Care Abounds in Communities:   These funds are for volunteer work projects and/or fund-raising activities that benefit individuals, families, local communities, or organizations that are exempt from federal income tax under section 501C(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, excluding congregations.  These funds are for activities organized and conducted by six Thrivent member households.  There has been much confusion over the issue that the six Thrivent member households must all be members of the same congregation.  This is incorrect.  A Care Abounds in Communities activitiy should be done by Thrivent members acting together as a group of Thrivent members, not as members of their church.  

The Care Abounds in Communities funds, distributed by the Chapter Board, is a lump sum allowance provided at the beginning of the year to each Chapter.  There is no requirement that a certain church receive a certain amount as this fund is to promote the good works done by Thrivent members, not their churches.  Although every effort is made by the Board to be equitable in the distribution of these funds, it is not divided equally among each congregation.

Hands-on:  This is a service activity that involves volunteer labor to assemble, develop or improve something for an identified recipient. Through its chapter Care programs, Thrivent Financial provides financial assistance to purchase necessary materials used in an activity in which chapter service team members provide the volunteer support (labor) to help an individual, family, or qualified not-for-profit organization.  Hands-on activities need to involve a significant amount of work.  An activitiy such as buying a refrigerator and installing it does not qualify.  In general, our chapter looks for at least two hours of volunteer time for every five dollars approved in funding.  Requests for a Hands-on project must be submitted before the activity.  Requests may be granted for the full amount, for a reduced amount, or not funded.  If funded, you may receive up to half of the funds before the activity takes place.  After the project, the remaining funds will be provided upon submission of the final report and all receipts for expenses.

Request funds - To avoid a delay in your request, be sure you are using the proper form.  Remember, the board only meets quarterly, so apply as soon as practical.  Activities are rarely approved in the interim, so it is in your best interest to make sure you have completed the proper form and filled it out correctly. Submit the completed form to the Community Service Team Director by e-mail or mail.Forms are available online at:  http://www.thrivent.com/members/volunteer/forms.html  

Advertise Activity – Events funded by Thrivent must be publicized.  See the Visibility Toolkit at www.thrivent.com/visibility for ideas on publicizing your activity.  

Hold Activity - Remember to retain receipts that will need to be submitted to the Financial Director.  Also remember to track the following information:
-  Net funds raised (fundraisers only)
-  Total expenses incurred
-  Total number of Thrivent associate & benefit members attending
-  Total number of people (members and nonmembers) attending
-  Total number of Thrivent member households actively involved in planning or helping with the activity
-  Whenever possible, checks should be made out to the Northern UT Chapter of Thrivent Financial.

Report - After the activity, complete and submit to the Financial Director the following:
-  Activity Results Form (http:www.thrivent.com/members/volunteer/forms.html)
-  All Expense Receipts (legible copies will be accepted).  Please note that the receipts should be copied
and/or organized in such a manner as to assist the Financial Director in determining what they were for, and that the date the expense was incurred is in line with the date the activity took place.

-  A check(s) for net funds raised (fundraiser projects only).  All check(s) should be made payable to Northern Utah Chapter of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans.   (Net funds are those funds remaining after all expenses have been paid).  Be sure to submit all of the net funds raised, even when you raised more than the amount needed to receive the full amount of the supplemental funds.  This helps justify the benevolent (non-profit) status of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans.

Once the Financial Director receives and enters the proper documentation, checks for fund-raising projects are deposited into the chapter checking account.  Then the home office of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans contributes the supplemental funds allowing the Financial Director to issue a check for the entire amount to the beneficiary(s).  It generally takes about a week to receive the check back with the supplemental funds included.  For hands-on projects, any remaining funds are issued upon submission of the final report and receipts for all expenses.

Minimum Requirements:
All CAIC applications must meet the following criteria:
- Have at least 6 Thrivent households actively involved
- Provide assistance to needy individuals, organizations, and/or the community.  (CAIC grants are NOT to be used for congregational support)
- Funding request between $100 (minimum) and $1600 (maximum)
- Fund-raising projects must raise a minimum of $1 for every $1 requested

Evaluation Criteria:
Preference is given to applications that:
- Provide 2 hours for every $5 of funding for Hands-on (work) projects
- Raise at least $3 for every $1 Thrivent donates (3:1 match) for Fund-raising projects
- Have a high number of volunteer hours (don’t underestimate the number of volunteer hours)
- Recipients are located within the Northern Utah Chapter Region.  In light of the area that we live in, our chapter has chosen to give preference to applications that benefit individuals, organizations, and communities that are located within our region.  Therefore, applications requesting funding for activities outside of our region are less likely to be funded.  

Other Factors that are Considered:
- Location of Project:   To reach more people, our board has chosen to promote community activities that are spread throughout the Northern Utah Chapter.   Therefore, some preference is given to funding grants from each community/congregation within our region.  
- Timing of Project:  The Chapter Board meets quarterly.  So we can respond to changing needs, the approval and funding of projects is typically spread equally throughout the year.   The last of the funds are typically allocated in September.

Application & Funding Information:
- Submit your application early.  It is helpful for the board to know about projects in advance.
- Submit the final report, receipts, or net funds raised in a timely manner (i.e., within 2 weeks).  
- All projects must be completed before the end of the year.