Now is a good time to begin looking for 2008 chapter leader candidates
—·FOR
CHAPTER LEADERS
Appoint Nominating Committee for annual chapter leader election
It's hard to believe, but the time period for this year's chapter leader elections is only months away. Many leadership boards already are discussing who they can recruit to fill positions in 2008, which is great. It's never too early to start looking for potential candidates. Keeping recruitment on the front burner year-rounds helps avoid scrambling for candidates at election time.
ACTION If your leadership board hasn't done so already, please:
Begin discussions, at an upcoming chapter meeting, about recruiting candidates for this year's chapter leader elections, and
Appoint your Nominating Committee* for recruiting candidates. The Nominating Committee should review the following guidelines, which will help prevent unexpected eligibility concerns that may arise at or after the election:
Checklist to determine eligible candidates for elected positions
Checklist of messages that must be shared with candidates
Candidate must be a Thrivent Financial benefit or associate member, age 16 or older.
Candidate must be from a different household than the other elected leaders (all elected leaders must be from different households)
Chapter leadership board members must be a member of that chapter.
There must not be a conflict of interest (e.g., Thrivent Financial representatives cannot serve in an elected chapter leadership role). See Volunteer leader eligibility (conflicts of interest) in CHIP for details.
Candidates for records director and financial director positions must have Internet and e-mail access. (It is strongly recommended that all chapter leader candidates have access to and are comfortable using e-mail and the Internet.)
Candidate's skills should match the requirements of the chapter leader role (use the Understanding Your Role quick-reference guides located on the Tutorials/Quick References page of your For Chapter Leaders section).
Potential candidate must consent to being a candidate for a chapter leader position and be ready to commit to serving the entire one-year term.
Potential candidate must provide consent (verbal) that his/her name, address, phone number and e-mail address will be available on the Internet to Thrivent Financial members who belong to that chapter. (See Privacy - impacts on chapter-related issues in CHIP for a detailed table showing what contact information will be on the Internet and who can see this information.)
Chapter leader must be a Thrivent Financial benefit or associate member, age 16 or older.
Chapter leader term is one year (Jan. 1 to Dec. 31).
A chapter leader's name, address, phone number and e-mail address will be available on the Internet to Thrivent Financial members who belong to that chapter. See Privacy - impacts on chapter-related issues in CHIP for a detailed table showing what contact information will be on the Internet and who can see this information.
What contact information your chapter will share on the chapter Web site.
The following information is not required to be shared with candidates, but is highly recommended:
What are the role requirements (hand the candidate a position description) and expectations of the chapter.
How much time per month will be required.
What kind of training will be provided.
* The above information and other details about the Nominating Committee are located in CHIP, your online chapter reference guide, under Nominating Committee & Recruiting Guidelines.
Term-limit requirement ACTION
In addition, your leadership board should discuss how the term-limit requirement will impact your chapter next year. Remember, chapter leaders currently serving in their fourth consecutive year (i.e., they served in an elected position on the board at any time during the year in 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007) are not eligible to serve in an elected chapter leadership position in 2008 or 2009, but may serve in one of the advisory positions during those two years.
Many chapters stagger the terms of their chapter leaders (e.g., elect two new members each year to replace two current leaders) and are finding that it leads to new ideas and involvement from members who normally wouldn't have volunteered—resulting in better awareness of the chapter system, which in turn leads to more help for their communities. For more details about staggering terms and the term-limit guidelines, see Term limits - stagger terms for maximum benefit in CHIP.
Questions?
If you have questions about chapter leader eligibility, please contact the Fraternal Service Center at 800-236-3736.
Six simple steps for reporting your JOIN HANDS DAY activities
—·FOR
CHAPTER LEADERS
Review step-by-step instructions BEFORE reporting results online
ACTION Soon you'll be receiving JOIN HANDS DAY activity results from service teams. Before reporting these results, please review the one-page step-by-step instruction guide located on the Join Hands Day page in your For Chapter Leaders section online (www.thrivent.com > Members/Chapters > For Chapter Leaders) and linked to below.
The guide includes the six simple steps for correctly reporting the activities, as well as important reminders such as only reporting those expenses covered by the $1,000 of JOIN HANDS DAY seed money available to your chapter. (Do not report expenses that were paid by someone else.)
After reviewing the instructions, if you still aren't sure how to report the activity correctly, please don't guess. Before reporting anything, call the Fraternal Service Center at 800-236-3736 and a customer service advocate will be happy to help you with reporting the activity.
Chapter uses Web site to keep its members up-to-date on chapter activities
—·FOR
CHAPTER LEADERS
Clark County WA Chapter receives Web Site of the Month honors
Congratulations to the leaders of the Clark County WA Chapter, especially to Lisa Laughlin, records director and Web site administrator, whose site has been named Chapter Web Site of the Month for May.
The chapter does a great job of keeping this site up-to-date, providing a calendar of upcoming chapter activities, with good descriptions. It includes photos and captions of past events; and members can access forms they need for Care program activities, as well as other helpful information such as the congregations and nonprofit organizations in the area.
"Our goals for the Web site are to increase awareness of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, help people find their chapter leaders, and show how active the Clark County WA Chapter is in the community," says Lisa.
2006 Fraternal Highlights available
—·FOR
CHAPTER LEADERS AND CONGREGATIONAL COORDINATORS
Share with members, elected officials and others
Fraternal Highlights now are updated with 2006 information to describe the impact Thrivent Financial for Lutherans and our members make in communities and congregations. The 2006 Fraternal Highlights:
Are available to Thrivent Financial members and the public on the Fraternal Programs area of www.thrivent.com (Fraternal Programs > Fraternal Highlights)
Are available in chapter, region and state versions, as well as nationally
Are presented in a new, easier-to-understand format
Include statistics for chapter activities (e.g., funds raised, hours worked and number of activities), GivingPlus contributions, Thrivent Builds with Habitat for Humanity and — in a separate section — grants awarded by the Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Foundation.
Because of the new format and programming required, the introduction of the 2006 Fraternal Highlights was delayed this year. However, the 2007 version is scheduled to be available much earlier next year.
ACTIONShare the Fraternal Highlights with others
You are encouraged to share the Fraternal Highlights with members, elected officials and others to show the tremendous difference Thrivent Financial and members like you make. The Fraternal Highlights help illustrate the unique and special nature of our membership and organization to carry out the mission and vision of caring for others.
You may want to share the information at chapter events and the fall chapter elections, through your chapter newsletter, and maybe in your congregation's newsletter if permission is granted.
Questions?
If you have questions about Fraternal Highlights, please contact the Fraternal Service Center at 1-800-236-3736 or fraternal@thrivent.com.
Volunteer Excellence Award recipients revel in giving back
—·FOR
CHAPTER LEADERS AND CONGREGATIONAL COORDINATORS
Members, financial representatives and employees recognized for outstanding volunteer service
If you ask this year’s Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Volunteer Excellence Award recipients why they volunteer, chances are you’ll get a consistent answer: Without intending to, they always end up getting more out of it than they give.
Among the national Volunteer Excellence Award recipients honored this year, three individuals and one couple are members who make a significant difference volunteering with Thrivent chapters, in their congregations and to help community organizations. They, along with the four Thrivent Financial representatives and four corporate employees also chosen as our national Volunteer Excellence Award recipients, have demonstrated their commitment to helping others around them.
"As an organization, we are humbled each year to hear about the generosity, commitment and dedication of the Volunteer Excellence Award recipients,” says Brad Hewitt, senior vice president, Fraternal Operations. “We applaud each of them for reflecting Thrivent Financial’s mission of caring for others at the highest level.”
Congratulations to the following members who were chosen as this year's national recipients in the four member categories (click on the names to read more about their volunteer activities and accomplishments in 2006):
Heather Hoffman, Southern Minnesota Region; North Rice County Chapter
Youth Category
Gene Lewis, Southeast Region; DeKalb County Chapter
Family Category
Jim Willoughby, Mid-South Region; Central Alabama Chapter
Adult Category
Each recipient receives a cash award to donate to the nonprofit organization(s) of his or her choice. In addition, they will be recognized at an awards banquet on Aug. 22.
See thrivent.com to read about other recipients Go to our Volunteer Excellence Award page on www.thrivent.com (Fraternal Programs > Volunteer Excellence Award) to:
See the regional member recipients of the Volunteer Excellence Award for each of the four member categories. The national recipients were chosen from this pool of regional recipients.
Congratulations to our national and regional recipients, and thanks to all of you for the great work you do with and through Thrivent Financial to help individual, families, congregations and communities.
