A new campaign sponsored by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans seeks to raise Americans’ awareness of ways to improve their finances.
Titled “Do One Thing Differently,” the campaign asks the question, “Would you do one thing differently to improve your financial life?,” and encourages people to focus on a single, manageable step to improve their financial wellness.
“You don’t have to dramatically change your life to save money or plan for the future,” says Jackie Hintz, vice president of Member Growth for the Minneapolis-based nonprofit. “One small step can make a huge difference in seeing your savings cushion grow or reducing your debt.”
At the Do One Thing Differently website at www.thrivent.com/onething visitors are encouraged to make a change that fits with their lifestyle. The campaign suggests the following starting ideas:
- Bring lunch from home to work.
- Give talents instead of buying a gift.
- Set up direct deposit for savings accounts.
- Understand credit ratings and what they mean.
- Seek out community opportunities for financial education, such as those listed at www.thrivent.com/findaworkshop.
Lifestyle changes vary in size and scope, according to Laura Dierke, leader of Program Management with Thrivent Financial.
“People are often too overwhelmed with their finances to start making changes,” Dierke said. “What’s great about this idea is that you’re not being asked to forfeit your entire lifestyle, just one aspect of it, big or small.”
Using the online resources, visitors are invited to select their lifestyle change and share it online. For every idea shared, Thrivent Financial will donate $1 (up to $10,000) to Open M, a nonprofit, neighborhood-based ministry. Open M is the chosen recipient for this campaign because of the direct impact it has on families undergoing financial hardship, according to Thrivent Financial.
On the campaign’s Facebook page — www.thrivent.com/facebook — some of the ideas shared by participants include:
- Planning meals on a weekly basis.
- Clipping coupons.
- Ironing shirts instead of having them dry cleaned.
- Shopping at consignment shops.
- Checking out books from the library rather than purchasing them.
To see more ideas and information about the Do One Thing Differently campaign — or to make a commitment to improve your finances — visit the website.
Posted June 9, 2011
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