Make a difference and see the world with Thrivent Builds Worldwide.
Help families in your own community with Thrivent Builds Homes.
Thrivent Builds Publicity Newsletter Archive
May 2008
- Creating a Web presence for your Thrivent Builds project
- Consider a Thrivent Builds Worldwide trip!
- Thrivent Builds Best Practices—Thrivent Builds Mobile VIP Reception
- April Media Watch—10 Hits on the 10th!
- What's new on www.thriventbuilds.com: Thrivent Builds Worldwide El Salvador Community and Gulf Coast Community Update
- Feedback
- Newsletter Archive
Creating a Web presence for your Thrivent Builds project
Putting information about your Thrivent Builds with Habitat for Humanity project on the Web is a great way to recruit volunteers and keep them informed of build site progress. You can add build dates, contact information, special event information about media or fund-raising events and great photos of your build progress. The great thing about the Web is that you can get your information out to thousands of people and keep your information as fresh and up-to-date as possible – updates can be made in just minutes!
So how do you do it? We've created some tips to help you get your Thrivent Builds information online – including ideas for FREE places to host your Thrivent Builds Web pages. We've also included some guidelines to help you make sure your volunteers are getting accurate information that helps support the trusted relationship they have with both Thrivent Financial and Habitat for Humanity.
Read the Creating a Web presence for your Thrivent Builds Project (Word, 50K) document to find out more details about where to build your Thrivent Builds Web site and important information about keeping your content accurate. And be sure to share these tips with the local Thrivent chapters involved in your builds!
Consider a Thrivent Builds Worldwide trip!
There are abundant opportunities to get involved the fun, hard work and life-changing experience that is Thrivent Builds Worldwide.
- Participate in a trip! Consider joining a team to travel to a different area of the world and volunteer.
- Lead a trip! Consider leading a trip and bringing others from your area including volunteers from your affiliate, local Lutheran congregations, Thrivent chapters, friends or family. Take the next step to discover how you can lead a Thrivent Builds Worldwide trip.
- Give a trip! Consider financially supporting someone you know going on a trip or even giving the gift of a life-changing trip to a new graduate!
- Share these trips! Please take a look at the www.thriventbuilds.com Web site to read more about the opportunities available, read journals of past team members, see frequently asked questions, and much more. There are also resources to share these opportunities on http://www.thriventbuilds.com/resources/ under "Thrivent Builds Worldwide."
- "Thrivent Builds Worldwide Communities": Build whole communities – and new friendships with Thrivent Financial members and others – through recurring, targeted trips to specific locations including the Gulf Coast Community or the El Salvador Community pilot trips.
- "Destination of Choice" Build a home where your heart and passion lead you! Through Thrivent Builds Worldwide, we have destinations available all over the world. Find out about trips that currently have openings.
Thrivent Builds Best Practices—Thrivent Builds Mobile VIP Reception
The Thrivent Builds Mobile recently made a stop during its cross-country travels at the Texas Arts & Crafts Fair in Kerrville, Texas. While the "big, red truck" is a wonderful exhibit that often moves visitors to want to volunteer immediately with their local Habitat affiliate, it can be very difficult to entice the media to cover it. Sometimes it takes some innovative thinking and a little extra work—but the results usually make the additional effort worthwhile.Thrivent Financial representative Hans Van Dyke and Kerrville Habitat for Humanity executive director Steve Hamilton decided that one way to introduce community leaders (including representatives from the local media) to Thrivent Builds was to invite them to a VIP reception at the exhibit just prior to the opening of the fair. Other prominent members of the community, such as the mayor, the county judge, county commissioners and city council members, were also included on the invitation list. More than 20 VIPs attended the wine and cheese reception and enjoyed a private tour of the Thrivent Builds Mobile!
The VIP reception yielded two articles in the Kerrville Daily Times and some wonderful community relations. If your area is hosting the Thrivent Builds Mobile this year and you would like to host a VIP reception, make sure you work with our new Thrivent Builds Mobile coordinator, Miranda Moderson, to include this in your plans. There is even a pre-written VIP invitation (Word, 20K) available, that can be printed on Thrivent Builds notecards, available free for order.
April Media Watch—10 Hits on the 10th!
April was, overall, a very good month for Thrivent Builds in the news. One day, however, stood out from all the rest—April 10. While most days in April produced 2 to 8 media hits, April 10 matched its date with 10 hits! Check out the list below for a complete list of the April 10 hits:
- New Richmond News, New Richmond, WI, "Kvitek chosen for Habitat project," 6,000 circ.
- Stoughton Courier Hub, Stoughton, WI, "Home, affordable home," 4,374 circ.
- St. Charles Press, St. Charles, MN, "Thrivent Financial and Its Members Generate Nearly $321 Million for Community Needs in 2007," 1,750 circ.
- Lake Country Echo, Pequot Lakes, MN, "Habitat for Humanity build scheduled in Brainerd," 4,355 circ.
- Lewiston Journal, Lewiston, MN, "Thrivent Financial and Its Members Generate Nearly $321 Million for Community Needs in 2007," 4,500 circ.
- York Dispatch, York, PA, "St. Matthew's is hosting a ‘Raise the Roof' concert…," 38,491 circ.
- York Daily Record, York, PA, "St. Matthew Lutheran Church…," 45,307 circ.
- Pipestone County Star, Pipestone, MN, "Family chosen for Habitat home," 3,900 circ.
- Tri-County News, Kiel, WI, "Thrivent generates over $320 million for causes," 2,650 circ.
- Newsleaders, St. Joseph, MN, "St. Joseph ‘Habitat' home nears completion," 23,500 circ.
What's new on www.thriventbuilds.com: Pilot Thrivent Builds Worldwide El Salvador Community Trips
Thrivent Builds Worldwide El Salvador Community Pilot
Help shape our newest Thrivent Builds Worldwide Community! Join one of five pilot trips this summer to our newest Thrivent Builds Worldwide Community - in Santa Ana, El Salvador. Be part of the development of this new community. Help change lives and provide input on how the community will be shaped in the future. Recruit other Thrivent Financial members to join you with new tools now available.
- Typical trip week
- Pilot trip details - Pilot team members are needed for five trips this summer!
- Recruitment materials
Each month we're keeping our Thrivent Financial for Lutherans members up to date on the progress being made to build 40 homes in the Gulf Coast Community. This month features the exciting results from the Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project, as well as some special ways Thrivent Financial members are giving even more of themselves to the families in the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Check out the beautiful handmade quilts!
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
If you would like to read previous issues of the Thrivent Builds newsletter, simply access the Newsletter Archive from this link or from the left navigation bar.