Open Data and Statistics Sources for Nonprofits

Nonprofit organizations use data in many ways, including targeting programs and services to the needs of a community, conveying those needs (and gaps in local services) to grantmakers, and remaining transparent and accountable to the public.

This article details sources for statistical information and open datasets. For questions about these sources and how to use them, please contact the Nonprofit Central Librarian using this form

 

  Demographics

Census Bureau’s Decennial Census
This national census occurs every 10 years. The Decennial Census contains basic demographic data such as age, sex, relationship, race, and ethnicity.

Census Bureau’s American Community Survey Data
The ACS is an offshoot of the decennial census since 2005. It contains social characteristics such as languages spoken at home, disability status, and the type of disability. It also contains housing characteristics such as mortgage or monthly rent, and whether a unit is owned or occupied. Economic characteristics include the occupational information, the type of job, and the industry.

See this page for Census tables filtered to Monroe County.

For more information on this resource, see this webinar, “Optimize Your Non-Profit with Census Data.”

STATS Indiana
STATS Indiana provides easy, one-stop access to critical statistics for states, counties, cities and towns, townships, regions, census tracts, and more.

The United Way of South Central Indiana’s Service Community Assessment of Needs (SCAN)
The SCAN report provides comprehensive, valid and reliable information about the human service needs and capacity of Monroe County and presents information useful to nonprofit administrators, program planners, policy makers, and grant writers serving Monroe, Owen, and Greene Counties.

See this Candid article for more sources of demographic information.

 

  Forms 990

Candid’s Foundation Directory Online
Candid’s Foundation Directory Online links to 990s. For most grantmakers, you can find 990s for the last 10 years. You can use this resource at any Library location.

Dorothy A. Johnson Center’s Report, "Use Cases from Publicly Available IRS Form 990 Data"
The Dorothy A. Johnson Center presents a selected list of how a large number of websites, projects, researchers, governments, and companies are using data from the Open 990 Project from IRS Forms 990, 990-EZ, and 990-PF for a variety of public interest projects.

Nonprofit Open Data Collective
The Nonprofit Open Data Collective is a shared repository of resources for cleaning and processing 990 data. Datasets include an index of all 990 e-filers from 2009 to present.

 

  Nonprofit Sector

Bureau of Labor Statistics Research Data on the Nonprofit Sector
The Bureau of Labor Statistics has updated research data on employment and wages for the nonprofit sector for 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2017. 

Candid Webinar, “Four free ways to access Candid’s demographic data”

Learn how you can search in GuideStar to find nonprofit profiles that contain demographic data about the nonprofits’ leader, board, and/or staff. GuideStar is the most comprehensive source of nonprofit information and it’s free to use without a library card.

Charitable Advisors’ Central Indiana Nonprofit Salary Survey Reports
The 2023 Central Indiana Salary Report is a comprehensive summary of 501(c)3 nonprofit salaries and benefits from 328 participating nonprofits and benchmarks 26 positions.

STATS Indiana Nonprofit Database
The Indiana Nonprofit database is a combination of three separate sources, including the Internal Revenue Service, Secretary of State, and the Indiana Business Research Center.

 

  Philanthropy

Lilly Family School of Philanthropy Research
Lilly Family School of Philanthropy’s in-house research staff and peer-reviewed faculty studies increase understanding of philanthropy and the nonprofit sector.

See this Candid article for more sources on foundation and corporate giving statistics.

 

Celebrate the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse with the Library!

2024 Total Solar Eclipse

What is a Total Solar Eclipse?

The 2024 total solar eclipse is happening on Monday, April 8! A total solar eclipse occurs when the moon completely covers the face of the sun. Five phases will occur during this event:

  1. Partial eclipse begins at 1:49 PM: The moon becomes visible over the sun's disk.
  2. Total eclipse begins at 3:04 PM: The moon covers the entire disk of the sun, and observers are now within the moon's umbra, the darkest part of the moon's shadow.
  3. Totality and maximum eclipse at 3:06 PM: The moon completely covers the disk of the sun. Only the sun's corona is visible. This is the most dramatic stage of a total solar eclipse. At this time, the sky goes dark, temperatures can fall, and birds and animals often go quiet. The midpoint of time of totality is known as the maximum point of the eclipse.
  4. Total eclipse ends at 3:08 PM: The moon starts moving away, and the sun reappears.
  5. Partial eclipse ends at 4:22 PM: The eclipse ends as the moon leaves the sun's disk.
     

