Grand Lodge AF&AM of North Carolina
The key to good attendance is simple: You
must give your members a reason to WANT to
come to your lodge.
Boring meetings is the single greatest reason 85% of the Masons don’t
attend lodge regularly. Look around the lodge tonight. How many members
are present? How many total members are in the lodge? If those present
represent 40% - 45% - 50% or more of your membership
CONGRATULATIONS! Your lodge is doing something right! If not, a little
work may be in order.
The following pages list items that may help bring a few members back to
the lodge, but none of them will work if it’s kept a secret. You’ve got to let
your members know what you’re doing. And, don’t be shy ... let them know
why you’re doing it. Put what you’re doing in your newsletter. If you don’t
have a newsletter you’ve just discovered your First Way to Improve
Attendance in Your Lodge.
You can’t operate in a vacuum. Your members WANT to know what is
going on in the lodge. If you don’t have a REGULAR newsletter the only
time many members will hear from you is when you want money either for
dues or for your annual campaign. Oooh ... that’s not very welcoming.
A phone committee can work wonders, but only if it’s done regularly!
1. Make information about new members available to everyone
who regularly attends lodge. Include his occupation, hobbies,
interests, and reasons for joining. Record this information in
a file and make it accessible to members of the lodge so when
he visits they will have something to talk about.
2. Assign someone to greet each member as he enters the lodge.
Make certain that he understands that it is his job to make
each person feel welcome. He also introduces new members
to the others in the lodge. Tonight is a great night to assign
someone as a greeter at the next session.
3. The Worshipful Master and officers should be the
welcoming committee and be sure to shake hands with
each member to the lodge. If you don’t know a new members
name now is a good time to learn it.
Every member must feel that your lodge is his
lodge. He must feel welcome and important. Like
the song says, he wants to go where everybody
knows his name. These things aren’t only
important. They are vital to a well-attended lodge.
People are more than just a name. It is important
that we learn something about what makes our
brothers tick before we can actually know him.
Use Masonic Education time to educate
yourself about your brothers. Is everyone in the
lodge tonight married? Do you for how long?
Do you know his wife’s name? What does he do
for a living?
4. Make introductions during lodge warm and personal. Every
man likes to hear his name and every man wants to think people
care about him and what he does. This is the first key to new
friendships.
5. Include the names of new members in the newsletter. You
might also consider a Bio of an occasional older member.
Include something about him, his interests, his family and
other information.
6. Insist that those who regularly attend lodge share ideas of
things they would like to do, programs they would like to
see, and items they would like to include. Tonight is a good
night to begin asking about those things. Do it and don’t take
I can’t think of anything for an answer.
You cannot build attendance by boring people.
A member only leaves the warmth and comfort
of his home to come to lodge if that meeting
promises to be interesting and enjoyable. Just
opening, doing a little business and closing will
not bring people to your lodge. It’s a sure way to
keep them away.
7. Begin meetings on time and increase the overall pace. There
is no reason that the questions asked by the Worshipful Master
to the Junior and Senior Warden should be dragged out. If
someone doesn’t know their part it’s past time to learn it. A
crisp well-done opening and closing take less time and tends
to be very impressive.
8. The Secretary has much to do with the pace of the meeting.
If there are no petitions the Worshipful Master should be
informed before the meeting and shouldn’t ask if there are
any to be read. If there is to be no voting, it shouldn’t be
asked. The same with reports. If there will be no report on
the Orphanage or on the Home the Master should know these
things before the meeting and not ask for them.
9. People do like to know what is going on in their fraternity.
Regular reports on Oxford Orphanage and the Masonic &
Eastern Star Home let the members know how their money
is being spent. Insist that the chairmen of these committees
keep you informed.
Every lodge meeting should be an Event. In
the ideal lodge a member looks forward to the
next meeting because he knows it will be
something to enjoy and he will gain from going.
10. There is absolutely no substitution for planning. A good
leader and good officer cares more about his lodge than to be
satisfied with an informal gathering just before the meeting.
He has planned a good meeting. Possibly he has invited a
speaker or at least prepared a program and a presenter. To
him, each night is special and he knows attendance only comes
from offering your members a good product.
11. Older members and younger members have different
expectations. Programs should satisfy both. While a program
about retirement planning may be more enjoyable to the older
member, the younger member will benefit also. Likewise, a
program about vacation planning may not be as interesting to
the older member, but older members take vacations too.
