How It Works
Care Abounds in Communities® program:
1. Identify a Need
A Thrivent Financial member identifies a need and the type of activity – fund-raiser, hands-on service activity, educational or member social.
Visit the Chapter Information Place (CHIP) Website for Recipient Requirements
2. Form a Community Service Team
After you identify the need, form a community service team of volunteers who are willing to help you plan and conduct the activity. Involve as many Thrivent members as possible. If you're not sure which Thrivent Financial members, or others may be interested in helping with your cause, contact your chapter leadership board for ideas. Non-members are welcome too!
Designate at least one Thrivent member volunteer as team leader who will be the person the chapter can contact with questions.
3. Request Funding from the Chapter
Before the activity occurs – and preferably early in the planning stages – your team leader contacts the chapter leadership board, requesting funds to support the activity via the Funding Request Form (PDF, 1.45M).
The chapter leadership board will evaluate the request for funds, based on criteria such as: the impact of the activity; potential volunteer hours; potential funds raised and attendance; educational topic; attraction of members/prospective members and the opportunity to publicize the Thrivent Financial chapter service team's involvement.
If the request is approved, a chapter leader informs the service team leader of the amount of funding available for the activity.
4. Publicize and Conduct the Activity
It's important that the activity is promoted as being hosted by Thrivent Financial (e.g., hosted by members of the Juneau Country Chapter of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans; additional funding provided by the Juneau Country Chapter of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans).
Promotional materials such as signs, posters, bulletin inserts and news release templates are available online in our Visibility Toolkit and/or from the chapter leadership board.
5. Report Results to Chapter
After the activity is completed, the community service team leader provides the chapter with:
- The results of the activity (attendance details, volunteer hours, local funds raised, etc.).
- The necessary financial information.
- Any receipts from the activity if applicable.
Visit the Chapter Information Place (CHIP) site for information about calculating volunteer hours, reporting net funds raised or for submitting activity receipts.
6. Chapter Enters the Activity Results Online
The chapter enters the activity results online as soon as possible after receiving the above information and before December 31 of the current year. This reporting triggers the release of the Care Abounds in Communities program funds from Thrivent Financial to one of the following:
- The chapter's checking account for certain activities.
- An identified person/organization.
7. Chapter Financial Director Distributes Funds
The Care Abounds in Communities® program funds approved by the chapter and any net funds raised by the service team, if those funds were deposited with the chapter, are paid out in the manner agreed upon by the chapter, service team and recipient. Visit the Chapter Information Place (CHIP) website for details.
Qualified Not-for-Profit Organization
To receive funding through the Care Abounds in Communities® program, not-for-profit organizations must:
- Be exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. (This includes charitable, educational and religious organizations.)
- Be units of state or local government (e.g., cities, towns, counties, school districts, city parks, etc.). Local communities are eligible even though they are not exempt under section 501(c)(3).