Back in 2000 I read this in one of the many local newsletters I had received. It resonated then just as it does now. How important it is for membership to step up and choose to be a successful lodge with active participation.
WHO MAKxS THx LODGx A SUCCxSS ?
xVxN THOUGH MY TYPxWRITxR IS AN OLD MODxL, IT WORKS QUITx WxLL, xXCxPT FOR ONx OR TWO KxYS. I HAVx WISHxD MANY TIMxS THAT IT WORKxD PxRFxCTLY. IT IS TRUx THAT THxRx ARx FORTY-SIX KxYS THAT FUNCTION WxLL xNOUGH BUT JUST ONx KxY NOT WORKING MAKxS THx DIFFxRxNCx.
SOMxTIMxS OUR LODGx IS SOMxWHAT LIKx MY TYPxWRITxR: NOT ALL THx KxY PxOPLx ARx WORKING PROPxRLY. YOU MAY SAY TO YOURSxLF, “WxLL I AM ONLY ONx PxRSON. I WON’T MAKx OR BRxAK THx GROUP.” BUT IT DOxS MAKx A DIFFxRxNCx BxCAUSx A LODGx, TO Bx xFFxCTIVx, NxxDS THx ACTIVx PARTICIPATION OF xVxRY MxMBxR. SO THx NxXT TIMx YOU THINK THAT YOU ARx ONLY ONx PxRSON, AND THAT YOUR xFFORTS ARx NOT NxxDxD, RxMxMBxR MY TYPxWRITxR AND SAY TO YOURSxLF,”I AM A KxY PxRSON IN THE LODGx, AND I AM NxxDxD VxRY MUCH”.
Borrowing from the Strategies on Recruitment from the Freemasons and adding some of my own thoughts I will present ideas each month for you.
- Banners, posters, signs, slogans, recognition — along with seasonal decorations and event decorations
- Be creative in your local Lodge, short-term membership campaigns which serve as incentive for your member-sponsors to “get out there” and make a big effort in order to win a prize. Membership Committees should brainstorm ideas for short-term membership campaigns,
promoting items that are seasonal, topical, sports or camping oriented, etc.
To assure that members bring their friends and families to your Lodge and its activities, you have to make your Lodge the “Friendliest Place in Town”!
Although you might think of your Lodge in those terms, others may not. So how do you assure that your Lodge is the friendliest place in town?
To make a Lodge into the friendliest place in town is not a single action; rather, it is a combination of actions. The contention is that to make a Lodge into the friendliest place in town involves more than just the human condition. It involves many things, including the following:
–marketing the Lodge itself
–creating atmosphere in the Lodge with special functions
–appearance of the building and grounds
–member attitude
–communicating with membership
–attitude of officers
–identifying problems, understanding them, identifying their cause, and solving them