Birgess Weston

The Library Foundation of Los Angeles provides critical support to the Los Angeles Public Library, resulting in free programs, resources, and services available to the millions of adults, children, and youth in Los Angeles. Through fundraising, advocacy, and innovative programs, the Library Foundation strengthens the Los Angeles Public Library and promotes greater awareness of its valuable resources. The Foundation is currently undergoing a major restructuring of its membership operations, branding, and website presence. SMC IxD partnered with LFLA to further investigate solutions to various areas of opportunities. Our team was assigned Donors & Retention.

How might we refresh the membership experience in order to better obtain new members while retaining old ones?

By leaning into the uncertainty of the mission of the foundation and its various programs, as stated by various stakeholders in our research, we found that reiterating the mission and its impact could make ALOUD Attendees make that connection and be swayed to make recurring contributions without the need to become a member.

We proposed several solutions, including a revamped membership tiers, merchandise opportunities, a promotional video, and a new membership table experience. Each one focused on different areas of opportunities that were discovered in our field research and interviews.