How to Safely View This Event

Never look directly at the sun without proper eyewear! To safely view a solar eclipse, you need to wear protective eclipse glasses or viewers, or project an image of the eclipsed sun using a pinhole projector to view it indirectly.

The Monroe County Public Library will have a limited quantity of free eclipse viewers available to the public starting March 11 at all Library locations. They will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. One eclipse viewer per household.
 

Eclipse Events 

Although all MCPL locations will be closed on April 8, to celebrate this once-in-a-lifetime occurrence, the Library will have a variety of free programs for all patrons leading up to the eclipse.

 

  Eclipse Events Calendar

Candid's Foundation Directory: Advanced Search & Filters

Candid

Candid’s Foundation Directory grantseeking database is available at the Downtown Library, as well as the Ellettsville and Southwest Branches. Connect your device to the Library's wifi network or use one of the public computers to begin searching.

Refer back to this previous blog post for an introduction to using Candid databases, including Foundation Directory and Grants to Individuals.

While in most cases, a project-based search will get you the best results, you may have more specific funding needs or a unique project that requires other search strategies. This post will describe some of the other search fields available in Foundation Directory and why you may want to use them.

Remember, a project-based search is identified by the following:

  1. The subject of your program (e.g., healthcare access, early childhood education, etc.)
  2. The population your program serves
  3. The geographic area in which you’re serving them

To access more search fields, click on “Advanced Search & Filters” from the global search page as seen below.

A screenshot of the Foundation Directory global search page. A red arrow is pointing to "Advanced Search & Filters."

 

Searching for an Organization

Maybe your manager told you that a specific foundation might be a good prospect, or your colleague told you about another nonprofit that does similar work to yours, and you want to see who its funders are.

There are two main ways to search for an organization. Simply click into the “Organization Name” box and begin typing, and the names of recipients and grantmakers will appear. Click on the name of the organization, and then click "Search" to find the organization profiles.

When searching for a grantmaker by name, keep in mind that when viewing the grantmaker profile without any of the project-based filters applied (Subject Area, Geographic Focus, and Population Served), the "Grants" section of the profile will list all the grants given by that organization, not grants given to organizations similar to yours.

Another way to find an organization is to search by its EIN. This field is under “Additional Filters.” Use Candid’s 990 Finder tool to find an organization’s EIN.

 

Searching for a Person in an Organization

Another way to find funding prospects is to see if your new donors from a recent fundraising event are associated with any foundations. Start by typing a name in the “Who’s Who” box, and matches will appear. This field will search for officers, trustees, staff, individual, and institutional donors for grantmakers only.

Click on “Additional Filters” as seen below to view even more search options.

A screenshot of the Foundation Directory "Advanced Search & Filters" page. A red arrow is pointing to "Additional Filters."

 

Searching for Other Forms of Support

“Support Strategy” describes the types of program support given or received. This is useful when you need to fund something besides programs or projects. If you’re looking for funds to renovate an old building into a food pantry, you could search for funders who give for building and renovation work since not all grantmakers do this.

“Transaction Type” describes the form of support given or received. This is useful for when you are looking for something other than cash grants. You could search for funders who offer support, such as donated equipment or employee volunteers to help you build or renovate.

See Candid’s taxonomies for Transaction Type and Support Strategies to view descriptions of all the categories offered in these fields.

 

Searching by Keyword for Innovative or Unique Projects

Some projects might not have subject area terms that perfectly match their goals, or a project-based search suggests terms that are too broad. A good example is “maker space.” In this case, a Keyword search for maker space (no quotes) and other names for this type of project may yield more useful results.

 

Searching as Another Type of Exempt Organization

The IRS recognizes more than 20 types of exempt organizations, like a 501c4 advocacy group. These organizations are nonprofits but might not be eligible for as much funding as a 501c3. Foundation Directory has some examples of grants to these types of organizations. In these cases, searching for similar organizations and looking at their Recipient records may be the most effective search strategy since for now, it is not possible to search for different 501c categories. 

 

Additional Tips

Foundation Directory ranks your grantmaker search results by listing the most promising prospects at the top. The list is sorted by how much of their past giving matches your search results.

Quality beats quantity in prospect research. You might get several hundred results, but focus on the first two or three dozen that have given multiple grants for work like yours.

As always, the Nonprofit Central Librarian can be reached by email using this form.

