new ideas

My Brothers,
ive been with a Mason for 4 years now and am currently the JD, we are starting to get quite a few candidates again. my concern is, are they going to stay, ive talked to the WM several times and he agrees that we need some fresh ideas to engage our newer brothers and to re-energize our veteran brothers. we have lost several members over that past couple years now, we think due doing the same old things, ritual, business, etc...... We do have get togethers out side of lodge but its usually the same active members. Our lodge has 120 or so members but only 25-30 active. if anybody has any ideas to help bring our members back to lodge it would be greatly appreciated. i dont expect an overnight fix, but i do want a long term plan that we can work towards the next several years.

Fraternally
Ralph Brunson

Greetings brother ..we had the same prob at my home lodge .. One thing that could bring back older members is to have a past master night .. We would let the older past master or older brother open and close the lodge .. Sometimes sitting on the side they don't feel like their being used in the lodge plus it's a good way of showing the older member respect for what they have done in the lodge .. Have to remember they prob were the ones that once sat in the same seat your sitting now .. Another idea is when u have a degree going on invite a degree team from another state to put it on for u that will draw a lot of older members back to see a different state doing degree work .. I'm on a traveling degree team from ga and we have went to a bunch of lodges putting on the masters degree long form and the lodges are usely full with older members coming back to see it .. If I come up with any more ideas ill let u know


Freemason Connect HD

I am newly raised and I've been thinking that the younger brothers should step up and engage the older Masons.

Too many times have I been to events and you can look across the room as if it were the color spectrum... younger on the left flowing to oldest on the right. Sure we say hi and bye but I think we should be knocking on their door so to speak.

Was just thinking try sending out letters to the member telling them about the up coming year and how they r missed ..u know sometimes just telling someone their missed really helps


Freemason Connect HD

jeffself said:

Was just thinking try sending out letters to the member telling them about the up coming year and how they r missed ..u know sometimes just telling someone their missed really helps

Click to expand...

Sometimes that's all it takes.
We made a point of reaching out to our oldest living PM, and when he started attending again, so did a number of Brethren he knew. Many older members complain that the lodge forgot about them.

So mote it be


Freemason Connect HD

Thank you my Brothers, you gave me some great thoughts to bring to lodge


Freemason Connect HD

rbrunson said:

My Brothers,
ive been with a Mason for 4 years now and am currently the JD, we are starting to get quite a few candidates again. my concern is, are they going to stay, ive talked to the WM several times and he agrees that we need some fresh ideas to engage our newer brothers and to re-energize our veteran brothers. we have lost several members over that past couple years now, we think due doing the same old things, ritual, business, etc...... We do have get togethers out side of lodge but its usually the same active members. Our lodge has 120 or so members but only 25-30 active. if anybody has any ideas to help bring our members back to lodge it would be greatly appreciated. i dont expect an overnight fix, but i do want a long term plan that we can work towards the next several years.

Fraternally
Ralph Brunson

Click to expand...

dear brother ralph,
you are dealing with a subject that is a global problem...
and - because it is a subject that is delicate and difficult to fix many members tend to stay away from it and - amazingly - even deny that it exists at all!!
I have authored a book on this subject and I invite you - and others - to explore the book website...
sincerely,

robert streeter.

streeter said:

dear brother ralph,
you are dealing with a subject that is a global problem...
and - because it is a subject that is delicate and difficult to fix many members tend to stay away from it and - amazingly - even deny that it exists at all!!
I have authored a book on this subject and I invite you - and others - to explore the book website...
sincerely,

robert streeter.

Click to expand...

Brother Robert,
What is the website for your book?

Ralph


My Freemasonry HD Pro

jeffself said:

Was just thinking try sending out letters to the member telling them about the up coming year and how they r missed ..u know sometimes just telling someone their missed really helps

Click to expand...

One of my years in the east I got a dump of the membership database sorted by when they were raised. On the month they had been raised I sent them a "Masonic birthday" card congratulating them and telling them I looked forward to seeing them at lodge. I met a number of brothers in response to the cards, some even because an old friend told them about the cards. Just because I was in the secretary's office one evening in my SW and I saw a box of preprinted birthday cards. I figured I should put them to use. In a large lodge it's a lot of work doing some hand writing on each card. Well worth the effort.

Another way to return members to activity is to ask them to conduct an investigation. "A candidate is in you neighborhood and the lodge needs your help. Can I send you the write up on how it's done?"