Bazel, LLP 
Emily Casnocha 
Jennifer Chaiken 
Marie Ciepiela 
Jeanne D. Dinkelspiel 
Deborah Doyle 
Exploratorium
Eucalyptus Foundation
Google, Inc. 
​Matthew Kenaston
Koret Foundation 
Alissa Lee 
Jennifer Liu 
Herman Miller Inc. 
Judith C. Miner 
Allan Ridley 
Diane Ringel 
Estate of Joseph A. Rosenthal 
Daniella Siroskey 
Andrew J. Smith 
Jeremy Stone 
Diane B. Wilsey 

Gifts made between July 1, 2018 to November 2, 2020.  
Includes matching funds generated by donors' initial gifts. ​ 

Check out our $10 Million Strategic Campaign for the Library 2019-2023

​$ 10 Million Strategic Campaign for the Library 2019-2023
 
Friends’ Board of Directors and the Library leadership gathered in 2018 to develop a strategic plan articulating four compelling needs for the SFPL, two long-term and two near-term.

• The foremost long-term need is significant growth in Friends’ direct annual support for Library programs and services with a goal to double our annual gift of direct support to $2.5 million by 2023. The second is to build Friends’ assets, and by 2023, establish an endowment to cover all operating costs, maximizing our direct contribution to the Library and ensuring our sustainability as a vital community institution.

 

• The first near-term need is ensuring the renewal of the Library Preservation Fund through community education and advocacy with an initiative placed on the ballot as early as November 2020 (latest, November 2022). The second is funding furniture, fixtures and equipment (FF&E) for branch renovations in the Mission, Oceanview, and Chinatown.

 
The Strategic Campaign for the Library combines a strategic infusion of multi-year, high net worth philanthropic investments with a dramatic growth in grassroots membership tied to championing the Library Preservation Fund and the public/private partnership that fuels our award-winning Library. The campaign goal is to raise $10 million over five years with $4 million from lead donors making multi-year investments over the life of the plan, and $6 million from all other sectors, including growth in grassroots membership of 10,000 households.
 
Library Circle
Membership in the Library Circle is limited to those initiating gifts ranging from $250,000 to $1 million committed over the five years of the strategic plan. Invitations are extended to select individuals who have a history of Library advocacy and support and all former San Francisco City Librarians. Library Circle membership carries honorary status with the Board of Directors. Gifts at this level set the inspiring example for the Strategic Campaign and make up $4 million of the total goal.
 
Leadership Circle
Members in the Leadership Circle are invited to make gifts from $5,000 to $50,000 range, either as multi-year commitments over the life of the strategic plan or regular annual gifts of $5,000 or more.
 
Friends Circle
Members in the Friends Circle include everyone who joins at any level through our learn, join, preserve initiative to educate residents about the Library Preservation Fund, and grow our membership by 10,000 resident households taking a stand for their award-winning Library. 

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