From young readers to adults seeking new learning opportunities, America’s libraries provide a wide array of resources at every stage of life. As the oldest and largest library association in the world, the American Library Association (ALA) is best positioned to articulate this value. But to do so, ALA needed to first deepen its relationships with key audiences among the general public. In 2022, ALA engaged Mission Partners to develop a national campaign concept to deepen engagement, foster loyalty, and drive donations among ALA’s audiences.

First, Mission Partners conducted several forms of research with a diverse set of library workers and ALA stakeholders. Driven by their insights, Mission Partners developed three detailed profiles for ALA’s key audiences: young social justice advocates, dedicated parents, and engaged older adults. The profiles dug deeply into the needs, wants, and attitudes of each audience, which then informed nuanced messaging to directly engage each one. Mission Partners then developed customizable campaign materials to support the activation of the strategy. In doing so, Mission Partners supported ALA’s ability to bring the national campaign to local communities, thus extending the campaign’s overall reach.

Although libraries are capable of supporting every member of a community, deepening relationships with key audiences requires understanding how each audience can be moved toward action. Developing audience profiles and accompanying messages supported ALA’s ability to not only drive donations, but reaffirm to each audience that their reason for supporting libraries is understood, valued, and mission-critical to achieving thriving libraries nationwide.