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What works for your Lodge?

Blake Bowden

Administrator
Staff Member
Many Lodges hold fundraisers, raffles, etc throughout the year but what's the most important event for your Lodge and why?
 

Wingnut

Premium Member
Most all our events culminate in the Scholarship Awards Ceremony. Golden Trowel Awards and Community Builders are biggies as well as Installations.
 

nick1368

Registered User
umm, interesting question. Over the last 3 years have been anything but normal in our lodge. From Hurrican Rita to having 3 Masters that really didn't do much. I would say our Master this year is trying to bring our lodge back to what it was as far as doing awards and community projects. So with that said, nothing just jumps out as something that everyone shows up for annually other than installation.
 

Bro. Stewart P.M.

Lead Moderator Emeritus
Staff Member
As far as fundraising is concerned our big bread-winner every year is a shot-gun raffle. Last year for example we purchased a $1200 shot-gun, and sponsored a clay-shoot at a local gun range (with sponsored stands). We sold tickets for $20 a piece and after it was all said and done we raised $9000 for the lodge.
 
J

jwardl

Guest
We hold an annual golf tournament. We play at a large, nice course nearby, and raise the bulk of our funds from this. A couple of specific brothers are instrumental in getting door prizes and players involved. It's usually a big success.

This year, we're trying a new idea: a skeet shoot. It has the potential to be bigger then the golf tournament, but we'll have to see what happens.

Other fund raisers include selling spaces in our parking lot during busy local events, professional sports ticket sales, and alot of internal events including merchandise sales, dinners, and a Christmas auction of rare/unique/unusual masonic-themed merchandise acquired from multiple sources. The lodge buys some, and a few brothers (including myself) donate the rest.
 
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Robert Marshall

Secretary, Waco 92
Premium Member
Gentlement, I thank yall for posting these ideas. Our lodge is currently exploring new ideas and this really truly helps.
 

Robert Marshall

Secretary, Waco 92
Premium Member
For what it's worth, here are some more ideas I have thought of, but not yet tried:

Movie night- Use a projector and charge 5 bucks for people to come watch a flick. Serve popcorn and drinks. Aside from the cost of the projector, this could make for a fairly low cost, and decent results.

Sell "merchandise" - As encouragement for members to donate 50-100 bucks to the Lodge, have various items with Masonic emblems on them. Cafepress.com has a wide variety of such things.


And one that we currently use: A monthly fish fry! All you can eat. 7.50 a plate.
 

Smokey613

Registered User
We team up with the ladies of our OES chapter and hold a garage sale. We split the monies and it has produced good results in the past.
 

Blake Bowden

Administrator
Staff Member
Movie night- Use a projector and charge 5 bucks for people to come watch a flick. Serve popcorn and drinks. Aside from the cost of the projector, this could make for a fairly low cost, and decent results.

I would be weary of charging for a movie, maybe asking for donations would be safer.
 

Bill Lins

Moderating Staff
Staff Member
We do a BBQ cookoff fundraiser for scholarships in the summer and a motorcycle toy run with Bay City Lodge in the winter to provide Christmas gifts for the kids of women in the Crisis Center (battered womens' shelter).
 

fairbanks1363pm

Registered User
We do a golf tournament in the spring. FFA livestock show cookoff in February, smoke brisket sale in November. We are talking about having a fishing tournament in the summer.
 
F

FairbanksMM1363

Guest
We do a golf tournament in the spring. FFA livestock show cookoff in February, smoke brisket sale in November. We are talking about having a fishing tournament in the summer.

I always thought that the Christmas party was a good event. Sure we don't make any money but at the same time we get to meet and enjoy our borthers and their famlies. Besides seeing your dad as Santa is always something to get a smile from, and the kids always enjoy it. I do think that we should get soem more fundraisers goiong though, but thats just me.
 
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