.
End of the Year
As your chapter prepares to
“close the books” on 2009 activities, please review this checklist to ensure
that all the essential tasks are completed by the end of the year.
o
Complete elections by November 30.
o
Tell your new chapter leaders that
they are encouraged to participate in two New Chapter Leader Orientation
teleconferences: one is for general orientation and the other is for their
particular role. Dates and times will be mailed to the CURRENT president and
records director in November for forwarding and will be posted on the region's
website.
o
Register new chapter leaders online by
December 1 if possible so that they will receive important communications.
December 31 is the final date to make the entries and still be eligible for the
first installment of 2010 chapter operating funds.
o
Contact Steve Zeigler (1-888-270-9558),
at least by November 1, if you do not have enough requests to use the 2009 Care
Abounds in Communities allocation.
o
Similarly, and again by at least
November 1, contact him if you do not have enough funds remaining to fulfill
the needs of all 2009 Care Abounds in Communities requests.
o
Check to be sure that all your
congregations are using all of their Care in Congregations allocations. Follow-up
now with those that have not. Encourage them to use the funds and complete the
reporting before December 31.
o
Complete every 2009 Care Abounds in
Communities activity online well before December 31. Please don’t wait until
the last minute because we all know that’s when ice storms, computer “crashes,”
and the flu tend to strike!
o
Check to be sure that all meeting
minutes are posted online – meetings must be posted under "Report Locally
Supported Activities – Administrative – Meeting – Regular Chapter" in
order to count.
o
Enter all locally supported activities
(meetings, activities where no funds are supplemented, training sessions,
events with FRs, etc.). Remember meeting minutes and actual meetings are
reported in two places on the Chapter Administration website (see above).
o
Set 2010 chapter meeting dates.
o
Send a newsletter to all Thrivent
Financial for Lutherans members in the chapter to announce election results, 2010
meeting dates and other pertinent information.
o
Review roles and procedures with a new
chapter leader, if you will be moving out of your current position.
o
Watch for information on the Chapter
Leaders Gathering if you will be serving as a Chapter Leader in 2010. Our big
event will be in State College January 29-30.
o
Update all chapter leader email
addresses and all congregational coordinator email addresses online, as
necessary, to ensure consistent communications.
Beginning
of the Year
To start
the new year off in an organized fashion, please review the following checklist
and implement all the tips as early in 2009 as possible.
o
Set the meeting dates and locations if
not done already. Post this on the chapter website AND the chapter leadership
administration page.
o
Make plans to collectively attend the Chapter
Leader Gathering January 29-30.
o
List your chapter leaders, if not
already done, on the Chapter Administration website.
o
Install all chapter leaders. An
excellent script for this purpose can be found in CHIP (CHapter Information Place) on thrivent.com.
o
Set a goal to leverage the annual
allocation to at least $3 raised for every dollar allocated. Similarly, strive
for 0.5 hour worked for every dollar granted for hands-on projects.
o
Adopt a flexible budget for operating
funds.
o
Plan to approve new members at each
meeting.
o
Appoint or reappoint all chapter
leader advisory positions, including at least one Financial Associate Advisor
and enter them online.
o
Appoint an audit committee.
o
Inform all Thrivent Financial for
Lutherans members of the meeting schedule via a chapter newsletter and the
chapter's web site on LutheransOnLine.
o
Plan a schedule for newsletters to all
members and to congregational coordinators. Plan a schedule for post card
mailings to members.
o
Start making plans to recognize the
efforts of volunteers, including service team members, congregational
coordinators, and, yes, chapter leaders. Operating funds may be used for this
purpose.
o
Update the chapter's web site on
LutheransOnLine with calendar events, meeting dates and locations, and other
important information.