 

 

AARP Tax Help

AARP Tax Help

Need help with your taxes? AARP Tax-Aide volunteers are available to help residents file their federal and Indiana state tax returns. The AARP Foundation Tax-aide Program provides in-person tax assistance to anyone, free of charge. Volunteers are trained and IRS-certified every year.

 

Downtown Library

Drop-ins are available February 5–April 12 on Mondays and Tuesdays from 2–6 PM and Fridays from 2–5 PM. Assistance will be available on a first come, first served basis using a sign-up sheet that will be located near the second-floor information desk.

 

Ellettsville Branch

Appointments will be accepted after January 8. Please call 812-876-1272 and leave your name and phone number to make an appointment. Total household income for 2023 must be under $60,000. Appointments are available on Mondays from 10 AM–1 PM and Wednesdays from 2–5 PM.

 

Additional Community Locations

In addition to our Library locations, free community tax service is available at additional on-site locations in Monroe and Brown Counties. View all locations.

 

Preparing for Your Appointment

The deadline for most Americans to file their tax returns is April 15, 2024. Use this checklist to learn how to prepare for your United Way appointment, and visit IRS.gov for the latest tax information.

 

Tax Forms

Basic federal tax forms will be available at the Downtown Library and Ellettsville Branch while supplies last. Looking for a different tax form? We can print it by request. We offer 30 cents worth of free printing per day for library card users (this is equivalent to three black and white pages or one color page). Additional black and white pages are available at 10 cents per copy and color pages at 30 cents per copy, payable at the printing stations.

Reference Solutions Databases for Nonprofits

Reference Solutions

Reference Solutions offers detailed information on more than 24 million U.S. businesses, nonprofit organizations, government agencies, and churches. In addition, the residential database includes 89 million U.S. households. The information is compiled from public sources such as organization annual reports, Yellow Page and Business White pages, SEC filings, and more. 

Your organization can use Reference Solutions to research businesses and nonprofits; download demographic information for creating individual fundraising campaigns; and supplement your existing constituent relationship management system with segmentation data, including the behaviors and purchasing styles of neighborhoods and households.

Reference Solutions is open access at the Downtown Library, Ellettsville Branch, and Southwest Branch or from outside the Library with a library card number.

To help you get started, this post will detail sample searches in two of Reference Solutions most useful databases for nonprofits, U.S. Businesses and Consumer-Lifestyles.

 

U.S. Businesses Database

Information is verified by phone call and updated weekly. Users can create accounts in order to save their search criteria.

Click on the Advanced Search tab in order to choose the elements you want to include. Selecting the box next to the element will make a box appear to the right with specific details. You can even omit certain fields, for example, you can omit "ATM" and "kiosks" if you're solely searching for banks. 

The U.S. Businesses database uses SIC and NAICS codes to classify industry groups. Reference Solutions adds two extra numbers to standard government SIC codes, allowing for a more granular search if desired. If searching primarily for nonprofits, use the SIC code “839998” or keyword search “nonprofit” as seen below.

 

 

Select the city and state, then click “View Results” to generate a list of records associated with your search criteria. 

Click on the company name to view a detailed record. Business records contain information such as address, phone number, management directory, website, company news, sales volume if applicable, and more. 

The buttons along the top row of the results page provide options for viewing your results. To view a density map, click on the "Heat Map" button, as seen below.

 

 

You can also download the results list into a .csv file for offline use.

Use this results list in conjunction with the Library’s own Community Organizations database.

For more information on the terminology used in the U.S. Businesses database in Reference Solutions, see this Business Data Dictionary provided by Data Axle.

 

Consumer-Lifestyles Database

Information in the Consumer-Lifestyles database is pulled from hundreds of sources, including phone directories, voter registration data, tax assessments, real estate deed information, and more.

In order to find a list of charitable donors in your area, first add a city and state. Select “One per household” in the "Contacts Per Household" box to avoid duplicate results. Then, check the box next to "Lifestyles" in the elements list, and find “Charitable Donors” in the list of lifestyles, as seen below.

 

 

See the note about the scoring system used to generate your list of results.

It’s important to note that this list of telephone numbers and email addresses is not cleaned according to the Do Not Call list, and should not be used for solicitation. Contact Data Axle directly if your organization is interested in purchasing a set of data that complies with such laws. 

For more information about using the Consumer-Lifestyles database in Reference Solutions, see this technical overview provided by Data Axle.

Contact the Nonprofit Central Librarian using this form for questions about using Reference Solutions and other resources.
 

