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Dues That Still Don't

coachn

Coach John S. Nagy
Premium Member
Your first link/image on your blog is not coming up.

BTW - Great article! Good points.
 
Last edited:

Bloke

Premium Member

"3. Find out how many dues paying brethren are currently members of your lodge. Divide your average annual operating cost by this number. This number is the minimum you should be charging for annual dues"

(At no one in particular).... how the hell would you calculate them any other way?

We've got a problem here with "cheap" lodges that get themselves in trouble and a general desire to keep Freemasonry cheap and accessible. I've just discovered a lodge I've audited twice (as member) and I kept asking about bills and weird amounts, and I've got to the point where I've been willing to *really* do something about it and discovered they've been skipping their biggest bill every once and a while and still owe one back to 2014 as well as others. It happened because a respected Sec did it that way in times of trouble and kept it going, so when we used the books to budget, it was never picked up and the last 2 treasurers, although qualified accountants, were young MMs did not picked it up but knew it was not quite right.... it was always "we missed this bill, but have made it up, so all is well"...

*breath*

So, our house is not exactly in order, but I read about American Lodges and scratch my head..... you give a 30 year old or even a 60 year old "life membership" for x 10 annual dues
.. even if it was x 50 years, most lodges don't sequester the cash but spend or give it away? Life memberships are bad news and it all comes down to capable and vigorous management.
 

Bill Lins

Moderating Staff
Staff Member
The writer of the article posted "you can consider ‘grandfathering in’ the grandfathers and leave the dues for retired brethren as-is." Not under GLoTX, you can't.

Art. 310. No Distinctions Among Vocations.
No distinction in the amount of fees charged a candidate for the degrees, nor in the amount charged a member for dues, shall be made on account of the profession, occupation or calling of the candidate or member; and no reduction in the amount of fees, contributions or dues accruing to the Grand Lodge shall be made on that account.
 

Bloke

Premium Member
The writer of the article posted "you can consider ‘grandfathering in’ the grandfathers and leave the dues for retired brethren as-is." Not under GLoTX, you can't.

Art. 310. No Distinctions Among Vocations.
No distinction in the amount of fees charged a candidate for the degrees, nor in the amount charged a member for dues, shall be made on account of the profession, occupation or calling of the candidate or member; and no reduction in the amount of fees, contributions or dues accruing to the Grand Lodge shall be made on that account.
Is it silent on age or distress ?
 

JJones

Moderator
The writer of the article posted "you can consider ‘grandfathering in’ the grandfathers and leave the dues for retired brethren as-is." Not under GLoTX, you can't.

Art. 310. No Distinctions Among Vocations.
No distinction in the amount of fees charged a candidate for the degrees, nor in the amount charged a member for dues, shall be made on account of the profession, occupation or calling of the candidate or member; and no reduction in the amount of fees, contributions or dues accruing to the Grand Lodge shall be made on that account.

Well, I just learned something! Thanks Bro. Lins. Just fixed that also.
 

JJones

Moderator
@Bloke I'm relatively new to my current lodge but the annual dues are $75 and each degree is $75 also. It was explained to me that this kept things simple and everyone know what everything would cost.

I'm also a bit ashamed to admit that I'm the current WM here but I haven't had any luck with presenting the changes I mentioned in my post. There are some very unhealthy cultures in many lodges and this is one of them. It's an uphill battle but fixing the dues problem here is a goal of mine.

That being said, I don't think I've been to many lodges where the dues were set to cover annual expenses. They are typically set very cheap and the difference is intended to be covered by fundraisers throughout the year.
 

Bloke

Premium Member
@Bloke I'm relatively new to my current lodge but the annual dues are $75 and each degree is $75 also. It was explained to me that this kept things simple and everyone know what everything would cost.

I'm also a bit ashamed to admit that I'm the current WM here but I haven't had any luck with presenting the changes I mentioned in my post. There are some very unhealthy cultures in many lodges and this is one of them. It's an uphill battle but fixing the dues problem here is a goal of mine.

That being said, I don't think I've been to many lodges where the dues were set to cover annual expenses. They are typically set very cheap and the difference is intended to be covered by fundraisers throughout the year.
A cheap lodge here is $100 plus GL capitation (paid once in lowest numbered craft lodge and that's about $110). Dues at mother lodge are 220 plus GL, at other lodge it's $350. It's rare a lodge does not set annual fee by using the below;

(Number of dues paying members)
÷
(annual expenses)
+
(GL fees)
= annual dues

That's the only way to survive.

Some will work in meal cost, but most have user pays. $20 dining fee at mother lodge $35 at other lodge.

As I've said before, evolution rather than revolution is often the way to make change at a lodge; keep chipping away towards progress Brother...
 

David Duke

Premium Member
Our dues are 120.00 and some of the highest in our area that I know of. About 95 of our 240+ living members are endowed, of those about 20 voluntarily pay at least the cost of the per capita so we are relatively financially stable.

All that being said I am hoping that in the next couple of years we would raise our dues to at least 150.00 but I wouldn't want to do that until we raise our endowment which is currently at 700.00 but the road block to doing that is that per our bylaws we purchase the outgoing WM an endowment or if he already has one we purchase additional matching units. At the rate of returns over the past 7 years it takes over 20 years to just break even.

