Celebrating our Successes in 2006

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• Celebrating our Successes in 2006
• B
• Announcing our Goals for 2007

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Presenters
Cheryl Winget, Media Relations Specialist
Tara Perre, Public Relations Specialist
Nicole Doebert, Web Site Marketing Collateral
Specialist
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Welcome!

• Thrivent Builds with Habitat for Humanity is an
  unprecedented alliance for both Habitat and
  Thrivent Financial.
• Thrivent Builds brings together two national
  nonprofit networks of 1,699 Habitat affiliates
  and 1,362 Thrivent volunteer chapters.
• Thats a powerful combination to help combat the
  chronic national and worldwide problem of
  substandard housing!

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Purpose of todays training

• Help you increase public awareness of
• Thrivent regional financial office.
• Habitat for Humanity affiliate.
• Your Thrivent Builds with Habitat for Humanity
  project(s).
• Learn how you benefit through participation in
  the national announcement.
• Explain the available tools for making your
  regional and local announcements.
• Simplify the announcement process by recommending
  tasks, roles and responsibilities for making your
  announcement.

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Share this with others

• If you know of others who can help you and are
  unable to join us today, please inform them that
  this training has been recorded.
• Thrivent Managers of Lutheran Community Service
  and marketing contacts.
• Affiliate project leads and publicity
  coordinators for Thrivent Builds projects.
• Volunteers who have publicity skills.
• They can listen and view the slides at their
  convenience.
• Information on how to access the recorded version
  will be shared at the end of the training.

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What did we accomplish in 2006?

• 313 homes built in 43 states by 216 affiliates.
• 38 volunteer trips to 15 countries through the
  Worldwide program. 42 trips already scheduled
  for 2007.
• More than 1,600 media hits across the U.S.
• Involved more than 140,000 volunteers, many of
  them new to Habitat for Humanity.
• Forged new relationships between Habitat
  affiliates and Lutheran congregations.
• Forged new relationships between Lutheran
  congregations.

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Why is raising awareness so important?

• Good publicity results in
• New volunteers Lutheran, Thrivent Financial
  members, other.
• Fund-raising success.
• Thrivent Financial member engagement.
• Interest in other Thrivent Builds with Habitat
  programs (Worldwide, Giving).
• Interest in other Thrivent Financial or Habitat
  for Humanity programs.
• More awareness of affordable housing issues.
• 355 families in decent, affordable housing!

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Making this announcement in your area is a big
deal!

• We will be announcing the number of homes funded
  for 2007 AND the number of homes completed in
  2006.
• The announcement of 355 homes in 2007 will
  attract media attention and support for your
  projects.
• We need you to share your specific Thrivent
  Builds with Habitat stories to keep the
  information fresh and the media interested.
• Remember This is an unprecedented alliance. It
  has never been done before!

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Cooperation is key

• This announcement will be made by you across the
  United States during the same time period for
  greatest impact.
• We ask that you do not release any information to
  the media or mass public audiences until the date
  of the announcement.
• The date chosen for the announcement is the week
  of December 17, 2006.
• Church announcements starting Sunday, Dec. 17.
• Media announcements starting Dec. 18.

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Getting the word out!

• Thrivent LCSS-TBs and Habitat affiliates are
  asked to announce this to
• The media.
• Local Lutheran churches.
• Thrivent members.
• Habitat volunteers.
• Recommended roles

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We will help

• Pitching the story to national Lutheran media,
  and major media in Minneapolis, MN
  Appleton/Green Bay, WI Milwaukee, WI.
• Side Bar Stories that can be used in
  conjunction with your news release.
• Media lists for every Thrivent Region in Excel
  format.
• Media templates that announce the number of homes
  funded for 2007 and the number of homes completed
  in 2006.
• You can tailor these for local media, churches
  and your local Habitat affiliate communication
  channels.
• Video News Piece and extra support video will be
  made available to all television studios.
• When you do call backs to television stations
  where you have sent your release, remind them
  that a video news piece is available on Pathfire
  or on satellite beginning Dec. 18.
• These will be available on www.thriventbuilds.co
  m/resources . Select 2007 Homes Announcement
  from the Thrivent Builds Homes dropdown menu.

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We will help

• Church templates are available
• Church bulletin insert, newsletter text, posters.
• Announce it from the podium.
• Ask Thrivent Financial representatives to host a
  Thrivent Builds coffee hour.
• Affiliate templates are available.
• These will be available on www.thriventbuilds.co
  m/resources . Select 2007 Homes Announcement
  from the Thrivent Builds Homes dropdown menu.

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Tools are available

• Where?
• www.thriventbuilds.com/resources.
• Select 2007 Homes Announcement from the
  Thrivent Builds Homes dropdown menu.
• What?
• Media kit tools
• News Release.
• RFO Fact Sheet Template.
• Habitat Affiliate Fact Sheet Template.
• Media Log Sheet.
• Side-Bar stories.
• Regional media lists.
• Thrivent Builds Homes State Fact Sheet Templates.
• Templates Marketing Publicity Guidelines.
• National Announcement Newsletter/Web Text.
• Tools for Lutheran churches, Thrivent Chapters
  and Habitat affiliates.

