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Thrivent Builds Publicity Newsletter Archive
November 2007
- Let’s make it a great announcement: 2008 Thrivent Builds Homes
- Participation instructions for November 28 media announcement training
- Tools now available to help celebrate 2007, announce 2008
- Over 100 families’ Thrivent Builds homes still to be dedicated in 2007—Don’t forget to spread the word!
- October Media Watch: 500th Thrivent Builds home announcement a success
- What's new on www.thriventbuilds.com: One click of your mouse will help build a house!
- Feedback
- Newsletter Archive
Let’s make it a great announcement: 2008 Thrivent Builds Homes
In early November, the time finally arrived for 2008 Thrivent Builds Homes funding recipients to hear the good news. Congratulations to every Habitat affiliate who will be a part of this amazing alliance in 2008!
So, what happens next?
A very important next step is for every Thrivent Financial LCSS-TB and Habitat affiliate Publicity Coordinator to join the Web-based training for our Thrivent Builds Homes National Announcement on November 28, 1:00pm CST (2:00pm EST, 12:00pm MST, 11:00am PST).
While some of you are veterans now, with a year or two of Thrivent Builds under your belts, we have made some changes in the way we will approach media outreach, and it’s important that you know about them to make your job easier. We certainly believe that you have a million other things to do. Organizing volunteers, building homes, holding fund-raisers—it’s exhausting work. But the Nov. 28 training will offer you some tips that will help ease your burden a bit. And, if you think that media outreach is not rocket science—you’re right. But when we are all part of a massive outreach effort across the entire nation, it is important that we all have the same information so that our story is told with accuracy and credibility.
The purpose of the Nov. 28 training is:
- To review our Thrivent Builds successes from the last two years
- To review the importance of raising awareness
- To learn the specifics of the national announcement and how to handle it regionally and locally
- To highlight the information and tools on www.thriventbuilds.com/resources that will help you make your Thrivent Builds announcement
- To learn tips on creating an effective Thrivent Builds communications team
- To learn what counts as a "media hit"
- To have a chance to ask questions
Are there others that will benefit from attending this training Webinar? By all means invite them and share the information that you will receive.
Together we can make this a great announcement!
Participation instructions for November 28 media announcement training
We strongly encourage all of you to attend an important national teleconference and Webinar training for the public announcement on Wednesday, November 28:
- For those who are new to the Thrivent Builds program in 2008: 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. Central time.
- For those who participated in the 2006 or 2007 Thrivent Builds Homes program: join the teleconference from 1:15-2:00 p.m. Central time.
Instructions for joining the 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. (Central time) Thrivent Builds Homes National Media Announcement teleconference (those returning to the program may join at 1:15 p.m.):
- About 5 minutes before the teleconference begins, dial 1 (800) 661-2563.
- Please be prepared to provide the following information to gain access to your audio conference call:
Confirmation Number: 19528354
Host Name: Nicole Doebert
Company: Thrivent Financial for Lutherans
You will be placed on hold until the host opens the conference call. As a courtesy to others, and to improve sound quality, please mute your phone when not speaking. - Click on the link below to access the Web presentation: https://www.livemeeting.com/cc/thriventrooms/join?id=TBHAnnouncement&role=attend&pw=1
If you are not able to open the link, please copy and paste the link name into the address bar on your Internet browser and click Enter. - On the Join Meeting page, by Display Name, type in your name and click Join Meeting.
If you can't participate in the live session, schedule time to listen/view the recording at your convenience. It will be made available under "Thrivent Builds Homes" in the Resources section of www.thriventbuilds.com. Select, "2008 Homes Announcement" from the drop down menu.
