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Chapter System
About Chapter System
Each Thrivent Financial for Lutherans member
is assigned to one of approximately 1,400 local units of Thrivent
Financial called chapters. The chapter system enables Thrivent Financial
members to aid themselves and others through voluntary action.
As a fraternal benefit
society, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans is comprised of members
who are joined together into local volunteer groups—Thrivent
Financial for Lutherans calls them chapters. Thrivent chapters provide
an enjoyable, rewarding opportunity for members and others to join
together to meet individual and community needs. See Member Activity Highlights on this Web site for a glimpse of the overwhelming
assistance via funds raised/supplemented and volunteer hours provided
by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans and its chapters.
As illustrated on this page, the chapter system is comprised of
approximately 1,400 chapters each led by a Chapter Leadership Board;
Congregational Service Teams led by congregational coordinators;
Community Service Teams; and three Care
programs—Care Abounds in Communities®, Care in Congregations®
and Care in Regions®. This system provides multiple
opportunities for members and volunteers from the community to help
others and their communities in ways that best fit their time and
talents.
Chapter Leadership Boards
Each chapter leadership board consists of Thrivent Financial for
Lutherans members, elected by members in the chapter, who provide
leadership to the chapter. The leadership board is responsible for
administering funds to community service teams for helping individuals,
families and qualified not-for-profit organizations via the Care
Abounds in Communities® program.
The leadership board is comprised of five required elected positions,
five optional elected positions and a number of advisory people
who are appointed by the elected leaders.
Service Teams (anyone can be on a service
team)
You can volunteer with Thrivent Financial for Lutherans through
one or more service teams. A service team is a group of at least
six people from different Thrivent Financial for Lutherans member
households, that conducts one or more chapter activities. Once
the six household requirement is met, members and nonmembers may
be participants on a service team.
Each service team is part of a chapter, and all service team activities
are activities of the chapter. In the chapter system, there are
two types of service teams:
- Community Service Teams
A community service team consists of at least six Thrivent
Financial for Lutherans members (benefit, associate and/or youth
members), each from a different household, who come together to
conduct a chapter fund-raising activity or hands-on service activity.
Activities can benefit an individual, a family, a local community
or an organization that is exempt from federal income tax under
section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. (This includes
charitable, educational and religious organizations.)
Community service teams request activity and funding approval
from their chapter leadership board through the Care Abounds in
Communities® program. To qualify for funding, the six-member
household requirement must be met. After this requirement is met,
nonmembers may and are encouraged to participate in the activity.
- Congregational Service Teams
A congregational service team includes all Thrivent
Financial for Lutherans members who want to come together to help
a particular Lutheran congregation or its associated Lutheran
institutions. Teams help by conducting fund-raising activities
and/or hands-on service activities such as painting the church
or building cabinetry for the fellowship hall.
The congregational service team must have three Thrivent Financial
for Lutherans members from separate households registered as
congregational
coordinators.
In addition, at least six Thrivent Financial for Lutherans members,
each from a different household, must participate in an activity
to receive supporting funds from Thrivent Financial for Lutherans
through the Care in Congregations® program.
Congregational coordinators may be included in the required six
member households. If the six-member-household requirement is
met, nonmembers may and are encouraged to participate in the activity.
Participating congregational service team members may differ from
one activity to the next, and participants do not need to be members
of the congregation benefiting from the activity.
Funds that a congregational service team uses to help its congregation
or related Lutheran institution(s) go directly from Thrivent Financial
for Lutherans to the congregation or institution through the Care
in Congregations® program.
Note: A congregational service team also may
conduct Care Abounds in Communities® program activities
to benefit individuals, families, local communities or eligible
not-for-profit organizations. In these situations, the service
team requests funds and accesses resources from a chapter leadership
board through the Care Abounds in Communities® program.
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