Thrivent Financial for Lutherans is unique in many ways, and one of our most important attributes is the work our member volunteers do to help build better communities.

In fact, this chapter volunteerism is a major reason why the federal and state governments have granted us tax-exempt status. Elected officials have historically recognized that we meet critical community needs more effectively than government programs ever could.

However, we can't take this recognition for granted. As times change, government budgets get tighter and elections bring turnover in the leadership ranks. Government perceptions can change as well.

Our tax-exempt status is a privilege, not a right; it's given to us, and it can be taken away. The fraternal tax exemption provides the seed money our members use to leverage even greater impact through volunteerism. Without it, our ability to improve lives and communities would be significantly impaired.

Therefore, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans must ensure that elected officials understand who we are and how we make a difference in their hometowns. Chapter leaders play a key role in our organization's efforts to ensure that policy makers know us. Here's how chapter leaders can help:

• Invite elected officials to chapter volunteer events
  The best way for elected officials to get to know our organization is to see our volunteers in action. Further, elected officials like to be invited to events and appreciate opportunities to meet groups of constituents. Inviting legislators and other elected officials to chapter activities is a simple step, and it's the best way to provide opportunities for policy makers to get to know us better.

To help with this responsibility, a one-page quick-reference guide, "Inviting elected officials to chapter activities" (PDF, 74K) is available for chapter leaders and congregational coordinators on the Tutorials/Quick References pages of their For Chapter Leaders and For Congregational Coordinators sections, respectively.

Don't worry ... we aren't asking chapter leaders to become lobbyists. Rather, we are merely asking volunteers to be themselves--volunteers!--and invite elected officials to participate.



• Track and report key information
  Efforts to accurately report chapter activity and fund-raising information allow us to paint a detailed picture for policy makers, one that illustrates the true nature of who we are. Every verifiable volunteer hour and dollar reported strengthen our ability to demonstrate the beneficial impact our chapters have.

Thrivent Financial employees work hard to communicate with elected officials, but as former U.S. House Speaker Tip O'Neill said, "All politics is local."

Unless elected officials experience Thrivent Financial making a difference in their own communities, corporate messages don't hold a great deal of weight.

Chapter leaders have the power not only to do good, but also to educate elected officials about our organization's special people and mission. Accomplishing that goal should be an important part of chapter leaders' efforts.

For names of elected officials, try a Web site such as www.governmentguide.com/main.adp.

If you have questions about inviting elected officials to chapter events or about accurately reporting chapter activities, contact the Fraternal Service Center at 800-236-3736.

Guidelines for inviting active candidates running for office in an election year
During an election year, it is appropriate to forgo inviting incumbents or challengers in particularly divisive races, or inviting any candidate close to election day.  Please keep the following guidelines in mind as you consider inviting election officials during this election year:

• Incumbent (current holder of a political office) – The incumbent can be the sole invite or can be invited along with other candidates for his or her office.
• Non-incumbent (running for office but not the current office holder) – The non-incumbent can be invited only if all other candidates for the office also are invited (i.e., he or she cannot be the sole invite).
• No candidate (incumbent or non-incumbent) can actively campaign or give political speeches at the event, nor can the event be a fund-raiser for any candidate.

In February 2003, a bill was introduced to eliminate the tax exemption for fraternal benefit societies doing business in that state. It passed a Senate Committee and went to the full Senate for a vote. Supporters of the effort to eliminate the exemption, who were trying to generate revenue to fix South Dakota's budget deficit, thought fraternal benefit societies were no different than other insurers and should be taxed the same way.

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans' members, employees and financial representatives mobilized to fight the new tax. A team traveled to Pierre, the state's capital, to directly lobby senators to oppose the bill, focusing on two key messages:

• Fraternals do not use their tax-exempt status to underwrite their financial products (no unfair competition).
• Taxing fraternals would generate only $1.75 million in new South Dakota state revenues, but jeopardize more than $5 million in charitable outreach.

When senators came to understand that fraternal chapters and their volunteers were meeting charitable needs in a way government programs couldn't hope to match, the bill was soundly defeated. However, that was only after considerable time and effort went into an all-out lobbying blitz.

The recent South Dakota experience teaches two valuable lessons. First, that a tax fight can happen in any state, especially when budget problems are driving the need for more government revenue. And second, that it's in our best interest to proactively educate elected officials about Thrivent Financial for Lutherans long before issues arise. Legislators need to understand the important way we serve our members and their communities.

Additional Topics
Depositing 'funds raised' accurately helps demonstrate Thrivent Financial's impact
Inviting elected officials to chapter activities (PDF, 74K)