Welcome To Nonprofit Central: Getting Started Using Candid Databases

Candid

This is a new article series by Jack Kovaleski, the Nonprofit Central Librarian at the Monroe County Public Library. Nonprofit Central provides information on best practices in management and governance for Monroe County nonprofits. This series will respond to the local beat of information needs for nonprofits, and each article will focus on a particular Library service, electronic database, or other resource. 

How can a librarian help you?

A librarian can help you identify research pathways for your information needs. This includes developing search strategies for a database, creating lists of books or resources comprehensive to your subject, referring you to related services, and answering other questions you may have. The Nonprofit Central Librarian can be reached by email using this form.

Getting started using Candid databases

Beginning January 2, 2024, access to Candid databases will expand to include the Library’s Ellettsville and Southwest Branches. To use these databases, connect to the Library’s WiFi network on your device or use one of the Library’s public computers.

Candid’s Foundation Directory is a database of grants and grant makers aimed at funding nonprofit organizations. Grants to Individuals is a database of grants geared towards funding research, fellowships, and arts projects.

To begin searching for grants, let’s do a keyword search. A keyword expresses a central concept related to your topic. Search engines like Google rely on keyword searches, too.

In order to create your keyword search, identify the following:

  1. The subject of your program (e.g., healthcare access, early childhood education, etc.)
  2. The population your program serves
  3. The geographic area in which you’re serving them

Try beginning with a broad set of terms (“Shelter and residential care in Indiana” instead of “Senior assisted living in Monroe County”). Many foundations will list their subjects in broad terms and you risk missing relevant opportunities by beginning too specific.

Candid uses a specialized taxonomy of terms to define subjects and populations. The database will automatically translate your keyword search into terms defined by the system. Editing the search after submitting will let you easily find other subjects, geographic areas, and populations. 

For the curious, you can also explore the hierarchy of terms in order to dig deeper into the system and create other searches.
 
Think of your search terms like a funnel, and each added layer of specificity will narrow the spout, making your results list smaller. The goal is to optimize your search and yield a results list both comprehensive in scope to your program and manageable to review.

Visit this sample results page for information on other search features.

One more note: most electronic databases use similar systems of subject organizing. Learning how to use Foundation Directory will translate to other research tools available at the Library, such as Reference Solutions.

Further learning:
See this page for other guides to Foundation Directory. View this video for a deeper introduction into searching the database.

Join us for a free, in-person introduction to searching for grants using Foundation Directory on January 10, 2024. To learn more and register for this event, please click here.
 

…Ready for it? Extend Your Own Eras Tour with These Taylor Swift-Inspired Ideas

Text reads 'Taylor Swift The Eras Tour (mcpl's version). Above the text are two hands forming a heart around the MCPL logo. There is also a friendship bracelet with beads that spell MCPL.

Her Eras Tour broke worldwide record ticket sales, and more recently, her documentary broke the box office. That’s right; we’re talking about the pop culture phenomenon herself, Taylor Swift. Lately, it seems like you can’t look at a single screen without seeing Taylor’s face. And until she makes her way to Indianapolis in fall of 2024, screens are all local Taylor fans are going to get. Luckily, she’s been all over the news with her record-breaking album sales and sold-out arena tours. Even sports media is taking advantage of her stardom to boost their views and merchandise sales!

Here are a few ways to get your Taylor fix and keep your “Taylor Era” going!

Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour is Out Now

Put on your coziest cardigan and gather your besties because Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour is in theaters now! At nearly three hours long, the movie is a tribute to her entire discography, inviting fans to sing and dance along to every song. Get ready for an immersive, live concert experience from the convenience of your local movie theater at a fraction of the price.

Attend IU’s Free Taylor Swift: The Conference Era

Hosted by the Indiana University Arts & Humanities Council, Taylor Swift: The Conference Era, seeks to gather Swifties and Swifty-adjacent thinkers for a meeting of the (master)minds focused on examining pertinent topics through the lens of sold-out stadium star Taylor Swift. There will be keynote talks, panels and workshops with over 30 national and global scholars. There will even be a Taylor Swift-themed artist market! The free event will take place at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater on November 3 and 4, with adjacent events at First Thursdays and the Cook Center for Public Arts & Humanities. Want to get more involved? They’re accepting volunteers!

Try Book Recs from Library Staff

Swifties from every corner of the Library came together to recommend books and graphic novels inspired by all ten of Tay’s records. Separated by album and era, our booklist picks are further divided into recommendations for adults, teens, and children! Browse the illustrated PDF booklet we created or scroll through the booklist on our website. 

