Please be aware of the following guidelines related to common issues that arise about the disbursement of local funds raised and Care program funds to recipients:

1. Agree how funds will be paid BEFORE approving request
   Before an activity/funding request is approved, it is important to discuss how funds will be disbursed, and the chapter, community service team and recipient must agree on how funds will be paid:
   
   
   • It is acceptable and considered a best practice for chapters to pay outstanding bills directly rather than issue a check to the recipient.
   • The chapter can contribute to a fund or account that is set up for the recipient. However, the chapter should not set up or administer the fund or account because chapters are not allowed to have secondary/alternate bank accounts. Donor checks still should be made out to the chapter and run through the chapter checking account. The chapter then deposits these funds into the fund or account set up for the recipient.
   
   
2. Recipient is responsible for determining if funds will affect other benefits or assistance
   Thrivent Financial for Lutherans and individual chapters are not experts and should not provide advice to the recipient or service team. It is the responsibility of the recipient, not the chapter or service team, to determine if the recipient can accept funds from an activity hosted by Thrivent Financial or a Thrivent chapter.
   
   
3. Local funds raised may be disbursed before receiving supplemental Care program funds
   There may be situations when a fund-raising recipient is in immediate need of the funds raised. Please note that it is not necessary to hold locally raised funds in your chapter checking account until supplemental funds are deposited into the account. As soon as local funds raised are deposited and you have verified that the deposit has been received and the funds are available, the chapter financial director can issue a check for the amount of local funds raised. Then a second check can be issued after the supplemental funds have been deposited.