12. Whatever kind of program you present, make it the best it
can possibly be. Absolutely nothing works better than quality
programs to increase attendance. Every man likes to think
the time he has invested in going to the lodge is worthwhile.
Planning cannot be overemphasized. Planning
is vital to the successful lodge. A well-planned
meeting forces everyone to consider the needs of
all of the members. And, considering those needs
will be shown by improved interest and
attendance.
13. Planning for a Perfect Evening? suggests every lodge make
something special happen at stated communications at least
six times each year. These meetings should be planned at least
six months in advance so you can have your choice of speakers
or guests
14. Your lodge and your community is a goldmine of interesting
speakers. People love to talk about what they do for a living
and this can be a source of excellent speakers. But, don’t
surprise them. Give them time to prepare a presentation. If
the person doesn’t like public speaking have someone else in
the lodge work with them to prepare something. A ten or
fifteen minute presentation is plenty.
15. Don’t forget about your District Deputy Grand Master the
Grand Lodge officers. Most can give you an interesting
presentation and would enjoy visiting with the people in your
lodge.
Getting the word out has much to do with
attendance. Out of sight, out of mind? is an old
cliché with meaning. We are supposed to be an
organization of closely knit brothers. Getting a
bit closer knit can do wonders for your
membership.
16. Almost every lodge is there at the death of a brother, but
are they there when the brother gets sick or loses a relative.
These can be very trying times for a brother and a card or a
phone call can mean a world of difference. But, to make this
effective it can’t depend on chance. Assign someone to
regularly check the sick list at the hospital and read ALL the
obituaries noticing especially the living relatives.
17. Have you ever seen a large picture of an ostrich egg or
something in the paper that made you ask why it was there? I
was there to fill space because there was no news or advertising
to fill the space. Take advantage of this opportunity. Whenever
you have a special event either invite the newspaper or send
in a picture. Let the paper decide whether to use it or not.
18. Compete with another lodge for the best percentage growth
in attendance. Make the contest fun, let the losing lodge serve
a meal to the winner or put on a special degree.
One of the most effective tools in building lodge
attendance is a good phone committee. Not only
is it a good way to insure the new Mason is made
to feel a part of the fraternity, it is also an excellent
method of revitalizing the older Mason.
A good phone committee can accomplish several
things:
19. Calling every new Mason who has been raised within the
past few years reminds that Mason that his lodge and his
brothers are interested in him. If he hasn’t attended in a while
this is a good time to find out why. If there is a problem now
is an ideal time to handle it.
20. Don’t be shy. Tell them you are calling and will be calling
with the intent to increase interest in the lodge. If you are
sincere most brothers will tell you why the have quit attending
and will want to see that you are successful in your efforts.
Some may offer to help and call a few of their friends. In any
event, you will have contacted a brother.
21. Take the time to look through the minutes and see when
was the last time the member attended lodge. Time slips by
quickly for all of us. It’s not unusual for a brother to think its
only been a few months and its really been several years since
he attended.
The time you spend on the phone with a brother
can totally revitalize you and the brother. He
appreciates the fact you care enough to call and
now is a wonderful time to find out more about
him.
22. Ask questions during your conversation to find out what
has happened to his interest in Masonry. Ask open ended
questions like If there were one thing we could do to get
you back interested in the lodge what would it be?? Most of
the time there will be no complaints except that the meetings
are boring or something to that effect. Assure him you are
working on making the meetings something he will find
interesting.
23. If there has been illness or a problem in the family you and
your brothers need to know. It is not unusual for a brother to
leave Masonry simply because his brothers ignored him during
a sickness or a hospital stay and they knew nothing about it!
But, is there an excuse for not knowing your brother is in the
hospital?
24. Above all, don’t sound like a telemarketer when you call.
You are a brother who is concerned about your brother. If
you are in a hurry make your calls another time. When you
are finished make a notecard about the call with information
you can use later or on the next call.
Serving a good meal can play a part in
increasing attendance, but it is far from the only
part. Just as the lodge meeting itself should be an
event, so should the meal. Do something special
at every meal. Then follow it up with a special
meeting.
