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Thrivent Builds Publicity Newsletter Archive
October 2006
- NEW! Thrivent Builds Giving donations can be designated to affiliates
- Save November 28th for Publicity Webinar
- Media training basics: Why you should consider getting schooled in interviewing skills
- What's new on thriventbuilds.com
- September Media Watch: From Hollywood to the Heartland
- Feedback
- Newsletter Archive
NEW! Thrivent Builds Giving donations can be designated to affiliates
Thrivent Builds Giving has been expanded to directly help all Habitat for Humanity affiliates. Please make sure everyone in your organization knows of this important change.
Originally, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans supplemented member gifts to Habitat for Humanity International only. But new program guidelines now allow Thrivent Financial members to designate their gifts and the supplement (Thrivent Financial adds $1 to every $2 member donation) to the affiliate of their choice. Habitat affiliates already are recognizing the importance of this fund-raising mechanism to their overall development program.
“Changing the program gives Habitat affiliates a new way to raise dollars in their community, and we look forward to their help in marketing the program to their donors,” said Tom Williams of the Thrivent Builds with Habitat for Humanity Alliance Strategy Office. “The supplement also gives Thrivent Financial members who have a passion for eliminating substandard housing in their communities even more motivation to give through the program.”
How it works for Thrivent Financial members
To designate their donation and the Thrivent Financial supplement to a Habitat affiliate, members must:
- Add the affiliate’s name, location and affiliate code (PDF, 66K)— available on the Thrivent Builds Web site — to the Thrivent Builds Giving Member Gift Form (PDF, 298K) and
- Submit the form with their gift to Habitat for Humanity International.
As in the past, Thrivent Builds Giving donations may not be used to fund Thrivent Builds Homes projects or Thrivent Builds Worldwide trips. These programs operate independently of one another, each engaging Thrivent Financial members in a different way. Except for these restrictions, affiliates are free to determine the use of these funds in the manner that best fulfills their mission. More details about implementing the program can be found in the Thrivent Builds Giving Program Guide (PDF, 309K).
Opportunities plenty for Thrivent Financial regions and Habitat affiliates
Engage more members! If you’re part of Thrivent Financial, promoting this program provides one more way to engage members in your area—especially chapters and churches who are not participating in Thrivent Builds Homes.
Increase donations! If you’re a Habitat for Humanity affiliate — or an Organizational Development Consultant working with affiliates — promoting the program in your area can directly increase donations to affiliates. If an affiliate has been participating in Thrivent Builds Homes, it likely has great lists of Lutheran and Thrivent Financial member volunteers for direct mail promotions. Since these volunteers are already aware of Thrivent Builds, they may be interested in supporting your affiliate through Thrivent Builds Giving.
Marketing tools
Thrivent Builds Giving can make an impact in your area! To help market the program, please use the pre-approved Thrivent Builds Giving Promotion and Implementation Tools on the Thrivent Builds Resources Web site at www.thriventbuilds.com/resources. Tools include:
- Program brochure.
- FAQs.
- Bulletin insert.
- Buckslip.
- Newsletter text.
- News release template.
- Poster.
- Phone Scripts.
- Direct Mail Letter.
Save November 28th for Publicity Webinar
Training Webinar will explain in detail how you can share your local Thrivent Builds story along with the national story of the homes built in 2006 and the grants awarded for 2007. Participating in this major media effort is also a perfect opportunity to recruit more supporters for your local Thrivent Builds project(s).
Can you believe it! It’s time, once again, to SAVE THE DATE for the national announcement training. The members of the Alliance Strategy Office Marketing & Communications Team can hardly believe that nearly a year has gone by since we asked you to save the date for last year’s announcement training.
You’ve been so busy building houses that we can’t blame you if you don’t even remember what the national announcement is all about. Here’s a recap:
- We’ll celebrate the number of homes completed in 2006.
- We’ll announce the number of Thrivent Builds grants awarded for 2007.
- We’ll need your help to announce this not only through area media outlets, but also in local Lutheran churches and to Habitat for Humanity supporters through your Habitat affiliate communication channels.