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Tools are available

• When?
• All tools are currently available.
• Talk to contacts now about announcing during the
  week of December 17, 2006.
• Church announcements starting Sunday, Dec. 17.
• Media announcements starting Dec. 18.

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What if I cant send out the releases on the
recommended date?

• What is important is that you get the release
  out!
• It may still be news in your area, even if you
  need to send it at a later date, so please do so.
• For biggest impact, however, it is best to do
  this as a unit across the country.
• The video news piece will be available to
  television stations in your area starting on
  December 18. Youll want your news release to
  coincide as much as possible with it.

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• Q A

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Teaming up in your region

• Identify media markets using the list provided at
  www.thriventbuilds.com/resources
• Select 2007 Homes Announcement from the
  Thrivent Builds Homes dropdown menu.
• Determine how many versions of the news release
  you need to send out.
• Decide who will send out the news releases.
• Determine who will fill out the variable
  information in your news release(s).

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Lets pretend

• Florida Region
• Thrivent is working with
• 9 Habitat affiliates.
• 10 Thrivent chapters.
• Building 10 Thrivent Builds Homes.
• Two homes will be built in the St.
  Petersburg/Tampa area.
• One home each in Jacksonville, Miami, Key West,
  Coral Gables, Pensacola, Tallahassee, Fort
  Lauderdale and Frostproof.
• Florida is a big state with many different media
  markets, daily newspapers and community
  newspapers. Where do we begin?

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Lets pretend, cont.

• Are any of the homes in the same media market?
• Do we need to combine affiliates into one
  release?
• In this example, there would be multiple releases
  all built from the template. In the Miami area,
  there are multiple affiliates in a large market.
  We need to work together to reach the media about
  the local builds AND the statewide impact due to
  the far reaching circulation of the Miami Herald.

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The necessary information

• Who will serve as media contact?
• What city, county, state or area will be used in
  the headline?
• What city will be used in the dateline?
• Who will serve as local spokespeople in the news
  release? What will they say?
• Information about the home(s) that will be built.
• Partner family information or quote to
  personalize your release.
• Boilerplate information.

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Sample boilerplate 1

• About Houston Habitat for Humanity
• Houston Habitat for Humanity is one of the
  largest Habitat affiliates in the nation and one
  of the largest builders of affordable housing in
  the city. Over the course of its 15-year
  history, the organization has built over 500
  homes in partnership with families in need of
  affordable housing and has hosted multiple
  building projects that have gained national
  attention including collaborations with the
  National Football League and Major League
  Baseball. For more information visit
  www.houstonhabitat.org.

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Sample boilerplate 2

• About area Habitat for Humanity affiliates
• Three Habitat affiliates serve the Travis,
  Blanco and Williamson County areas and are
  participating in this event. Each affiliate is
  independently governed and operates through a
  charter with Habitat for Humanity International.
  For information related to affordable housing
  services in your area, please see
• Austin Habitat for Humanity serving the Austin
  area and Blanco County www.austinhabitat.org
• Habitat for Humanity of Greater Round Rock
  serving Round Rock community www.habitatroundrock.
  org
• Habitat for Humanity of Georgetown serving the
  Georgetown community www.habitatgeorgetown.org

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Sample boilerplate 3

• About the Texas Region of Thrivent Financial for
  Lutherans
• The Texas Regional Financial Office is made up
  of 120 financial representatives and provides
  financial products and services to more than
  113,000 people in Texas and the Oklahoma
  panhandle. Together with its members, the Texas
  Region provided more than 8.8 million in
  charitable outreach in 2004. For more
  information, visit www.lutheransonline.com/rfo475.

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Next steps

• Schedule a publicity planning meeting with the
  Thrivent LCSS-TB and Habitat Affiliate Publicity
  Coordinator(s) to coordinate all of those points
  that we covered today. Include others Thrivent
  RFO marketing contacts, volunteers who can
  help.
• Pull the media and marketing tools from
  www.thriventbuilds.com/resources and fill in the
  variables (Dec. 1-15). Send them to contacts that
  you trust will hold the announcement for the
  appropriate date.
• Ask Lutheran churches to share the announcement
  on Dec. 17 using the announcement marketing
  tools.
• Send your completed release(s) to local media
  (Dec. 18).
• Plan your local event(s) as the builds commence
  in your area.

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Planning follow-up events

• The ASO team urges each affiliate to plan an
  event at the start (or shortly after the start)
  of their first build with your Thrivent Financial
  partners.
• These events will offer another opportunity to
  talk wit the media about the Thrivent Builds
  Homes program, the 355 homes and the specific
  homes in your area.
• Ideas for events may include a groundbreaking or
  wallraising for the first home.
• Tools and templates are available at
  www.thriventbuilds.com/resources.

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Recorded versions of todays training
You will receive instructions for accessing both
the full-length and the shortened version of this
training in

• weekly LCS Team News
• weekly e-newsletter from HFHIs U.S. Office
• monthly Thrivent Builds Publicity e-newsletter

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ASO Media Relations contacts

• Tara Perre
• Appleton location
• Phone [phone]
• Toll free 800-847-4836, X-82998
• Cell 920-585-0557
• Email tara.perre_at_thrivent.com
• Cheryl Winget
• Minneapolis location
• Phone [phone]
• Cell 612-877-1958
• Email cheryl.winget_at_thrivent.com

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• Q A

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