I tried this past spring to get the bylaws changed to awarding a Life Membership instead, we would still pay per capita but wouldn't be out the cost if the endowment, this was overwhelmingly rejected. So I am really concerned about raising the endowment cost since it will only cost the Lodge more on the outgoing WM and I wouldn't want to raise dues without raising the endowment cost. Although in looking at what I just wrote I think it would probably be financially better for us to pay the additional purchase price for the 1 endowment which would be significantly offset by the additional monies raised in dues although I am sure we would loose a few for NPD.


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Ripcord22A

Site Benefactor
Our dues are 120.00 and some of the highest in our area that I know of. About 95 of our 240+ living members are endowed, of those about 20 voluntarily pay at least the cost of the per capita so we are relatively financially stable.

All that being said I am hoping that in the next couple of years we would raise our dues to at least 150.00 but I wouldn't want to do that until we raise our endowment which is currently at 700.00 but the road block to doing that is that per our bylaws we purchase the outgoing WM an endowment or if he already has one we purchase additional matching units. At the rate of returns over the past 7 years it takes over 20 years to just break even.

I tried this past spring to get the bylaws changed to awarding a Life Membership instead, we would still pay per capita but wouldn't be out the cost if the endowment, this was overwhelmingly rejected. So I am really concerned about raising the endowment cost since it will only cost the Lodge more on the outgoing WM and I wouldn't want to raise dues without raising the endowment cost. Although in looking at what I just wrote I think it would probably be financially better for us to pay the additional purchase price for the 1 endowment which would be significantly offset by the additional monies raised in dues although I am sure we would loose a few for NPD.


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Whats the difference between life and emdowed?

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Bloke

Premium Member
@Bloke I'm relatively new to my current lodge but the annual dues are $75 and each degree is $75 also. It was explained to me that this kept things simple and everyone know what everything would cost.

I'm also a bit ashamed to admit that I'm the current WM here but I haven't had any luck with presenting the changes I mentioned in my post. There are some very unhealthy cultures in many lodges and this is one of them. It's an uphill battle but fixing the dues problem here is a goal of mine.

That being said, I don't think I've been to many lodges where the dues were set to cover annual expenses. They are typically set very cheap and the difference is intended to be covered by fundraisers throughout the year.

We only run fundraisers for two purposes; charity or to do something with our building. When finds raised go into consolidated revenue, members get narky.

Do you pay for dinner ? We have alcohol which adds to the expense but it's worth it ;)
 

David Duke

Premium Member
Whats the difference between life and emdowed?

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The life membership is awarded by the Lodge for distinguished service the endowment is purchased either by the member or Lodge (in his name). With both, the member is not obligated to pay dues (although as stated above some do). The Lodge is still required to pay the per capita on both life and end endowed members.

A Lodge can award a maximum of 4 life memberships in a 3 year period and a maximum of 2 in one year. We rarely award life membership in fact to my knowledge we have only given 1 in the past ten years.


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Ripcord22A

Site Benefactor
The life membership is awarded by the Lodge for distinguished service the endowment is purchased either by the member or Lodge (in his name). With both, the member is not obligated to pay dues (although as stated above some do). The Lodge is still required to pay the per capita on both life and end endowed members.

A Lodge can award a maximum of 4 life memberships in a 3 year period and a maximum of 2 in one year. We rarely award life membership in fact to my knowledge we have only given 1 in the past ten years.


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Thats interesting....neither of mine have it set up like that....life and endowed are just different names of the same thing in my jurisdictions. In NM nad OR. GL handles the funds. Every year the profits from the endowment go back to the lodges

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David Duke

Premium Member
The Lodge or member are not out anything on the Life membership other than the Lodge paying the per capita, however, there is no return since nothing has been invested. Like yours on the endowment the funds are sent to GL where it is invested and paid out annually in perpetuity.


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Bloke

Premium Member
According to our Const we can have
  • Ordinary members (has a vote, 50% discount for country, and by a lodge bylaw 50% for students, but the bylaw is common. Many lodges will have a pension discount, none I am a member of have that)
  • Special (has a vote, no Dues, GL paid by lodge or waived by GL on age)
  • Honorary ( no dues but no GL and also no voting rights. Must be member of another lodge)
We don't have purchasable endowments or life members.
 

Bill Lins

Moderating Staff
Staff Member
Is it silent on age or distress ?
A Lodge may, by vote, agree to assist an elderly or distressed Brother, but it still must pay the full per capita to Grand Lodge.
Art. 314. May Remit or Exempt from Payment.
A Lodge may exempt any member from the payment of current dues, may remit the dues of a member in arrears, or may remit or compromise the amount of dues owing by a Brother suspended for non-payment thereof, but is not thereby exempt from the payment of any part of its dues on such member or suspended Brother to the Grand Lodge.
 

Bloke

Premium Member
A Lodge may, by vote, agree to assist an elderly or distressed Brother, but it still must pay the full per capita to Grand Lodge.
Art. 314. May Remit or Exempt from Payment.
A Lodge may exempt any member from the payment of current dues, may remit the dues of a member in arrears, or may remit or compromise the amount of dues owing by a Brother suspended for non-payment thereof, but is not thereby exempt from the payment of any part of its dues on such member or suspended Brother to the Grand Lodge.
Thanks for confirming this flexibility
 
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