Friends of the Ashburn Library (FOAL) Board Member Commitment Summary

FOAL is a 100% volunteer community Board that advocates and raises funds for the Ashburn Public Library.  FOAL is comprised of a maximum of 15 members from Loudoun County, of which up to 4 may be student members.  FOAL Board members serve for a 2 year period and can remain on the Board if re-elected for three consecutive periods (6 years).  FOAL has the following officer positions which are elected for a 1 year term:

President
Vice President
Secretary
Treasurer

Officers perform various duties and have multiple responsibilities dependent on the position. Some of these obligations include but are not limited to: sales planning, marketing, scholarship organization, meeting minutes and general accounting and bookkeeping.

FOAL Fundraising and Community Outreach

Funds raised by FOAL are used to sponsor and support a multitude of Ashburn Library Adult, Teen and Children’s programs and activities that without FOAL funds, these programs would not be possible.

Two Used Book Sales, one in January (Winter Book Sale) and one in June (Summer Book Sale) account for the majority of the funds raised by FOAL.  Both sales are held at the Ashburn Library.  FOAL also relies on donations from local businesses in the community. Currently FOAL partners with various local businesses that generously donate a portion of their profits to our organization in support of the Ashburn Library. These partnerships between FOAL, the Ashburn Library and local businesses are mutually beneficial for all involved both financially as well as philanthropically. More relationships with other community-minded businesses such as these will be a continuing goal for the future to serve dual purposes; community outreach and prospective donors.

FOAL also awards scholarships to local Ashburn High School seniors each year.  Applications are submitted by interested students and are awarded based on scholastic achievement and demonstrated interest in reading and the Ashburn Library. They are voted on by all members of the board to which chosen recipients are presented with the awarded scholarship at their high school recognition ceremonies.

FOAL members are expected to fulfill the following commitments:

-Attend and participate in Monthly Board meetings held at the Ashburn Library on the third Tuesday of each month from 7:00 PM to approximately 8:30 PM.
-Book sale duties include: marketing, book collection, sorting, setup, selling and cleanup for each book sale. Total time commitment per book sale is at least 10+ hours. More hours may be necessary if the need arises to ensure continued success of the book sales.
-Act as a liaison between FOAL and the local high schools  within the Ashburn Library service area. This includes, but is not limited to, communicating FOAL events, fundraisers, and the annual scholarship program, recruiting student volunteers and recruiting potential future board members.