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Fraternal Programs > It's
as Easy as ABC 1•2•3 > Frequently Asked Questions
 Frequently
Asked Questions
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Q. Why would I want to form a community
service team? |
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A. People volunteer for a variety
of reasons, but especially to help others. And, it's OK to want some
benefits for yourself from volunteering. Think about how much you
receive when you give, and consider why you want to volunteer. It
could be to feel needed, to share skills, to meet new people or to
make an impact. Whatever the reason, you have the opportunity to form
community service teams to help individuals or families in need or
qualified not-for-profit organizations through Thrivent Financial's
Care Abounds in Communities®
program. |
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Q. How much time will it take to plan
an activity? |
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A. The amount of time it takes to
plan the activity depends on many things. Of course, it depends on
the size of the activity and the amount of funds you hope to raise
or type of service you plan to provide. It also depends on the number
of volunteers you'll need to recruit, as well as the amount of materials
you'll need to gather. It also can depend on the type of location
you'll need to hold the activity. It's important to take on the type
and size of activity that you and your group feel you can handle.
If you are planning to raise funds, it is important to determine
your net financial goal and when the funds are needed. If you need
funds immediately, an activity that takes months to plan and produce
will not help you. The strategy to raise significant dollars will
be considerably different than one to generate a few hundred dollars
for a small piece of equipment. In the latter example, sponsoring
something as simple as a refreshment booth at a community event
might meet your needs. A good rule to follow is to match your activity
to the financial need and to your timeline.
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Q. What do I need to do first? |
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A. If you know the individual or
organization you want to help, your next step is to form a community
service team. This requires getting Thrivent Financial members involved
from at least six different households. If you don't know who or what
organization you want to help, you may want to form a team and decide
together. |
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Q. How do we go about getting things
donated for our activity? |
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A. Contact people you know. Maybe
a friend owns a business and would be willing to donate some supplies.
It's a good idea to have a few people take this on as their task.
Create a sub-committee of the community service team. Contacting local
businesses is always a good idea because they often are willing to
donate items for a local cause. If you ask a chain restaurant for
a donation, you may be asked to send a letter to their corporate headquarters.
This takes time, so you'll need to build an additional three to four
weeks into your timeline for this type of donation request. |
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Q. Do we need to keep track of donated
items? |
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A. Yes. As a not-for-profit organization,
Thrivent Financial is required to do special reporting if you accept
donations. Information about each item or freewill offering of $250
or more, given by a donor who receives nothing of value in return,
must be recorded and submitted to the chapter leadership board. Contact
your chapter leadership board with questions about receiving donations
(PDF, 57K) |
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Q. How many people do I need to get
involved? |
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A. To quality for funding through
the Care Abounds in Communities® program, at least six Thrivent
Financial households must be involved. This means at least one Thrivent
Financial member from at least six different households must be involved
in planning and carrying out the activity. From there, you can involve
any number of people, both members and nonmembers. Think things through
ahead of time - maybe create a list of shift times for workers - to
ensure that you have enough volunteers for each shift. |
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Q. Where do I find volunteers? |
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A. Everywhere. Many people are willing
to help out and make a difference. The most important thing is to
ask. If the individual for whom the funds are being raised has family
members or friends in the area, they often are very willing to help.
And they can ask their friends, coworkers or people they know from
their church. If you're raising funds for a qualified not-for-profit
organization, ask those who have a passion for that organization to
help.
An important thing to keep in mind when recruiting volunteers is
this: Be sure they have something to do. There is nothing more deflating
for a volunteer than making arrangements to help at an activity
and find that there's nothing for him or her to do. It's important
to have a plan for the number of volunteers needed and a list of
what they will do. Setting up shifts and having people sign up ahead
of time is a good way to organize the work volunteers will do at
your activity and make sure you have enough volunteers (and not
too many) for the entire time.
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Q. How do I request funding from my
Thrivent chapter for the activity? |
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A. You will need to contact someone
on your chapter leadership board to request funding. You need to do
this before you begin planning the activity if you want supplemental
funding through the Care Abounds in Communities® program from
the chapter. The chapter leadership board will need some details about
your intended recipient and activity. They may ask that you complete
a form (Care Abounds in Communities®
- Community Service Team Requests for Funding) and return it to them
to discuss at an upcoming meeting. If you do not know who is on your
chapter leadership board, you can find this on Members/Chapters. |
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Q. How long does it take to get funding
requests approved by the chapter leadership board once the request
is submitted? |
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A. Usually, the chapter leadership
board will discuss your request at the next meeting; meetings usually
are held monthly. If you need approval before that time, the chapter
leaders may be willing to discuss it and approve it outside of their
regular meeting. If needed, discuss this option with the chapter leader
that you contact. |
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Q. Who is on the chapter leadership
board for my chapter? How do I get in touch with them? |
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A. If you are a member of Thrivent
Financial for Lutherans, you can visit our Members/Chapters section of
this site to view the names and contact information of your chapter
leadership board. If you are not able to access the information,
you may call 800-847-4836 and select the option for Fraternal Services.