- For those who were in the program in 2006: November 28, 11:30 a.m. – noon CST
This is for those of you who already know the ropes. We’ll talk about what’s new for 2007 and offer tips and techniques to help us get the word out across the nation. We will also save time for questions. - For those who are new to the program: November 28, 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. CST
We’ll spend more time on details and expectations so that you’ll have a clear understanding of the role we’re asking you to play in this important effort. We will also save time for questions.
If you are unable to participate in the training, it will be recorded so you can listen/view at your convenience.
Contact Cheryl Winget or Tara Perre if you have any questions.
Media training basics: Why you should consider getting schooled in interviewing skills
During the past year, you’ve heard advice like, “use key messages,” “make sure you have a spokesperson,” and “you’re never off the record.” Although working with reporters can be tricky at times and down right stressful if you aren’t prepared, putting this advice into practice can make your job easier.To help you in your media efforts the ASO Communications Team has offered media training, but just what is it? A recent article, “Media Training: What It Is And Why It Just Might Save You,” by Aileen Pincus of The Pincus Group, sums up what media training is and why it is important. Here are some key concepts.
First, Pincus points out media training is not spin. It’s not a sneaky way of saying no comment or avoiding the truth. It is simply a way for you to prepare yourself for an interview that helps level the playing field. It’s a way for you to have some control of the interview, rather than leaving it entirely in the reporter’s control.
Pincus breaks media training down into three basic areas:
- How to deliver a message. This is where key messages fit. The more familiar you are with the messages you want to deliver to the media, the more at ease you will be during interviews, and the more likely you are to say your most important messages.
- How to get the attention you want and deal with the attention you don’t. Media training also helps you get your messages into the story. If you ramble on and on during an interview, or worse, don’t say anything interesting, your words will stay in the reporter’s notebook. Media training can help you develop interesting sound bites or nuggets of important information reporters won’t be able to resist. Media training also helps you prepare for the worst. What’s the one question you don’t want a reporter to ask? Be prepared to answer it.
- How to help different reporters tell your story effectively. Understanding the way different reporters work is also a key component to media training. If you understand reporters, whether broadcast or print, and how they work, you can be more effective in your interactions with them.
--Tara Perre
What's new on thriventbuilds.com
Guatemala Corporate Trip Journal
Read the experiences of Keturah Pestel and other Thrivent Financial corporate and field employees who recently helped build two homes in Guatemala. See lots of photos of their progress, their partner families, the local culture - and even their mascot, Thrivent Builds Ken.
Thrivent Builds Mobile Journal
Read Mike's journal entries from recent Thrivent Builds Mobile tour stops, including the Minnesota State Fair, LaCrosse Oktoberfest and Warrens Cranberry Festival. See a journal entry from a visit to your area? Be sure to put a link to Mike's journal on your Web site!
September Media Watch: From Hollywood to the Heartland
September has been another great month for visibility of the Thrivent Builds with Habitat for Humanity alliance. The September report includes coverage of home dedications in Iowa, Illinois, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Missouri, South Dakota, Oregon, Washington and Minnesota where the state’s largest newspaper, Star Tribune, printed the story of two homebuyers who fell in love in “Two hearts come together in Habitat home: In Fairmont, two people hoping for Habitat for Humanity houses met, fell in love and now need just one house for their blended family.”
But it wasn’t just heart-warming family stories that caught the media’s attention. In Lancaster, Penn., a particular house captured headlines: “Home Witness to Hollywood History.” Who knew that serving as a movie set in the Harrison Ford movie “Witness” would land coverage of a home 21 years later? That’s exactly what happened as volunteers in Lancaster County started renovating the “Witness” house into a new home for a single mother of three through Thrivent Builds with Habitat for Humanity.
Overall, at least 84 stories have been earned in at least 19 states including:
- Print (46 stories),
- Radio (two stories),
- TV (14 stories) and
- Online (22 stories).
Read the entire report for more details. Remember: if your affiliate has received media hits that are not included on this report, please mail details of those hits to Tara Perre. Your help with this means we can give more accurate reporting on media activity to both Habitat for Humanity International and Thrivent Financial for Lutherans.
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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