Which came first, the project or the fundraising?

One of the harder endeavors faced in a library is maintaining a balance between necessary projects and providing the funds to finance them. Ideally, discussions of funding and projects should go hand‐in‐hand, as each discussion is relevant to the other. However, this is not always the case. Donors may have preconceived notions about how they would like their generosity used. Similarly, a library's desire to raise capital may tempt it to accept gifts for projects that may not be part of their overall development plan. By including fund‐raising at the beginning of a project, a library increases its chances of creating a successful action plan and balancing its financial and project priorities.