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Resources > Thrivent Builds Newsletter
Thrivent Builds Publicity Newsletter
November 2008
Spread the word about 2009 Thrivent Builds Homes!
Earlier this month, the time finally arrived for 2009 Thrivent Builds Homes funding recipients to hear the good news. Congratulations to every Habitat affiliate who will again be a part of this amazing alliance in 2009! So, what happens next?
A very important next step is for every Lutheran community services specialist – Thrivent Builds (LCSS-TB) and every 2009 Habitat affiliate Publicity Coordinator to join the teleconference/Webinar training for our Thrivent Builds Homes National Announcement on December 3, 10:30am CST (11:30am EST, 9:30am MST, 8:30am PST).
While some of you are veterans now, with up to three years of Thrivent Builds under your belts, we have some tips about 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 Dec. 3 training will offer you some tips and show you some tools that will help ease your burden. 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 Dec. 3 training is to:
- Share Thrivent Builds successes and the importance of raising awareness
- Learn about the national announcement, and how we’ll work together to make the regional and local announcements
- View the tools available on www.thriventbuilds.com/resources
- Learn tips on creating an effective Thrivent Builds communications team
- Understand how to report your media successes
After this training, each LCSS-TB should contact all of the Habitat affiliates in their Thrivent region to plan and coordinate this public announcement. Please begin reaching out to your local media in December, if possible, with the announcement of your participation in Thrivent Builds in 2009.
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!
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Participation instructions for December 3 Thrivent Builds Homes National Announcement training
We strongly encourage all of you to attend the Thrivent Builds Homes National Announcement training on Wednesday, December 3:
- For those who are new to the program in 2009: join the teleconference/Webinar from 10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Central time.
- For those who participated in Thrivent Builds Homes in past years: join the teleconference/Webinar from 10:45 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Central time.
Instructions for joining the 10:30–11:30 a.m. (Central time) Thrivent Builds Homes National Announcement training (those returning to the program may join at 10:45 a.m.):
- About 5 minutes before the teleconference begins, dial 1 (800) 588-4973.
- Please be prepared to provide the following information to gain access to your audio conference call:
Confirmation Number: 23003489
Host Name: Cheryl Winget
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 Webinar presentation:
https://www.livemeeting.com/cc/thriventrooms/join?id=TBH2009Publicity&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. If you are still struggling to enter the Webinar, you can instead download the presentation slides (PowerPoint, 2MB).
- On the Welcome page, type your name and click the Continue button. If you are trying to join the meeting over 30 minutes early, you will be told that the meeting has not started yet.
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" at www.thriventbuilds.com/resources. Select 2009 Homes Announcement from the drop down menu.
*These instructions were also included in the 2009 Thrivent Builds Homes acceptance letters and were sent out via emailed calendar invitations.*
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Tools now available to help celebrate 2008, announce 2009
Similar to those created for previous years of the Thrivent Builds Homes program, the Alliance Strategy Office has created marketing and communications tools to help you celebrate your 2008 accomplishments and spread the word about the 2009 program. The 2009 tools are now available, including easy-to-use templates that will save you time as you prepare to share the Thrivent Builds with Habitat for Humanity story with:
- the media
- Thrivent members and Habitat supporters through Thrivent chapter and Habitat mailings
- Lutheran churches
Back by popular demand
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. One change you might notice is that the media lists are created by state, rather than by Thrivent RFO.
All tools are on www.thriventbuilds.com/resources
Every tool developed to help announce the 2009 homes can be found under "Thrivent Builds Homes" in www.thriventbuilds.com/resources. Select 2009 Homes Announcement from the drop down menu.
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October Media Watch: A big month for telling the Thrivent Builds story with pictures
Sending press releases that tell the story of our Thrivent Builds projects is the standard method of getting coverage by the local media. Oftentimes, though, it is a photo that gets the media’s attention. Whenever you have a particularly good photo that you think might interest your local media, don’t hesitate to send it to them along with a suggested caption and/or headline. If you’re reaching out to a larger, daily newspaper, be sure to call and ask for the appropriate contact – a photojournalist, photo editor or photography director, for example.
During the month of October, we collected several examples of photos with extended cutlines that tell the Thrivent Builds story in a very “picturesque” way. Click on the links below to see these examples for yourself and remember to give this outreach method a try:
- October 7, The State News, East Lansing, MI, Helping Build Homes for Others (PDF, 251K), 30,500 circ.
- October 20, York Daily Record, York, PA, No Place Like Home (PDF, 220K), 45,307 circ.
- October 20, Herald Journal, Spartanburg, SC, Habitat Home All Her Own (PDF, 258K), 60,321 circ.
A Wisconsin affiliate used several photos and a limited amount of text to offer a very effective “thank you” to volunteers and other supporters of their Thrivent Builds project and to invite the community to the dedication. Photos and articles such as this can be offered as a story idea to your local newspaper, but you may also consider purchasing space so as to be sure it appears on a specific date. Sometimes newspapers are willing to donate space for such an item so be sure to ask. Check out the following link for a great way to get the word out:
Just a reminder!
Be sure to let us know whenever your affiliate or RFO receives media attention for your Thrivent Builds projects. You can alert your LCSS-TB to your media successes or send them directly to Cheryl Winget or Kelsey Midthun.
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What's new on www.thriventbuilds.com: 2009 Thrivent Builds Homes locations now available
Thrivent Builds Homes locations
Encourage volunteers to check out our "Find a Build" page to find the closest 2009 Thrivent Builds Homes project for them. There are links to Thrivent RFO and Habitat affiliate Web sites, so they can get more information about your organization. And - they can fill out an online form to indicate interest in volunteering!
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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.
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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.
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