Contacting Grand Lodge

Quick question. I've recently contacted the worshipful and asked him if i was allowed to contact the grand lodge. I've recently have started up a Go Fund Me to help with a personal matter of mine. He hasn't got back to me, but i was just curious of what you guys thought. My question would be if i was allowed to send them my GoFundMe information and see if whether or not they could send it to other lodges within California. Have you heard of anyone doing something like this before? If it isn't a good idea i'll understand. I just need help and thought perhaps i'd ask for help.

SDMAN_619 said:

Quick question. I've recently contacted the worshipful and asked him if i was allowed to contact the grand lodge. I've recently have started up a Go Fund Me to help with a personal matter of mine. He hasn't got back to me, but i was just curious of what you guys thought. My question would be if i was allowed to send them my GoFundMe information and see if whether or not they could send it to other lodges within California. Have you heard of anyone doing something like this before? If it isn't a good idea i'll understand. I just need help and thought perhaps i'd ask for help.

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You should be able to contact your own GL - but not other Grand Lodges.

I would imagine that if you're appeal is for yourself and not related to a dire health or sustenance need, I doubt they would assist, but would refer the matter back to your own lodge.

I would wait a while before you contacted GL, your WM will feel you are going around him.

SDMAN_619 said:

Quick question. I've recently contacted the worshipful and asked him if i was allowed to contact the grand lodge. I've recently have started up a Go Fund Me to help with a personal matter of mine. He hasn't got back to me, but i was just curious of what you guys thought. My question would be if i was allowed to send them my GoFundMe information and see if whether or not they could send it to other lodges within California. Have you heard of anyone doing something like this before? If it isn't a good idea i'll understand. I just need help and thought perhaps i'd ask for help.

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As Bloke mentioned......is this just a personal thing or is it a personal emergency?

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Jurisdictional:

I have to double check this....

In my jurisdiction, I have two choices.

I speak to the WM who then goes to the DD then to the GM.

or

the WM who goes through the lodge secretary. The lodge secretary contacts the grand secretary who in turn goes to the gm.

Never go over the helmet, nor to the side!

Bloke said:

You should be able to contact your own GL - but not other Grand Lodges.

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Bloke said:

I would wait a while before you contacted GL, your WM will feel you are going around him.

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Agreed.

Because of the liability that it would open the GL to I would say no. You can spread the word to people in the craft but it would be as a private citizen. By sending it out they could be looked at as endorsing it and if someone questions or files a complaint, they could be held liable.

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Not a good idea. In fact it just might be consider a lousy idea.

Have you considered first the option of asking for access to any possible relief funds managed by your own subordinate lodge?

My lodge has such an account set up for this purpose.

Talk with your lodge brothers about what's going on in your life. Kick it around to see if the lodge has the money you need in your hard time.

You might find that your own lodge can help you so that a GoFund Me campaign is not even necessary to pursue.

However if you proceed with setting up a GoFund Me account first and then seek your lodge & GL's expected participation, you should have reasonable expectations that you might or might not get the support you seek.

Some things work best when you begin them the right way.

We should respect that we owe it to our organization to help us ONLY as much as we're willing to help ourselves.

Personally my last resort would be to look at my lodge or GL as a means of relief.

For example if i catch a flat tire, i'd reach out to AAA insurance emergency services before dailing up a member of my lodge.

But maybe that's just my preference.







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I echo the sentiment above, in my opinion the Masonic rout is the last, absolute last, resort but without knowing the situation it’s hard, that said the lodge should be your point of call, not grand lodge

I would assume between your lodge and the grand lodge there is a intermediate level of management. In Alabama this would be the district lecturer. In Maryland it would be the grand inspector or deputy district lecturer. So levels of assistance would be: individual brother, lodge, intermediate level*, grand lodge. In Alabama while I was a member the only grand lodge level request was that of a brother who needed a kidney transplant. So in my experience it would only qualify if it is a life or death situation or extreme financial difficulty. But the GL of Alabama also has programs in place which lodges can use to assist its members upon the request of the WM. Regardless of which route you choose I'd say the "proper" way to initiate the request would be at your lodge. Granted I am not a member of your grand jurisdiction so as far as I know your local customs may be totally different than mine.

*if applicable.

goomba said:

I would assume between your lodge and the grand lodge there is a intermediate level of management. In Alabama this would be the district lecturer. In Maryland it would be the grand inspector or deputy district lecturer. So levels of assistance would be: individual brother, lodge, intermediate level*, grand lodge. In Alabama while I was a member the only grand lodge level request was that of a brother who needed a kidney transplant. So in my experience it would only qualify if it is a life or death situation or extreme financial difficulty. But the GL of Alabama also has programs in place which lodges can use to assist its members upon the request of the WM. Regardless of which route you choose I'd say the "proper" way to initiate the request would be at your lodge. Granted I am not a member of your grand jurisdiction so as far as I know your local customs may be totally different than mine.

*if applicable.

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Counting myself lucky that Utah Masons have direct access GL