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Q. How do I determine what kind of activity
to plan? |
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A. It's important to take on the
type and size of activity for which you and your group feels you are
prepared. If you are planning to raise funds, it is important to determine
your net financial goal and when the funds are needed. If you need
funds immediately, an activity that takes months to plan and conduct
will not help you.
If you want to plan a hands-on service activity and you're not
sure what you want to do, consider the issues facing your community
or ask others about their community concerns. You also may watch
the news to determine the needs in your community or contact the
local Volunteer Center if there is one in your community. Whether
it's cleaning up a street, painting over graffiti, or planting flowers
in a park, there are many things that communities can use.
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Q. Are there any legal issues I should
be aware of? |
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A. Yes, there are legal issues to
consider. Your chapter leadership board can help ensure that you comply
with the criteria and rules established for activities. A few important
ones to remember are to keep track of all of your expenses and to
retain receipts. These will need to be provided to the chapter leadership
board following your activity. You'll also be required to report activity
results, such as the number of volunteers, the amount of funds raised,
etc., to the chapter leadership board following the event. There are
also legal requirements around holding raffles, foreign travel, and
privacy that the chapter leadership board can help answer questions
about. |
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Q. I don't want to lead an activity,
but I'd like to get involved. How do I get involved? |
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A. Contact your chapter leadership
board to determine what activities are taking place in your community
and how you might be able to get involved. |
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Q. My time is limited. Are there any
activities that would allow me to volunteer when I can and not on
an ongoing basis? |
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A. Yes! The idea of community service
teams is to give Thrivent Financial members and others the opportunity
to volunteer on their timeline. You may get as involved in volunteer
activities as you'd like. You can take the lead in forming a community
service team, or you can help out with an activity that is already
being planned. It's up to you. |
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Q. Whom do I call with questions?
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A. You can call a member of your
chapter leadership board or you can call Thrivent Financial at (800)
847-4836 and select the option for Fraternal Services. |
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Q. What can we do and what can't we
do? |
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A. There are many things you can
do to make a difference in your community. If you are not sure if
you are doing things appropriately, contact your chapter leadership
board. |
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Q. Are there any templates I can follow?
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A. Because there is such a variety
of activities you could plan,
it's difficult to provide templates for all of the different possibilities.
However, checklists are
available to help you think through the details for planning an activity.
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Q. How does the Care Abounds in Communities®
program work? |
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A.
Thrivent Financial members receive financial support and other resources for volunteer projects and/or fund-raising activities that benefit individuals, families, local communities or organizations that are exempt from federal income tax under section 501©(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, excluding congregations. Members submit activity/funding requests to their local Thrivent chapter leadership board.
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Q. What amount of funds can our service
team get to help an individual? For a qualified not-for-profit organization? |
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A. This depends on your chapter leadership board and the
amount of funds they have available. Care Abounds in Communities®
program guidelines allow your chapter leadership board to approve
up to $5,000 of supplemental funds to help individuals/families
and up to $1,600 for qualified not-for-profit organizations. Fund-raising
activities and appeals/collections are supplemented at up to a 1-to-1
match (supplemental funds cannot exceed the activity amount requested).
Hands-on service activities have a maximum funding limit of $1,600
per activity. Activities are reimbursed up to the amount of expenses
incurred for the purchase of required materials, not to exceed $1,600
maximum funding limit.
Remember to deduct your expenses for food, supplies, etc., before
determining your total local funds raised.
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Q. What is a qualified not-for-profit
organization? |
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A.
To receive funding through the Care Abounds in Communities® and Care in Regions® chapter Care programs, not-for-profit organizations must:
- Be exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. (This includes charitable, educational and religious organizations.)
OR
- Be units of state or local government (e.g., cities, towns, counties, school districts, city parks, etc.). Local communities are eligible even though they are not exempt under section 501(c)(3).
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Q. Can we volunteer as a family?
A. Of course! Family volunteering is a wonderful way to
teach children about the good feeling they will get from making a
difference for someone else. Just remember that the community service
team must include six Thrivent Financial members from at least six
different households. It can involve as many people from each of the
six households as you wish; and it can involve more than the six required
households. |
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Q. Can I invite friends to participate
in an activity? Are there any special requirements?
A. Again, there is a requirement to include Thrivent Financial
members from at least six different households on a community service
team. Other than that, you can invite anyone you know to get involved
in the activity. |
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