Tools now available to help celebrate 2007, announce 2008
Similar to those tools you have been using so far, the Alliance Strategy Office created marketing and communications tools to help you celebrate 2007 and spread the word about the 2008 program. The tools now are available. Easy-to-use templates will be available that will save you time as you prepare to share the Thrivent Builds with Habitat for Humanity story with- the media
- through Thrivent chapter and Habitat mailings
- at Lutheran churches
Many tools are returning including templates for news releases, affiliate and Regional Financial Office fact sheets, talking points and interview tips for spokespeople, church bulletin inserts, posters and newsletter articles as well as guides for creating family bios, media kits, using logos and more. While most of these will look familiar, they have been changed based on your feedback and for the new year of home-building.
All tools will be on www.thriventbuilds.com/resources
Every tool developed to help announce the 2008 homes can be found under "Thrivent Builds Homes" in the Resources section of www.thriventbuilds.com. Select, "2008 Homes Announcement" from the drop down menu.
Over 100 families’ Thrivent Builds homes still to be dedicated in 2007—Don’t forget to spread the word!
According to our records, over 100 of the 355 2007 Thrivent Builds homes will be dedicated in December, so this is a big opportunity for you to share your local family’s story. If you still have dedications planned in your area this year, please remember to share this heartwarming event with your local media, Lutheran churches, and local community. A variety of dedication resources, including a template news release, are available on our Resources site under the "Thrivent Builds Homes" dropdown. Choose Dedication event.There is also an 18-minute online training called Making the Most of Your Dedications (Windows Media Viewer, 2.4MB) that might be very helpful to you or others leading the way. It offers some great tips and unique ideas to make your dedication special. Please make sure your Habitat affiliate contact for Thrivent Builds knows about this resource.
Thank you for helping us to build brand awareness through publicity of our Thrivent Builds projects. If you have questions or need assistance with your dedication outreach, please contact cheryl.winget@thrivent.com or kelsey.midthun@thrivent.com.
October Media Watch: 500th Thrivent Builds Home announcement a success
October was once again a big month for media hits across the nation with a total to date just over the 200 mark. We are still in the process of collecting those hits via our on-line tools and hope to see a final number closer to 250, given that many affiliates and Thrivent regional financial offices did media outreach regarding the 500th Thrivent Builds home milestone.
While the higher numbers of media hits for August, September and October have greatly improved our chances of ending the year well regarding brand awareness, we still need your help to continue this momentum through November and December.
One major announcement—the 2008 national announcement of funds awarded to affiliates—is still on the docket for December, but don’t forget to reach out to the media with other stories of Thrivent Builds homes dedications and Thrivent Builds partner families. This time of year is the perfect time to promote this amazing alliance. Your local media are looking for those stories that can articulate the true spirit of the holidays and the importance of a decent home.
Here are a few of the stories that caught our eye in October:
- Oct. 4, Eccentric & Observer Newspapers (15 of them!), Livonia, MI, "Business, labor support key to Habitat mission," cumulative circulation of nearly 190,000. An additional story about the 500th Thrivent Builds home milestone appeared in these newspapers on Oct. 25.
- Oct. 14, Oakland Press, Oakland, MI, Pontiac homes mark milestone for Habitat (500th Home Milestone story), 82,662 circ.
- Oct. 14, York Daily Record, York, PA, Tour recruits builders (Thrivent Builds Mobile story), 90,656 circ.
- Oct. 26, Omaha World Herald, Omaha, NE, Homeownership dream comes true (500th Thrivent Builds home milestone story), 184,150 circ.
Read the 500th House Milestone Media Report to see the results of that outreach effort. A GREAT BIG THANK YOU goes out to all those affiliates and RFOs that assisted us in telling that story to the media! Again, make sure that your local media hits are included in this report because in early December we will announce the RFO with the most 500th Thrivent Builds home milestone stories published, an accomplishment worth a $500 gift certificate for Thrivent Builds merchandise!
What's new on thriventbuilds.com: One click of your mouse will help build a house!
One click of your mouse will help build a house!
Answer one question about the 2008 Thrivent Builds Worldwide trip locations and Thrivent Builds will donate $1 to a Habitat for Humanity host affiliate. And – once you’ve answered the question, you can send the poll to friends so they can join you in supporting Habitat for Humanity®.
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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