Of course, you can check out all of the featured books from the Library, but you can also stream all of Taylor’s albums on Hoopla immediately with no waitlists! Listen and read and make sure to let us know what you think of the pairings. Tag us @mcplindiana with your recommendations, too!

Join us for Friendship Bracelets (Taylor’s Version)

Missed out on trading friendship bracelets with other Swifties? Patrons are invited to drop in on Saturday, October 21, from 12–2 PM at the Downtown Library to make Taylor Swift-themed friendship bracelets to trade with friends and other fans. Make bracelets, have some snacks, and chat with other fans about your favorite Taylor Swift songs and eras. Age 6 and up.

Taylor Swift: The Eras Booklist

  • Red, White, and Royal Blue


  • Awkward


  • The Love Letter


  • Song in the City


  • Marshmallow and Jordan


  • Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me


  • Sweetbitter


  • The Edge of In Between


  • A Tale Dark and Grimm


  • Forever, Interrupted


  • Lumberjanes


  • The Cottage Fairy Companion


  • Hunted


  • The No-Show


  • The Great Gatsby


  • The Girl Who Drank the Moon


  • The Grace Year


  • The Scorpio Races


  • I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter


  • Not That Kind of Ever After


  • The Deep and Dark Blue


  • Worm Loves Worm


  • The Dark Lord Clementine


  • Ruby Spencer's Whiskey Year


  • Ash Princess


  • Anne of Greenville


  • Cosmoknights


  • Conversations with Friends


  • Space Opera


  • All the Crooked Saints


  • I Am Princess X


  • Where You've Got to Be


  • Once More Upon a Time


  • Paper Girls


  • A Court of Thorns and Roses


  • Writers & Lovers


  • The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo


  • Princeless


  • Spoon River Anthology


  • All My Rage


  • Girls Like Us


  • A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow


  • Beetle & the Hollowbones


  • Persuasion


  • Enchanted to Meet You


  • Rebecca


  • My Murder


  • I Want My Hat Back


  • Chef's Kiss


  • Good Fortune


  • Witch Hazel


  • Kit McBride Gets a Wife


  • Sense and sensibility : the screenplay & diaries : bringing Jane Austen's novel to film


  • Happy Place


  • Ella Enchanted


  • A Little Bit Country


  • After Hours on Milagro Street


  • GFFs Ghost Friends Forever: My Heart Lies in the 90's


  • Ana María and the Fox


  • Frizzy


  • And They Called it Camelot


  • Entwined


  • The Old Truck


  • Fat Chance, Charlie Vega


  • Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute


  • Move Your Mood!


  • Carl and the Meaning of Life


  • Always, In December


  • Gone-Away Lake


  • The House in the Cerulean Sea


  • Pudge and Prejudice


  • The Magnolia Palace


  • Julia's House for Lost Creatures


  • Honest June


  • Taproot


  • The Honeys


  • The Summer I Turned Pretty


  • A Psalm for the Wild Built


  • Truman


  • Woman Who Turned Children Into Birds


  • A Girl's Guide to Moving On


  • Snapdragon


  • The Prince and the Dressmaker


  • Lovely War


  • The Rocks


  • Long Story Short


  • The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe


  • The Wishing Spell


  • Legends and Lattes


  • Firefly Lane


  • Anna K.


  • Anti/Hero


  • The Girls I've Been


  • The Tea Dragon Society


  • The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet


  • Teacup


  • The Switch


  • Seven Endless Forests


  • A Man and His Cat. 1


  • Princess Princess Ever After


Free Period Products Now Available at the Library

Aunt Flow period products now available

Approximately 86% of people reportedly start their period in public without the supplies they need.* The Library has selected the vendor Aunt Flow to bring free period products to patrons to help address period poverty, equity, and inclusivity within the community.

We believe that period products should be freely available and accessible to increase the wellbeing and comfort of all patrons. Many libraries and other public spaces are currently participating in this initiative, and MCPL is excited to continue these efforts in Monroe County.

Aunt Flow dispensers can be found at five other Indiana libraries, as well as 135 additional libraries across the country. Dispensers are available in restrooms at the Downtown Library, Ellettsville Branch, and Southwest Branch. The dispensers are ADA compliant and use a push button to distribute the products, which are made of 100% organic cotton. Learn more about Aunt Flow’s mission here.