25. Don’t scrimp on the meal. Although people will always
complain about the price of a meal, most would rather pay a
dollar or so more for a good one. Would you pay a dollar
more for a nice cut of beef instead of a hamburger? People
do it every day. The quality of the meal should come first
26. Most of our members are more health conscious in their
eating today. Heavy gravies, fat beef and lots of mashed
potatoes are not as healthy as chicken and fish. Fresh
vegetables are lower in sodium than canned ones. Some
members have to watch what they eat and will avoid meals
with items they aren’t supposed to eat.
27. Ask some of the younger members to suggest some meals.
They may even want to help prepare them. This is a good
way to get a brother involved in the activities of the lodge.
Try new foods. Every meal doesn’t need to be the same.
Occasionally it is fun to leave the lodge and
schedule a meal for the lodge at a local restaurant.
This can be one of your special evenings. It
can be done on a meeting night or any night that’s
convenient.
28. Occasionally invite the wives in for the meal. This can be
another one of your special nights. It needn’t be formal,
just pay a little attention to the details. You can also give a
program for the ladies while the men retire to the lodge
room?.
29. A lodge picnic can be a fun outing. Invite the wives, the
kids, and even the neighbors. The family spirit is good for the
lodge and allows the brothers to learn more about each other.
Plan activities during the picnic that encourages people to
work and play together. The rewards are numerous.
30. Lodge field trips inspire the members. Why not make a
trip to the Orphanage or to the Masonic & Eastern Star
Home.? Join together on a Saturday and visit points of interest
throughout the state. The locations don’t necessarily have to
be Masonic, but it does add something extra.
An occasional Planning Meeting can inspire
members everyone in the lodge it it’s done right.
Be sure to make a special effort to involve those
who are not normally a part of the planning
process. Even if they don’t say anything they will
feel a part of their lodge. This can go a long way.
31. Everyone has skills. Everyone has talents. Everyone has
interests. Try to find out the skills, talents and interests of the
members. Make them feel like their involvement is expected.
Create a list of these items and use it in your planning. The
more you can direct your lodge programs toward member
interests, the more attendance you will have.
32. Be sure to listen to the members, don’t just act like you are
listening. Follow some of the suggestions. They may just work.
If they don’t, what have you lost? Remember, the lodge
belongs to ALL the members and there is no such thing as an
unimportant member.
33. When you develop your plan... follow it! Don’t put it off.
DO IT! Lodges suffer from indecision and inactivity They
thrive on planning and activity, but even the best plan is no
good until it is implemented.
Why is evaluating your lodge? in the last place
in this book? Simply because some Masons who
have heard the first thirty-three suggestions are
saying that it won’t work in their lodge or we
have never done it before. If any two statements
ever appear on the gravestone of Masonry it will
be It won’t Work and We’ve Never Done It
Before.
34. Two or three people offer to help the Secretary review the
minutes for the last ten years and make a list of who attended
the lodge and when. From these lists isolate the members
who haven’t attended in the past 10 years, 5 years, and 1
year. You will be surprised. And, it may jump-start your
planning.
35. Do you seriously have regular programs in your lodge or is
it just hit or miss? Is there something scheduled for your first
meeting night in September? What about next meeting night?
What was planned for tonight other than opening, reading the
minutes, this program and closing? Do you believe it’s really
enough to keep all your members interested?
36. Answer this question honestly. Are you doing everything
you can do to make your lodge the best it can be?
The key to good attendance is simple: You
must give your members a reason to WANT to
come to your lodge.
Boring meetings is the single greatest reason 85% of the Masons don’t
attend lodge regularly. Look around the lodge tonight. How many members
are present? How many total members are in the lodge? If those present
represent 40% - 45% - 50% or more of your membership
CONGRATULATIONS! Your lodge is doing something right! If not, a little
work may be in order.
The following pages list items that may help bring a few members back to
the lodge, but none of them will work if it’s kept a secret. You’ve got to let
your members know what you’re doing. And, don’t be shy ... let them know
why you’re doing it. Put what you’re doing in your newsletter. If you don’t
have a newsletter you’ve just discovered your First Way to Improve
Attendance in Your Lodge.
You can’t operate in a vacuum. Your members WANT to know what is
going on in the lodge. If you don’t have a REGULAR newsletter the only
time many members will hear from you is when you want money either for
dues or for your annual campaign. Oooh ... that’s not very welcoming.
