Funding Our Library
The Pillsbury Free Library is primarily funded by an agreement with the Town of Warner established when the library building was donated by George Alfred Pillsbury in 1890. The Town voted unanimously to accept the building and appropriate annually, forever, one fifteenth of one percent of the assessed valuation of the town, for the care of the library and its building.
Our budget covers wages and benefits for our staff, facilities maintenance and utilities, collections and materials, programs, equipment, and administrative costs. The budget is a matter of public record, and a copy of current and past budgets may be requested from our Trustees or the Library Director.
In addition to our normal appropriation from the town, the library requests additional funds in some years for major maintenance or upgrade projects. These are presented as warrant articles at the annual town meeting.
Donations and Trusts
In addition to tax revenue, the library receives a significant amount of funding from regular donations and maintained trusts. These donations have funded projects both large and small, and help maintain our services as costs increase between town property revaluations, which usually takes place every five years.
The Trustees currently oversee eight separate trusts from past benefactors. Some trusts are established for general use, others are provided for specific purposes, such as maintaining our collections.
We would like to express our continuing gratitude to the following benefactors for their bequests:
- Frank Maria
- Lloyd and Annie Cogswell
- Richard and Mary Cogswell
- Eleanor Cutting
- Mary Martin
- Ida Redington
- Carol Pletcher
- J and J Hand
Donating
There are many ways you can donate to the library. The two most convenient are: (1) mail a check to Pillsbury Free Library, PO Box 299, Warner, NH 03278, and (2) Online by credit card or Google Pay via Square.
Charitable donations to governmental units are tax-deductible under section 170(c)(1) of the Internal Revenue Code if made for a public purpose.
Planned Giving and Legacy Donations
Consider adding us to your list of beneficiaries or setting up a trust fund. Seek the advice of your financial or legal advisor, or your retirement plan administrator, insurance company, bank or financial institution for a change-of-beneficiary form.
Fundraisers
The library Trustees run several fundraisers throughout the year to bring in donations, such as:
- Annual Indoor Flea Market in April
- Book Sale at the Warner Fall Foliage Festival in October
- Annual Fund Drive in December
If you would like to assist with fundraising as a volunteer, please contact a Trustee or a member of our staff. See our volunteer page for more information.