Patrons to Partners
Kansas City Public Library
Innovation Synopsis
Patrons to Partners is the name of an organic outgrowth of Small Business/Non-Profit Specialist, Hadiza Sa-Aadu's 5+ years at the KC Public Library meeting with patrons. Some patrons who face steep barriers including lack of a permanent address and inaccessible or unreliable transportation are ready to take their ideas to the 'experimentation' stage, but for various reasons cannot access existing bootcamp, incubator and other ESO for support and experiential learning.
Our pilot "Patron to Partner" is with a group called Invalid Voices, who first came to the library to learn the steps to set up a Non-Profit organization using the Legal GPS tool with assistance from Hadiza. Led by community organizer Tamika Roberson, Invalid Voices vision is to one day purchase property to provide a healing space for unhoused folks dealing with daily impacts of trauma.
Challenge/Opportunity
In December of 2023, over 700 unhoused patrons sought resources from KCPL's outreach team. The rate of homelessness in Kansas City has skyrocketed in recent years and Library branches offer shelter to unhoused people during the day hours.
Small business and non-profit patrons who face systemic barriers deserve chances to develop and test their ideas in a 'fail-safe' environment at the Library.
Invalid Voices identified the 'lowest lift' program they could start with in partnership with the library: an origami activity with classical music to provide 1 hour of calm every other week for a period 8 weeks. This bridged board member Daniel Lipinsky's origami skills with library resources (space, technology, budget, collections) providing an informal opportunity for patrons in 3N to share life experiences with each other and perform a meditative and healing activity. These hangouts also let Daniel and Tamika discuss their slogan "No choice, No voice"
Key Elements of Innovation
Co-creation with patrons: deep work with patrons, shifting from assistance/demonstration of resources to co-creation in goal setting and active coaching.
"Hot hand-offs": Relationship building with other Specialists (health & wellness, civic engagement) and leaders in the wider community. Leveraging Library space, department programming budgets and technology resources to offer a no-cost alternative to patrons seeking to implement their business and non-profit ideas into the next tangible step(s).
Retroactive logic modeling: To identify a structure to expand on the existing opportunity exemplified through Invalid Voices, with other patrons who have identified small scale solutions to systemic problems that acutely affect vulnerable people.
Creation of an initial "call" template to actively seek out "patron to partner" partnerships.
Achieved Outcomes
With consistent meetings beginning in November of 2023 through May 2024 Invalid Voices achieved:
1) Formation of initial board with minimum 3 members with lived experience in being unhoused and in mutual aid work.
2) Creation of mission statement, vision statement, slogan, and statements of short and long term goals to assist with program planning inside and outside the Library.
3) Four 1-hour sessions of "Origami and Classical Music" actively engaging patrons in conversation, and crafting origami hearts in the 3n open space at the Central Library.
4) Development of fundraising plan leveraging Invalid Voices board members' existing crowdfunding platforms
5) Invalid Voices successful registration as a non-profit state entity with the MO secretary of State
Patrons to Partners logic modelling has led to 2 (1 active, 1 pending) partnerships that address Civic Engagement and Health & Wellness specialty areas of the Community Learning Specialists team.
