Simple 4-Step Partnership Strategy

Step 1

Call the venue, and share these facts about the Discover & Go Network:

  • We are endorsed by over 40 Bay Area museums, concert venues, science centers, theaters, zoos and more.
  • We currently have over 40 library members involved in the program, and have become a Bay Area educational resource.
  • We have made over 240,000 cultural visits possible for library patrons.
  • We can help them expand access to Bay Area culture, increase opportunity for education, and turn library cardholders into museum goers.

Step 2

Send an email and include:

  • Discover & Go informational letter
  • Partner Profile
  • Sample pass hyperlink from the Discover & Go Support page
  • PDF of California Academy of Sciences endorsement to the State Library

Step 3

Within a week provide follow-up. For many of these partners we are just one of many commitments, so we have to push ourselves onto their radar. They will probably want to know the following:

  • How many passes have other partners donated?

Answer: On average smaller venues donate 25 monthly passes, and larger venues 50 monthly passes.

Example:

  • Aquarium of the Bay: 1 weekly family pass per library branch
  • Asian Art Museum: 48 monthly passes
  • Bay Area Discovery Museum: 1 weekly family pass per library branch
  • USS Hornet: 31 monthly family passes

Be sure to advocate for passes for the entire network, and when not the entire network at least our neighbors.

  • Number of branches for each network member:

Library MemberNumber of Branches

Alameda County Library...... 11

Berkeley Public Library...... 5

Contra Costa County Library...... 26

Livermore Public Library...... 3

Menlo Park Public Library...... 2

Oakland Public Library...... 17

Pleasanton Public Library...... 1

Redwood City Public Library...... 4

San Benito County Free Library...... 1

San Mateo City Library...... 3

San Mateo County Library...... 12

Santa Clara City Library...... 2

Santa Clara County Library...... 9

Santa Cruz Public Libraries...... 11

South San Francisco Public Library...... 2

Total108

Step 4

Collect Partner Profile, and watch the network grow.

[Date]

Dear [cultural venue staff],

Thank you for the opportunity to talk about the Discover & Go Network! Our museum pass program expands access to the best in Bay Area culture, and has made over 240,000 cultural visits possible to museums, concerts, science centers, theaters, and more, since the program launched in 2011. The Discover & Go program and the Library were recently awarded the 2012 National Medal for Museum and Library Service, the nation's highest honor for museums and libraries!

We have been endorsed by over 40 cultural partners, and now include over 40 library members! Take a look at some of the high-profile partners involved:

Cultural PartnersLibrary Members

Aquarium of the BayAlameda County Library

Asian Art MuseumBerkeley Public Library

Bay Area Discovery MuseumContra Costa County Library

Charles M. Schulz MuseumLivermore Public Library

Contemporary Jewish MuseumMenlo Park Library

ExploratoriumOakland Public Library

GLBT History MuseumPleasanton Public Library

Lawrence Hall of ScienceRedwood City Public Library

Lindsay Wildlife MuseumSan Benito Public Library

Museum of Children’s ArtSan Mateo Public Library

Museum of Art and Digital EntertainmentSan Mateo County Library

Oakland Museum of CaliforniaSanta Clara City Library

The Tech MuseumSanta Clara County Library

USS Hornet MuseumSanta Cruz Public Libraries

Yerba Buena Center for the ArtsSouth San Francisco Public Library

Discover & Go makes cultural passes available through an easy-to-use online library of passes that can be reserved by library cardholders. Library patrons simply browse the venues they want to visit, select the dates, reserve passes, and print them! The passes are secure, and include the library cardholder’s name and the date given pass with be valid. Our museum partners simply verify the library cardholder’s ID. The number of passes to a given venue are limited, based on a pre-agreed upon number.

Partners have a fantastic opportunity to increase visibility throughout the Bay Area. In order to benefit our partners, we track where our library patrons come from. We provide each partner with a quarterly report that shows them where they have developed new library audiences. Each cultural venue also gets a unique Discover & Go page, which includes language about your venue, your hours, and accessibility information.

Discover & Go allows museums, concert venues, science centers, theaters, and library members to partner as informal educational centers! Together we can support learners of all ages, encourage our public to be curious and engaged with culture.

To join Discover & Go simply fill out our Partner Profile, save and send back to us. Take a look at a sample pass and online tutorial, so you and your staff can get a sense of the look and feel of the program.

We hope that you will help us expand access to educational and cultural resources, and turn library cardholders into users of culture! Please let us know what we can do to help make a partnership possible.

Best,