A phone committee can work wonders, but only if it’s done regularly!
1. Make information about new members available to everyone
who regularly attends lodge. Include his occupation, hobbies,
interests, and reasons for joining. Record this information in
a file and make it accessible to members of the lodge so when
he visits they will have something to talk about.
2. Assign someone to greet each member as he enters the lodge.
Make certain that he understands that it is his job to make
each person feel welcome. He also introduces new members
to the others in the lodge. Tonight is a great night to assign
someone as a greeter at the next session.
3. The Worshipful Master and officers should be the
welcoming committee and be sure to shake hands with
each member to the lodge. If you don’t know a new members
name now is a good time to learn it.
Every member must feel that your lodge is his
lodge. He must feel welcome and important. Like
the song says, he wants to go where everybody
knows his name. These things aren’t only
important. They are vital to a well-attended lodge.
People are more than just a name. It is important
that we learn something about what makes our
brothers tick before we can actually know him.
Use Masonic Education time to educate
yourself about your brothers. Is everyone in the
lodge tonight married? Do you for how long?
Do you know his wife’s name? What does he do
for a living?
4. Make introductions during lodge warm and personal. Every
man likes to hear his name and every man wants to think people
care about him and what he does. This is the first key to new
friendships.
5. Include the names of new members in the newsletter. You
might also consider a Bio of an occasional older member.
Include something about him, his interests, his family and
other information.
6. Insist that those who regularly attend lodge share ideas of
things they would like to do, programs they would like to
see, and items they would like to include. Tonight is a good
night to begin asking about those things. Do it and don’t take
I can’t think of anything for an answer.
You cannot build attendance by boring people.
A member only leaves the warmth and comfort
of his home to come to lodge if that meeting
promises to be interesting and enjoyable. Just
opening, doing a little business and closing will
not bring people to your lodge. It’s a sure way to
keep them away.
7. Begin meetings on time and increase the overall pace. There
is no reason that the questions asked by the Worshipful Master
to the Junior and Senior Warden should be dragged out. If
someone doesn’t know their part it’s past time to learn it. A
crisp well-done opening and closing take less time and tends
to be very impressive.
8. The Secretary has much to do with the pace of the meeting.
If there are no petitions the Worshipful Master should be
informed before the meeting and shouldn’t ask if there are
any to be read. If there is to be no voting, it shouldn’t be
asked. The same with reports. If there will be no report on
the Orphanage or on the Home the Master should know these
things before the meeting and not ask for them.
9. People do like to know what is going on in their fraternity.
Regular reports on Oxford Orphanage and the Masonic &
Eastern Star Home let the members know how their money
is being spent. Insist that the chairmen of these committees
keep you informed.
Every lodge meeting should be an Event. In
the ideal lodge a member looks forward to the
next meeting because he knows it will be
something to enjoy and he will gain from going.
10. There is absolutely no substitution for planning. A good
leader and good officer cares more about his lodge than to be
satisfied with an informal gathering just before the meeting.
He has planned a good meeting. Possibly he has invited a
speaker or at least prepared a program and a presenter. To
him, each night is special and he knows attendance only comes
from offering your members a good product.
11. Older members and younger members have different
expectations. Programs should satisfy both. While a program
about retirement planning may be more enjoyable to the older
member, the younger member will benefit also. Likewise, a
program about vacation planning may not be as interesting to
the older member, but older members take vacations too.
12. Whatever kind of program you present, make it the best it
can possibly be. Absolutely nothing works better than quality
programs to increase attendance. Every man likes to think
the time he has invested in going to the lodge is worthwhile.
Planning cannot be overemphasized. Planning
is vital to the successful lodge. A well-planned
meeting forces everyone to consider the needs of
all of the members. And, considering those needs
will be shown by improved interest and
attendance.
13. Planning for a Perfect Evening? suggests every lodge make
something special happen at stated communications at least
six times each year. These meetings should be planned at least
six months in advance so you can have your choice of speakers
or guests
14. Your lodge and your community is a goldmine of interesting
speakers. People love to talk about what they do for a living
and this can be a source of excellent speakers. But, don’t
surprise them. Give them time to prepare a presentation. If
the person doesn’t like public speaking have someone else in
the lodge work with them to prepare something. A ten or
fifteen minute presentation is plenty.
