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Thrivent Builds Publicity Newsletter Archive
May 2007
- Publicity training on-demand: Available on a computer near you
- Tools you can use: Thrivent Builds Homes fund-raising banks
- April Media Watch
- What's new on www.thriventbuilds.com
- Feedback
- Newsletter Archive
Publicity training on-demand: Available on a computer near you
New online Webinar series allows you to learn publicity tips at your convenienceEven the most seasoned media and publicity experts benefit from a refresher course here and there. And those new to the publicity role have told us training is a huge asset to help them get started. Based on the feedback we’ve gotten from all of you through surveys and after previous training events, we’ve created a new way for you to get the publicity training you need, when you need it.
Starting this month, the Thrivent Builds with Habitat for Humanity Alliance Strategy Office is creating a series of short 10-15 minute Webinars on a variety of topics. The first training - Seven Steps to Building a Successful Brand (Windows Media Video, 1.32MB) - is available online now!
Each month, we will be creating one or two new short online training videos, covering topics like:
- Volunteer recruiting
- Fund-raising
- Groundbreaking events
- Wall-raising/roof-raising events
- Dedication events
The online trainings are available on the Thrivent Builds Resources site. From the home page of the Resources site, select "Publicity" from the dropdown of Web-based training topics on the right side of the screen and click "Go."
Be sure to check the site often, as new training topics will be made available each month.
Tools you can use: Thrivent Builds Homes fund-raising banks
Coin bank raises awareness and gives children an opportunity to participate in Thrivent Builds
Do children have a part to play in Thrivent Builds? You can bank on it! Last year, the Twin Cities Thrivent Regional Financial Office (RFO) designed and distributed a cardboard coin bank for kids to color, assemble and fill with coins to help families in need of decent, affordable housing.
The fund-raising coin banks now are available in inventory, item number 22978. Maximum order quantity is 100 banks. Read ordering instructions. The bottom of the banks are blank, so you can add a sticker with information about where the banks should be returned when filled.
Best Practice: Use the coin banks with Sunday School curriculum
The bank was included in a mailing to Lutheran churches in the region about Thrivent Builds, with a suggestion to use the bank in Sunday School and other children's ministries. The RFO also distributed the bank at chapters' Thrivent Builds events.
The mailing also included some lesson materials to educate children about the need for decent, affordable housing, while helping to instill values of generosity and volunteerism. The materials were developed by Cheri J. Meiners, M.Ed., a former first-grade teacher and professor of education, and derived from her book Reach Out and Give, a discontinued Thrivent Financial member benefit. The materials and coloring pages from that book are available from the Thrivent Builds Resources Web site on the Thrivent Builds overall promotion topic found under any of the dropdown menus.
Tip: Plan early. Sunday Schools generally develop curriculum early in the year for the fall start of Sunday School. Also, find out if any of the summer Lutheran Bible Schools in your area are using Habitat for Humanity’s Bible School curriculum, Under Construction, and ask them if they would like to use the fund-raising banks in conjunction with their daily lessons.
Questions?
If you have questions about ideas for using the coin banks, contact Joy Peterson of the Twin Cities Region of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans at (763) 595-9999. If you have questions about the Habitat for Humanity Bible School curriculum, contact the US Support Center at (877) 434-4435. For questions about or to place an order for the Thrivent Builds Homes fund-raising banks, contact the Fraternal Call Center at (800) 236-3736.
April Media Watch
April readership numbers are "out of sight!"As we monitor our Thrivent Builds media hits from across the country each month, one number that is noted as often as possible is the circulation number of each print publication on our list. While a newspaper’s or magazine’s circulation number is important, it isn’t the only number worthy of our consideration.
Readership numbers are also important. Readership reflects the actual number of people who read each newspaper or magazine. While not often listed in media monitoring tools, a readership number is easy to calculate. Most publications list their readership number at somewhere between 2.1 and 2.6 times their circulation number. That is to say, they have determined that an average of 2.1 to 2.6 people read each issue. For simplicity’s sake, we will use a readership number of 2.5 in talking about our April Thrivent Builds totals.
A total of 79 print hits were collected for our report during the month of April. That may not seem very impressive at first glance — it is not unusual to have more than that in a given month — but the readership number for those 79 hits is an amazing 17,045,622! We can say, with some certainty, that more than 17 million people read a story about a Thrivent Builds project or event in the month of April, thanks to your tremendous efforts.
Some of the notable hits from this month were:
- April issue, Good Housekeeping Magazine, New York, NY, "Reallives: His, hers and theirs," 4,609,209 circ.
- April 24, Minneapolis Star Tribune, Minneapolis, MN, "My View: Habitat for Humanity moves to Ramsey with new focus on ‘burbs," 358,887 circ.
- April 26, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, St. Louis, MO, "Events: Thrivent Builds Mobile," 277,842 circ.
- April 28, Buffalo News, Buffalo, NY, "Local churches to build two homes with local Habitat," 194,225 circ.
What's new on www.thriventbuilds.com
Diary of a Blitz Build
During the "blitz build" of one of the Milwaukee Thrivent Builds Homes, the builder who helped make it happen also shared her thoughts and experiences. Read what it's like to help a family obtain the dream of homeownership - in just one week.
Feedback
Is this newsletter helpful to you? Do you have additional ideas for articles you'd find helpful? Please send your feedback to Nicole Doebert.
Newsletter Archive
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