Pictured above: Shelby showing off a quilt block she learned to make at the library!
“As someone who gives from my income, monthly giving allows me to consistently support the organizations I love, in a way that feels achievable to me. I aspire to give away 10% of my annual income, and monthly giving is a way that I can budget to do so.” – Shelby Bates
Growing up in Aurora, Shelby was a regular at the library. She read her way through the Agatha Christie collection, checked out many international films, and spent countless hours studying at the library. “Admittedly, I took the library and all it offered for granted throughout my childhood and early adulthood,” said Shelby. Fast forward to 2020 and the pandemic. “I’d moved to Boulder and the outdoor book pick-up became one of my reasons to get out and into the world, if only to pick up my beloved books and retreat back to my apartment. Then, One Book One Boulder was offered online. ‘So You Want to Talk about Race’ discussions offered a community connection I desperately needed. I gave my first donation to the library that year. I was so grateful and reminded of all I love about libraries.”
Concurrently, Shelby was exploring the role of philanthropy in social change and community building. She participated in the Giving Project–a six-month long training through Chinook Fund. It changed the way Shelby views her life goals and the agency she has to make positive change. “My new relationship to community and to giving inspired me to give more money to causes that actively support my social justice values. I adopted a sort of ‘secular tithing’ goal to give away 10% of my annual income.”
That first year, this ended up being a little harder for Shelby to implement than she’d expected. “I got to December and realized that I didn’t have 10% of my income left from the year to donate. I needed to figure out how to budget to get closer to achieving my philanthropic goals. Monthly giving to the rescue!” Now Shelby uses recurring donation options whenever she can to help her include giving as one of her monthly expenses. “Monthly giving allows me to consistently support the organizations I love, in a way that feels achievable to me–it’s simply part of my budget.”
“I’m thrilled to be a monthly library donor. The library is this beautiful, free, resource and space, something that has become harder and harder to find. I believe we all have a role to play in supporting the library to thrive. My giving is also a way to say thank you for all that I receive from the library and staff. In the past year alone, I’ve taken a sewing class, checked out many books, attended several community events, enjoyed an interactive art display, taken a break in the air conditioning, and more.”
For Shelby, monthly giving turned a personal aspiration into a real habit. You can do the same.
As an extra incentive, a generous donor has issued a 2026 challenge: 31 new recurring gift donors by July 31 releases a $5,000 gift. Please help meet this challenge with a sustaining gift today! Library is a verb. Your sustaining gift today [insert giving page link here] helps keep it that way.
