Fraternal Programs > Visibility Toolkit > Inviting Elected Officials to Your Events
Inviting Elected Officials to Your Events

Funding for the Thrivent chapter system and programs is generated by tax exemptions granted to Thrivent Financial and other fraternal benefit societies by the U.S. Congress and all 50 state legislatures.

Those exemptions can be reconsidered at any time – there are no guarantees. To help us maintain our tax-exempt status, we need elected officials to understand our impact. But, since they can't support what they don't know, it's important for elected leaders to experience firsthand how members like you work through the chapter system to help each other and your communities.

The most important thing you can do to help elected officials get to know Thrivent Financial is to invite them to large chapter events. Invite your member of Congress to volunteer with you at a Thrivent Builds with Habitat for Humanity site, or ask your state senator to speak at your chapter's annual meeting.

Taking a few simple steps to ensure your elected officials see Thrivent chapters and members at work in your community can go a long way toward protecting the resources that fund the very programs that are so important to you.

Hosting officials how-to's

Create a list of local elected officials. Include state officials (state house or assembly members, state senators, etc.) and federal officials (U.S. House and Senate members). You may even include your mayor or other local officials. Be sure the list includes both postal and e-mail addresses and telephone numbers.

Prioritize events. The larger the event, or the greater its impact on the community, the more attractive it will be to elected officials. So, as you plan, consider inviting officials to events that will attract a large gathering of volunteers, aid a well-known community cause or have a significant impact in other ways.

Send invitations. Before you send your first round of invitations, contact the officials' offices to let the staff members know you will be extending invitations from time to time.
 

• Ask who in the office manages the schedule and how they prefer to receive an invitation. Note this information for future use.
   

• After the initial call, send the invitations the preferred way. (For future events, the invitation can be sent without first placing a courtesy call.)
   

• Include the basics, such as date, time, location and your contact information, but also try to include facts that will get the elected officials' attention, such as how many people will attend, who or what the activity benefits, if you plan to invite the media, etc. See sample invitation.
   

Follow up. If you haven't already heard back, at least a week before the event, call to see if the officials will attend. The staff may have questions about the event, and your conversation may help an official choose to attend the chapter activity over a competing event.

Send a thank-you note. A timely and sincere note thanking an official for his or her attendance at a chapter activity can seal a relationship. Include in the note any photos you took or newspaper articles you clipped that refer to the event. Don't forget this important final step.

Helpful hints when elected officials attend your event

• Most elected officials appreciate opportunities to join their constituents in efforts to help build a better community. So, an elected official's attendance at a chapter activity is important recognition for the chapter and its member volunteers.

• Expect that staff members may accompany an official, even if it was not specifically mentioned. Staff members are also an important audience for the good news of your work.

• Determine ahead of time what you would like the official to do at the event. Is he or she there to pound nails or serve food alongside other volunteers? Should they say a few words to kick off the event?

• Consider appointing a person to host, greet and/or escort the official during the activity. This person would ensure that the official has opportunities to meet others at the event, and get them to their designated program or volunteer spot.

• Ensure that any media representatives who attend know that the elected official is present. Likewise, be sure to alert the official to the media's attendance as well.

• If there is a formal program, offer an elected official the opportunity to make brief remarks, or at the very least publicly recognize the official during that program. Most elected officials will not abuse an opportunity to speak at a volunteer event by launching into an inappropriate political stump speech.

Chapter leaders play an important role!
Because educating elected officials is important, the chapter vice president and communications director have the following accountabilities in their role descriptions: Invite elected officials to chapter activities, and track and retain documented records of elected officials' attendance at chapter activities.

If at first you don't succeed… Even when you invite elected officials to your larger efforts, such as those that will also attract media attention, you may still find they can't attend. Elected officials' schedules are notoriously busy and unpredictable, but don't be deterred. Every invite you send— even those that aren't accepted — helps educate elected officials about your chapter's work in their communities and helps demonstrate the positive impact of our unique not-for-profit status.

Be yourself at the event Elected officials are invited to chapter activities so those officials can meet our members and see them in action. We aren't asking members to discuss specific issues; rather, we want them to do what they do best: make a difference in their communities!