Thrivent Financial for Lutherans must demonstrate that active volunteer
chapters serve an important purpose in local communities. Accurately reporting
the funds generated by chapter service teams helps illustrate the real value
of our local chapters. Every verifiable dollar reported strengthens our ability
to prove that we leverage our fraternal tax exemption to have a greater impact
in communities than paying taxes ever could.
To help Thrivent Financial for Lutherans ensure that the work our volunteers
are doing is being accurately reported and supported, it's important for your
chapter to follow these guidelines about depositing "funds raised" into your
chapter checking account:
When chapter service team is sole sponsor
Donors at an activity in which the Thrivent Financial service team is the
sole sponsor should write their checks to the chapter. Those checks then should
be deposited into the chapter's checking account.
When chapter service team cohosts an activity
When a chapter service team cohosts
an activity with another organization, group or chapter service team,
the service team should report and deposit only the share of the funds
it feels it was responsible for raising.
If you're not sure whether an activity with another organization or group
would be considered a cohosted activity, ask if it would have occurred regardless
of your chapter's involvement. If yes, the activity should be considered cohosted.
(If it's a cohosted activity, be sure that your chapter is publicized as being
a cosponsor of the activity.)
When a chapter service team is cohosting an activity, discussions should
occur early in the planning stage to identify the service team's fair share
of the planning, organizing and conducting of the activity. This will make
it easier when reporting results and determining what portion of the local
funds raised should be deposited into the chapter checking account.
Example: A Lutheran high school hosts its annual fund-raiser,
which includes a silent auction, car wash and bake sale. This year, a Thrivent
chapter community service team offers its service to host and publicize the
car wash and bake sale, and requests supplemental funding through the Care
Abounds in Communities™ program. Essentially, this is a cohosted activity
with the silent auction planners. Of the $5,000 raised, $400 came from the
bake sale and $200 from the car wash. Therefore, the service team's fair
share is $600. This is the amount eligible for supplemental funds, and
is the amount to report as the gross funds raised. It also is the amount
of funds, less the team's share of expenses incurred, to deposit into the
chapter checking account.
Sometimes community service team involvement will be more ambiguous. To determine
the fair share of amount of funds raised and volunteer hours to report,
use your best judgement to quantify the impact the community service team
had on the success of the activity. For example:
- What was its role in planning, organizing and conducting the activity?
- What was the result of the community service team's participation?
Example: The local volunteer fire department needs new communication
equipment and plans to hold a chili dinner. One of the volunteer firefighters
is a Thrivent Financial member, and he forms a community service team to assist
with the activity. It's decided that the member will attend the planning meetings,
and he and 10 additional Thrivent Financial members from different households
will work the day of the activity. The fire department will take care of publicity
(holding up the chapter as a sponsor of the activity), organizing and preparing
the food. Based on those decisions, it is agreed that the community service
team's fair share will be approximately one-third of the effort needed
to carry out the activity. $3,000 is raised, and Thrivent Financial's fair
share is $1,000. This is the amount that needs to be deposited into the chapter
checking account and reported online. (Please note that the chapter cannot
give more than $1,000 of supplemental funds for this activity.)
What if the service team can't get its fair share of funds to deposit?
Every attempt should be made to obtain the service team's fair share of the
funds raised for deposit into the chapter's checking account. If the service
team cannot get its fair share: