New for 2008: Chapter Mailing Service changes
—·FOR
CHAPTER LEADERS
Each chapter limited to 6 total mailings in 2008; new postcard coming
The following three changes are being made to the Chapter Mailing Service in 2008:
Effective Jan. 1, 2008, each chapter may send a maximum of 6 mailings in 2008 plus the chapter election invitation mailing.
The 6-mailing limit applies to any combination of newsletters and postcards, including Thrivent Builds-related mailings. For example, a chapter would reach the limit by sending 2 newsletters, 3 postcards and a Thrivent Builds postcard.
The special chapter election invitation mailing (newsletter) does not count toward the 6-mailing limit.
Mailings sent only to congregational coordinators do not count toward the 6-mailing limit.
The previous 4-mailing limit for "newsletters" no longer applies (e.g., a chapter may choose to send 6 newsletters, but then won't be able to send any postcards).
Note: In the past, the Chapter Mailing Service screens included a note stating: "You have submitted x of 4 newsletters for 2007." This note will continue to show on the screens in 2008 until the new general postcard and updated templates (see below) are activated sometime during the first half of 2008. Chapters can disregard the note. When the new postcard and template changes are activated, the note will be updated to state "You have submitted x of 6 mailings for 2008" and it will accurately reflect the number of mailings your chapter has sent since Jan. 1, 2008.
Rationale for 6-mailing limit: In recent years, postage expenses for chapter mailings have been over budget. Because we have an obligation to our members to be good stewards of the funds available to us, we need to address this issue. As your chapter plans for 2008, we encourage your leadership board to discuss early in the year how to use these 6 mailings most effectively.
Action Requested: The Chapter Mailing Service guidelines and CHIP have been updated to reflect the 6-mailing limit. Please review these guidelines carefully.
A new "general" postcard is scheduled to be added sometime during the first half of 2008.
Based on chapter leader feedback, the new postcard has an open field for chapters to post content in the way they’d like it to appear. This postcard will be useful for chapter-related announcements or sharing chapter-related information that does not require activity details such as date, time and location.
Note: The current activity postcard and Thrivent Builds postcard will continue to be available.
The newsletters and postcards will have a new, more professional look and feel that is consistent with Thrivent Financial's brand. This also is scheduled to occur sometime during the first half of 2008.
Questions?
If you have questions about the Chapter Mailing Service changes, please contact the Fraternal Service Center at fraternal@thrivent.com or 800-236-3736.
Complete 2007 audit and submit signed Chapter Summary Report by Feb. 28
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CHAPTER LEADERS
This allows us to file your chapter’s 2007 tax reporting for you
ACTION Required: At the beginning of each year, chapters are required to appoint an Audit Committee who provides an independent review of chapter activities, funds and financial records, including the year-end Chapter Summary Report, for the previous year.
The entire audit process, which concludes with signing and submitting the authorization page of the 2007 year-end Chapter Summary Report to Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, needs to be completed and submittedby Feb. 28.
The year-end Chapter Summary Report will be available mid-January from the Chapter Leadership Administration Menu under the Reports/Listings category (Members/Chapters > For Chapter Leaders > Chapter Leadership Administration Menu).
Important: When accessing this report, be sure to click on the drop-down arrow by the year and choose 2007 (the default will be set for 2008).
Signing this authorization not only verifies that the audit has been completed, but also gives Thrivent Financial for Lutherans permission to include your chapter in the Group 990 filing done for the Internal Revenue Service. This means your chapter does not have to file its own return.
A signed and submitted authorization also is required for your chapter to receive its second deposit of chapter operating funds in July.
Reminder: If your chapter had a Thrivent Builds checking account in 2007, the Audit Committee should review and retain those records as well.
Action Requested: See CHIP, your online chapter reference guide, for complete details about:
Who should be on the committee (and who shouldn't to ensure independence). NOTE: If your chapter cannot find volunteers to serve on the committee, it is acceptable to use chapter operating funds to hire an independent professional auditor/auditing service (non-volunteer) to complete the audit.
Chapter leader responsibilities in relation to the audit.
Items that the Audit Committee needs.
Explanations of both the financial audit and performance audit.
Tools available to help with audit process
In addition to CHIP, the following quick-reference guides are available on your Tutorials/Quick References page (thrivent.com > Members/Chapters > For Chapter Leaders > Tutorials/Quick References):
Conducting Year-End Audit of Finances and Activities (PDF, 51K), which provides an easy-to-follow checklist for conducting the financial and performance audits. A copy of this will be helpful to your Audit Committee.
Questions?
If you have questions about the audit, the committee or the Chapter Summary Report that are not answered in CHIP, please contact the Fraternal Service Center at 800-236-3736 or fraternal@thrivent.com.
Chapter operating funds being deposited next week
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CHAPTER LEADERS
All five required 2008 elected leaders must be entered online to receive deposit
The first of two chapter operating funds deposits for 2008 are scheduled to be made during the week of Jan. 7 into the checking accounts of chapters that have all five required 2008 elected leaders entered on the system:
We will send an e-mail message to your 2008 financial director when the deposit is made.
If all five required elected positions are not entered, the chapter forfeits the operating funds and no money will be deposited. The chapter must wait until the July deposit for the next opportunity to receive operating funds.
The five required chapters leaders are president, vice president, records director, financial director and congregational service team director.
The formula to calculate operating funds is the same in 2008 as it was in 2007 (a dollar value multiplied by the number of member households in the chapter):
The minimum annual amount of operating funds remains at $2,000.
The maximum annual amount of operating funds remains at $10,000.
The amount for your chapter should be similar to 2007, but will vary based on changes in the number of member households.
Operating funds remaining from 2007 do carry over into 2008.
To receive the July deposit, chapters must have the five required leaders on record and have filed their 2007 year-end Chapter Summary Report, which soon will be available.
Action Requested: More details about chapter operating funds See the following resources for complete details about budgeting, tracking and reporting chapter operating funds:
Managing and Reporting Chapter Operating Fundsquick-reference guide (PDF, 302K) — a great tool to print and keep handy in your files. This tool has been updated for 2008 and is located on your Tutorials/Quick References page (thrivent.com > Members/Chapters > For Chapter Leaders > Tutorials/Quick References).
Managing Chapter Operating Funds interactive tutorial that contains hands-on simulations to help you learn how to track and report your chapter operating funds expenses. This tool has been updated for 2008 and now includes a simulation for tracking operating funds expenses when a portion of the expense is recouped through tickets sales, etc. It also is located on your Tutorials/Quick References page.
Questions? If you have questions about operating funds that are not answered in CHIP, please contact the Fraternal Service Center at 800-236-3736 or fraternal@thrivent.com.
The following articles also are posted for congregational coordinators.
2008 Care program funds scheduled to be available Jan. 8
—·FOR
CHAPTER LEADERS AND CONGREGATIONAL COORDINATORS
'Funds available' letter coming soon
Beginning Jan. 8, program funds for 2008 Care Abounds in Communities® and Care in Congregations® program activities are scheduled to be available. On that date, you'll be able to go online to find out the amount:
Chapter leaders: To see the 2008 amount of Care Abounds in Communities funds available for your chapter, go to www.thrivent.com > Members/Chapters > For Chapter Leaders > Chapter Leadership Administration Menu (you must login) and choose "Care Abounds in Communities Activities" under View Program Funds Available.
Congregational coordinators: To see the 2008 amount of Care in Congregations funds available to the Thrivent Financial members in your congregation, go to www.thrivent.com > Members/Chapters > For Congregational Coordinators > Congregational Coordinator Administration Menu (you must login) and choose "Care in Congregations Activities" under View Program Funds Available.
In addition, chapter leaders and congregational coordinators will receive a "funds available" letter later in January that lists the amount of 2008 funds available as well as a list of resources available to assist volunteer leaders in their roles.
Questions about the Care program funds? If you have questions about the chapter Care program funds, please contact the Fraternal Service Center at 800-236-3736 or fraternal@thrivent.com.
New for 2008: One less Care Abounds in Communities® form for service teams to complete
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CHAPTER LEADERS AND CONGREGATIONAL COORDINATORS
'Receipts, Funds Raised and Expenses Report' combined with 'Report for Funding Activity Results' form
Based on the feedback of many chapters, the "Receipts, Funds Raised and Expenses Report" has been discontinued, and parts of that report have been combined with the "Report for Funding Activity Results."
This helps eliminate duplicate reporting by the service team and eliminates the confusion of having to complete two similar forms after a Care Abounds in Communities® activity is conducted.
Important—receipts still required: Although the form was eliminated, you still need to collect and retain receipts for both the Care Abounds in Communities® and Care in Congregations® programs.
Action Requested: For complete and specific guidelines on when receipts are required, see the Receipts - guidelines for submitting page in CHIP, your online chapter resource guide.
Updates made to "Report for Funding Activity Results" form
The following updates were made to the Care Abounds in Communities Report for Funding Activity Results form (Word, 72K | PDF, 21K):
The question about other chapters or organizations also hosting an activity was moved up on the form, and a brief description of "fair share" was added.
Questions about direct deposit of funding for post-funding due from a hands-on service activity were removed. Experience from chapters shows that this section was rarely or never used.
A section to add the information of a payee who is different than the activity recipient was added.
This form continues to be one page.
The updated Report for Funding Activity Results form now is live on the Forms page on thrivent.com and will be available soon to chapter leaders from the Order Chapter Supplies page in the Chapter Leadership Administration Menu.
Minor updates made to "Request for Funding Questionnaire"
In addition, minor changes were made to the Care Abounds in Communities Request for Funding Questionnaire form (Word, 97K | PDF, 29K) to reduce duplication and help chapters more easily identify if a fund-raising activity involves a raffle. As noted on the Raffles -- guidelines page in CHIP, we do not encourage chapters to supplement funds raised through raffles because of gaming and tax laws.
This updated form also is live on the Forms page on thrivent.com (www.thrivent.com > Members/Chapters > Volunteer Resources > Forms) and will be available soon to chapter leaders from the Order Chapter Supplies page.
Action Requested for chapters: Be sure you link to updated forms and provide updated forms to service teams
If you link to the forms above on your chapter Web site, please be sure that you now link to the updated forms and eliminate any references to the "Receipts, Funds Raised and Expenses Report." Remember to provide the updated forms to your service teams if they request these forms.
Questions?
If you have questions about these forms, please contact the Fraternal Service Center at 800-236-3736 or fraternal@thrivent.com.
No other changes to Care program requirements and guidelines in 2008
—·FOR
CHAPTER LEADERS AND CONGREGATIONAL COORDINATORS
Packet of materials discontinued; 2008 materials available online and through supply pages
Except for the "Receipts, Funds Raised and Expenses Report" being discontinued and combined with the "Report for Funding Activity Results" (see this month's related article), there are no other changes to the Care Abounds in Communities® or Care in Congregations® program requirements and guidelines in 2008.
Note: The last day to enter 2008 Care program funding/activity requests is Dec. 18, 2008.
2008 Care program materials can be accessed online or through supply pages
In previous years, congregational coordinators and chapter leaders received a packet of materials with their “funds available” letter. Based on feedback of many volunteer leaders, the decision was made to eliminate this packet. All Care program materials can be printed directly from online or ordered through your supply page.
Care in Congregations program materials, including the 2008 program guide, soon can be ordered by going to the Order Congregation Supplies page online (www.thrivent.com > Members/Chapters > For Congregational Coordinators > Congregational Coordinator Administration Menu > Order Congregational Supplies).
Care Abounds in Communities materials, including the 2008 program guide, soon can be ordered by going to the Order Chapter Supplies page online (www.thrivent.com > Members/Chapters > For Chapter Leaders > Chapter Leader Administration Menu > Order Chapter Supplies).
Many Care program materials (e.g., bulletin inserts, news releases) can be printed directly from the Forms page on thrivent.com (www.thrivent.com > Members/Chapters > Volunteer Resources > Forms).
How to access 2008 chapter-related dates, deadlines, etc.
CHIP now has the important chapter-related dates for all of 2008. To access, go to CHIP and click on Important Dates from the left navigation bar.
If you'd rather order the color version than print it, it soon will be available from the Order Chapter Supplies page or Order Congregation Supplies page.
Questions about the Care programs? If you have questions about the chapter Care programs, please contact a member of your regional Lutheran Community Services Team, or contact the Fraternal Service Center at 800-236-3736 or fraternal@thrivent.com.
Reminder: Orientation available for chapter leaders and congregational coordinators
—·FOR
CHAPTER LEADERS AND CONGREGATIONAL COORDINATORS
A great tool for new volunteer leaders; a good refresher for others
To help introduce new chapter leaders and congregational coordinators to their volunteer role with Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, a teleconference playback and related presentation now are available:
The orientation:
Provides a high-level overview of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, the chapter system and the chapter Care programs.
Is recommended for new chapter leaders and congregational coordinators.
Serves as a great refresher for current chapter leaders and congregational coordinators.
The recording is less than 30 minutes. To access, dial 888-843-8996 and enter passcode 19543498#. It will be available until July 1, 2008.
A related presentation that you can print and use for taking notes during the recording is available on the Tutorials/Quick References page in the For Chapter Leaders and For Congregational Coordinators sections of thrivent.com.
Questions encouraged
Because the orientation was recorded, you will not have the opportunity to ask questions. However, we encourage you to write down questions you have and ask one of your regional Lutheran Community Services Specialists or contact our Fraternal Service Center at 800-236-3736 or fraternal@thrivent.com.
Tips for quickly finding information you need
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CHAPTER LEADERS AND CONGREGATIONAL COORDINATORS
Adding some online pages to Favorites now can save time and frustration later
When asked how they successfully find chapter-related information online quickly and efficiently, most chapter leaders and congregational coordinators immediately say they add/bookmark certain pages to their “Favorites.” This way, they can use one click of the mouse to go directly to an online page instead of using a series of clicks to navigate through the entire thrivent.com Web site.
Here are suggestions of pages you might want to add to Favorites early in the year to help you easily get to information you need throughout the year. Click on the links below to access the pages, then add them to your Favorites right away.
Administration Menu – This is the page where chapter leaders and congregational coordinators perform many of the required tasks such as entering activity/funding requests, reporting activity results and ordering supplies.
Chapter leaders: To access this page, go to thrivent.com > Members/Chapters > For Chapter Leaders > Chapter Leadership Administration Menu (you will need to log in). Other tasks you conduct from this area include tracking and reporting operating funds expenses, updating chapter leader and congregational coordinator information, creating a chapter newsletter and postcard, entering meeting minutes, and much more.
Congregational coordinators: To access this page, go to thrivent.com > Members/Chapters > For Congregational Coordinators > Congregational Coordinator Administration Menu (you will need to log in).
CHIP – This is your main reference guide for answers to questions you may have about chapter-related topics. We highly recommend you use CHIP (Chapter Information Place) during the year because it provides quick access to important chapter- and legal-related policies, procedures and guidelines to appropriately use the programs and conduct activities.
CHIP is located at thrivent.com > Members/Chapters > Ask CHIP (www.thrivent.com/members/chip)
Forms page – This is a very popular page for both you as a volunteer leader and for our members who conduct Care program activities. It contains links to forms that service teams are required to complete before and after activities, as well as other tools to help them conduct and promote their activities (e.g., bulletin inserts, news release templates and more). It's located at thrivent.com > Members/Chapters > Volunteer Resources > Forms
Tutorials/Quick References page – This page contains popular easy-to-read quick-reference guides to help you in your volunteer leader role (e.g., understanding your role, how to perform various tasks, etc.) as well as short learning modules—tutorials—that walk you through various topics.
Chapter leaders can access their page from thrivent.com > Members/Chapters > For Chapter Leaders > Tutorials/Quick References.
Congregational coordinators can access their page from thrivent.com > Members/Chapters > For Congregational Coordinators > Tutorials/Quick References.
Chapter Care Programs section – This section includes information about the Care Abounds in Communities® and Care in Congregations® programs. It is broken into small easy-to-find and easy-to-read topics. See the March 2007 Chapter News article for more details and benefits of using this section.
Chapter leaders can access their version from thrivent.com > Members/Chapters > For Chapter Leaders > Chapter Care Programs.
Congregational coordinators can access their version from thrivent.com > Members/Chapters > For Congregational Coordinators > Chapter Care Programs.
Members can access the general information from thrivent.com > Members/Chapters > Volunteer Resources > Chapter Care Programs.
Visibility Toolkit – This toolkit is an excellent resource for volunteer leaders and service team volunteers. It is full of great information to help you spread the news about your activities. Find out what promotional tools are available, which ones to use for your activity, how to use them, and much more including tips for working with the media, inviting elected officials and what to say or write.
The toolkit is available at www.thrivent.com/visibility and also can be linked from both the For Chapter Leaders and For Congregational Coordinators pages.
Ninth annual JOIN HANDS DAY is May 3
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CHAPTER LEADERS AND CONGREGATIONAL COORDINATORS
Now's the time to begin planning; watch for more details in February Chapter News
It's time to start planning how to promote member involvement in the ninth annual JOIN HANDS DAY on Saturday, May 3. Sponsored by America's fraternal benefit societies, including Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, this special day:
Is a great opportunity to not only tell and show others what we do, but have them experience the powerful impact we have across the nation—each and every day—through the grassroots volunteer efforts of our members in communities big and small.
Encourages youth and adults to come together to improve their communities while building lasting friendships across generations.
This year, we're looking to build on the strong support our members have shown for JOIN HANDS DAY in the past—we're not only encouraging chapters and members to participate, but to put an additional emphasis on:
Generating awareness about their activities and the impact that is being made in communities through their activities, and
Inviting others to join with them—families, friends, neighbors, congregations, community groups, media and elected officials.
To help you do that, we again will provide tools and resources you can use to help publicize your activities.
Action Requested: Watch the February Chapter News for details about these tools, as well as important dates related to promoting, conducting and reporting JOIN HANDS DAY activities. In the meantime, check out www.joinhandsday.org for more information or ideas on possible activities, and feel free to start promoting this day to your members.
Members benefit from phone and Web site improvements
—·FOR
CHAPTER LEADERS AND CONGREGATIONAL COORDINATORS
Better, faster and easier access to us and to your product information
Based on excellent comments and suggestions from our members and Thrivent Financial representatives, two significant enhancements are being made to improve our service to members and the ease for members to access the information they need.
As a chapter leader or congregational coordinator, please feel free to share the following information with members in your chapter and congregation as many look to you for news about Thrivent Financial for Lutherans.
Phone system enhancements will get members to the right area quicker
Members are highly satisfied with the service they receive from Thrivent Financial’s customer service professionals, including our Fraternal Service Center. It’s getting to these professionals through the current phone menu that can be frustrating.
Beginning Jan. 15, a new, interactive state-of-the-art phone system will be introduced that greatly improves how members reach the area they need to answer their questions.
Members now will “speak” the purpose of their call in a phrase or sentence instead of listening to a long menu of options and pressing buttons. This system was built in collaboration with and extensively tested with members to ensure this system is a better, more efficient process. Benefits for members include:
Calls are routed to the right service team the first time based on what the member needs. This results in less transfers and misdirected calls.
Members don’t have to worry about cumbersome options and long frustrating menus of options.
Full picture of a member’s Thrivent Financial products now available at a glance As of Dec. 9, members now can access a comprehensive financial summary of their Thrivent Financial products all on one screen on www.thrivent.com. Previously, members had to go to different areas on the site to see specific product information.
Based on member feedback, and tested with members, this new screen features a financial summary with the member’s life insurance, annuity, long-term care insurance, disability insurance, mutual funds, brokerage and Thrivent Financial Bank accounts from one easy to view page – when it’s convenient for the member. We also expanded the contract values members can view online, along with extensive loan, billing and payment history.
To get to this page from thrivent.com, simply click on Your Accounts, then click on My Accounts and log in.
