Join hands and see the power of membership grow! Be part of a national day that brings generations together to improve our communities through the power of grassroots volunteerism.

Purpose  |  Join the Fun  |  Tools to Plan, Promote and Conduct

JOIN HANDS DAY is a national volunteer day sponsored by America’s fraternal benefit societies. This special day generates awareness about the powerful impact grassroots volunteerism has on communities across the nation while bringing youth and adults together to build lasting friendships across generations.

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans and its members have been strong supporters of this day since its start in 2000. Thrivent chapters conduct nearly 3,000 JOIN HANDS DAY activities nationwide annually, resulting in nearly 590,000 volunteer hours of service.

This year, JOIN HANDS DAY is on Saturday, May 3. Consider being part of this special day and volunteer through a Thrivent chapter. For more information on how you can get involved, contact your local Thrivent chapter for details.

Generate Awareness! Involve More People!
Tools to help you plan, promote and conduct a successful activity!
Thrivent Financial for Lutherans and its members have a major impact in communities nationwide by multiplying the good we do together. JOIN HANDS DAY is an opportunity to not only tell this story, but help others see and experience it.

Getting the word out about activities is important – invite your family, friends, neighbors and community organizations to participate. You may also want to consider inviting the media and elected officials.

Below are tools, guides and forms to help you successfully conduct your JOIN HANDS DAY activity. For more information about JOIN HANDS DAY, visit www.joinhandsday.org.

2008 JOIN HANDS DAY Tools for Chapter Service Teams

PLAN

Conducting a Successful Thrivent Chapter JOIN HANDS DAY Activity — Step-by-step guide to use as you plan, conduct and report your activity. PDF, 115K Request for Funding Form — When you begin planning your activity, complete and submit this form to your chapter leadership board to request funds. Word, 69K Activity Ideas — Several ideas taken from joinhandsday.org, as well as a couple of ideas generated by chapter leaders. 3K

PROMOTE

How to Promote Your JOIN HANDS DAY Activity: Tips, tools and merchandise to generate awareness — Two-page guide that provides information you can use to generate awareness of your activity.  PDF, 826K Bulletin Insert template — A helpful tool to let church members know about your activity. Remember to get permission from your congregation before submitting. We did most of the writing—you just fill in the details. Two versions are available: Electronic template — Fill in the information electronically; then print, photocopy and submit to the congregation. Word, 175K Manual template — Print the template and write in the information; then photocopy and submit to the congregation. Word, 166K Mini Poster template — A tool to let congregation and community members know about your activity. Use our template and simply fill in the details. Two versions are available: Electronic template — Fill in the information electronically; then print, photocopy and post. Word, 301K Manual template — Print the template and write in the information; then photocopy and post. Word, 295K Fact Sheet — A handout to provide to the media, elected officials and others who would like to know more about Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, JOIN HANDS DAY and fraternal benefit societies. Word, 43K Media Advisory — Use this to announce your activity to the media. All you need to do is add the details about your activity. Simply fill in the underlined portions electronically with the requested information. Word, 40K  (instructions for using, Word 29K) Inviting Elected Officials to Chapter Activities quick-reference guide — Simple steps for contacting and building awareness among elected officials, and what to do when they attend your event. PDF, 66K Visibility Toolkit — This online toolkit provides tips on how to select and use appropriate promotional tools; as well as how to work with the media and invite elected officials. It also provides guidelines about what to say or write. JOIN HANDS DAY pre-registration — To be considered for national recognition and a $1,000 award from JOIN HANDS DAY, you must pre-register your activity on www.joinhandsday.org. We encourage you to do this. You’ll also need to complete the post-activity report (see below).

REPORT

Report Activity Results Form — After your activity is completed, please fill out and submit this form to your chapter leadership board no later than July 14. Word, 64K News Release template — A tool to inform the media and your community about the impacts made through your activity. Simply fill in the underlined portions electronically with the requested information. Word, 40K  (instructions for using, Word 34K) Members in Action Information Release form — We’d love to hear about your activity at Thrivent Financial for Lutherans. We’re gathering stories so we can tell others about the difference our members make. Word, 72K (fillable)  |  PDF, 29K JOIN HANDS DAY post-activity report — To be considered for national recognition and a $1,000 award from JOIN HANDS DAY, complete the post-activity report on www.joinhandsday.org. We encourage you to do this.

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