The Initial Groundwork Makes a Difference for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library

One thing I’ve noticed working with community partners across regional areas is that the ones who succeed usually do a lot of groundwork before they launch. 

Back in February, I spoke with Sarah Gilbertson, the local coordinator of Liverpool Plains Imagination Library, about this very point. 

I mentioned how impressed United Way Australia was with their efforts and how quickly their program had taken off – and Sarah seemed surprised. 

But when we talked through the amazing work they’d done, it made sense. It all started when Sarah realised many children in remote farming areas couldn’t access the town’s existing library programs.

As a local parent herself, she began looking for something that could fill that gap and discovered Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library in Australia.  

It took only 12 weeks for The Liverpool Plains Imagination Library to go from the first committee meeting to the official launch day, a testament to the tenacity and proactive approach of the amazing team! 

1. Strong groundwork, right from the beginning 

Sarah’s aim from the start was to set up the program properly so that when (not if) a government agency or corporate funder eventually took over, the handover would be smooth and the program would be attractive to them. 

Before launching, Sarah quickly established a volunteer committee, the Liverpool Plains Early Reading Initiative. The team put in the groundwork to fully understand how the program worked. They met regularly and asked the UWA team lots of questions about the program, really getting their heads around how it all worked.  

2. Establish an Imagination Library committee 

The Liverpool Plains Early Reading Initiative is a committee with a diverse mix of people and skills, including: 

• Paediatric speech pathologist 

• Community member with legal experience 

• Local business manager 

• A former primary school teacher 

• Community member with strong links to the Indigenous community 

• Sarah Gilbertson, local coordinator and community advocate 
   

3. Taking a targeted approach to local business support 

The local community historically focused on sport sponsorship, so the committee knew getting buy-in for a literacy program might be tricky. 

So, they developed a targeted presentation and approached more than 100 local businesses to tell the story of why the program mattered. 

When they launched, the program really did hit the ground running! 

The Liverpool Plains Early Reading Initiative has been successful in gaining funding support from a local provider organisation, Farming for Kids, an organisation focused on the health and well-being of children in the Liverpool Plains community – for not just one, but three years of enrolments.    

That’s the big lesson – the programs that succeed usually put a huge amount of groundwork in before day one and they remain consistent in their approach along the way. 

Well done, Liverpool Plains Imagination Library. We can’t wait to see how your program grows in the future. 

Explore our newly developed funding resources 
United Way Australia has tailored funding resources designed to help you approach local businesses, build strong partnerships, and secure long-term funding. Explore the Funding Resources for Your Imagination Library.