*Free the Tampons, National Research Study, 2013

 

Additional information and resources:

 

All About Periods

  • Let's Talk About Down There


  • The Autism-Friendly Guide to Periods


  • Period Power: A Manifesto for the Menstrual Movement


  • Go with the Flow


  • Calling the Moon: 16 Period Stories from BIPOC Authors


  • 50 Things You Need to Know About Periods: Know Your Flow and Live in Sync With Your Cycle


  • Period: Twelve Voices Tell the Bloody Truth


  • Periods Gone Public: Taking a Stand for Menstrual Equity


  • Puberty Is Gross but Also Really Awesome


  • Red Moon Gang: An Inclusive Guide to Periods


  • Celebrate Your Body 2


  • I've Got My Period. So What?


  • Period. End of Sentence: A New Chapter in the Fight for Menstrual Justice


  • Be Period Positive: Reframe Your Thinking and Reshape the Future of Menstruation


  • Grow Up, Tahlia Wilkins


  • Helloflo: The Guide, Period


  • Welcome to your Period


  • Celebrate Your Body (And its Changes, Too!)


  • Own Your Period


  • Celebrate Your Period: The Ultimate Puberty Book for Preteen and Teen Girls


  • A Girl's Guide to Puberty & Periods


Well Said Intro: Pronunciation for Clear Communication

The Well Said series is designed to improve the pronunciation and communication skills of beginner to advanced students from all language backgrounds. It offers a clear course plan covering the essential areas of pronunciation, including stress, rhythm, and intonation–features that research shows help students the most. Additionally, there are over 50 pages of activities that focus on consonant and vowel sounds. The intro level of Well Said is a slower-paced course that introduces the most important pronunciation features at the beginning to low-intermediate level.

This series is designed to improve pronunciation and communication for beginner-advanced English speakers. Each chapter begins with objectives and a summary, making it easy to break down learner goals into manageable chunks. One of our favorite perks of this series is the supplemental audio, found on their Student Companion website. You can access audio tracks without having to create an account. It works on all devices, including your mobile phone. This series can be used for self-study, or in a one-to-one tutoring pair. After you master the concepts learned in the intro book, you can move on to Well Said: Pronunciation for Clear Communication, Fourth Edition.

You can even try a sample lesson (PDF).

English Pronunciation

  • Clear Speech: Pronunciation and Listening Comprehension


  • American Accent Training


  • The Lost Secret of Speaking Perfect English: the Moving Mouth Dictionary


  • Well Said Intro: Pronunciation for Clear Communication


  • Pronounce it Perfectly in English


  • Pronunciation Pairs


  • English Pronunciation Made Simple


  • Perfecting Your English Pronunciation


  • Pronunciation Practice: the Sounds of North American English


  • Mastering the American Accent


  • Clear Speech from the Start


  • Focus on Pronunciation 1


  • The American Accent Guide


2023 Be More Awards Recognize Library Volunteers

2023 Be More Awards Recognize Library Volunteers Ann Bunger and Sylvia McNair. Photos of the two women are shown in circles on an orange background.

We are so fortunate to have volunteers who contribute their time, talent, and energy to the Library! Today, we celebrate two volunteers who go above and beyond—Ann Bunger and Sylvia McNair, 2023 recipients of the City of Bloomington Volunteer Network Be More Awards! 

Each year, the Be More Awards honor eight exceptional community volunteers and volunteer groups and promote volunteerism and civic engagement in our community.

Ann Bunger is the recipient of the Be More Phenomenal award for her library advocacy and volunteer work with the Friends of the Library Bookstore committee. Ann’s unfettered commitment and dedication, as well as her belief in the power that libraries give to people, is admirable, and is embodied by her countless contributions to MCPL. “Great libraries build communities,” and Ann is a key part in building ours. Thank you, Ann!

Sylvia McNair is the recipient of the Be More Impactful award for her work with our VITAL program. VITAL services would not exist without the support of talented, passionate, and generous volunteers like Sylvia. Sylvia cares deeply about her students’ lives, and works hard to ensure that they are given every opportunity to succeed. She gives them space to be themselves, to explore the world with her, and to learn with joy and without judgment. Thank you, Sylvia!

The 2023 Be More Awards Ceremony was held on April 13 at the Waldron Arts Center. The event was recorded by Community Access Television Services and is archived on the CATS website.

Are you interested in volunteering at the Library? Explore our volunteer database to learn which areas of the Library offer volunteer opportunities.

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