15. Don’t forget about your District Deputy Grand Master the
Grand Lodge officers. Most can give you an interesting
presentation and would enjoy visiting with the people in your
lodge.
Getting the word out has much to do with
attendance. Out of sight, out of mind? is an old
cliché with meaning. We are supposed to be an
organization of closely knit brothers. Getting a
bit closer knit can do wonders for your
membership.
16. Almost every lodge is there at the death of a brother, but
are they there when the brother gets sick or loses a relative.
These can be very trying times for a brother and a card or a
phone call can mean a world of difference. But, to make this
effective it can’t depend on chance. Assign someone to
regularly check the sick list at the hospital and read ALL the
obituaries noticing especially the living relatives.
17. Have you ever seen a large picture of an ostrich egg or
something in the paper that made you ask why it was there? I
was there to fill space because there was no news or advertising
to fill the space. Take advantage of this opportunity. Whenever
you have a special event either invite the newspaper or send
in a picture. Let the paper decide whether to use it or not.
18. Compete with another lodge for the best percentage growth
in attendance. Make the contest fun, let the losing lodge serve
a meal to the winner or put on a special degree.
One of the most effective tools in building lodge
attendance is a good phone committee. Not only
is it a good way to insure the new Mason is made
to feel a part of the fraternity, it is also an excellent
method of revitalizing the older Mason.
A good phone committee can accomplish several
things:
19. Calling every new Mason who has been raised within the
past few years reminds that Mason that his lodge and his
brothers are interested in him. If he hasn’t attended in a while
this is a good time to find out why. If there is a problem now
is an ideal time to handle it.
20. Don’t be shy. Tell them you are calling and will be calling
with the intent to increase interest in the lodge. If you are
sincere most brothers will tell you why the have quit attending
and will want to see that you are successful in your efforts.
Some may offer to help and call a few of their friends. In any
event, you will have contacted a brother.
21. Take the time to look through the minutes and see when
was the last time the member attended lodge. Time slips by
quickly for all of us. It’s not unusual for a brother to think its
only been a few months and its really been several years since
he attended.
The time you spend on the phone with a brother
can totally revitalize you and the brother. He
appreciates the fact you care enough to call and
now is a wonderful time to find out more about
him.
22. Ask questions during your conversation to find out what
has happened to his interest in Masonry. Ask open ended
questions like If there were one thing we could do to get
you back interested in the lodge what would it be?? Most of
the time there will be no complaints except that the meetings
are boring or something to that effect. Assure him you are
working on making the meetings something he will find
interesting.
23. If there has been illness or a problem in the family you and
your brothers need to know. It is not unusual for a brother to
leave Masonry simply because his brothers ignored him during
a sickness or a hospital stay and they knew nothing about it!
But, is there an excuse for not knowing your brother is in the
hospital?
24. Above all, don’t sound like a telemarketer when you call.
You are a brother who is concerned about your brother. If
you are in a hurry make your calls another time. When you
are finished make a notecard about the call with information
you can use later or on the next call.
Serving a good meal can play a part in
increasing attendance, but it is far from the only
part. Just as the lodge meeting itself should be an
event, so should the meal. Do something special
at every meal. Then follow it up with a special
meeting.
25. Don’t scrimp on the meal. Although people will always
complain about the price of a meal, most would rather pay a
dollar or so more for a good one. Would you pay a dollar
more for a nice cut of beef instead of a hamburger? People
do it every day. The quality of the meal should come first
26. Most of our members are more health conscious in their
eating today. Heavy gravies, fat beef and lots of mashed
potatoes are not as healthy as chicken and fish. Fresh
vegetables are lower in sodium than canned ones. Some
members have to watch what they eat and will avoid meals
with items they aren’t supposed to eat.
27. Ask some of the younger members to suggest some meals.
They may even want to help prepare them. This is a good
way to get a brother involved in the activities of the lodge.
Try new foods. Every meal doesn’t need to be the same.
Occasionally it is fun to leave the lodge and
schedule a meal for the lodge at a local restaurant.
This can be one of your special evenings. It
can be done on a meeting night or any night that’s
convenient.
28. Occasionally invite the wives in for the meal. This can be
another one of your special nights. It needn’t be formal,
just pay a little attention to the details. You can also give a
program for the ladies while the men retire to the lodge
room?.
29. A lodge picnic can be a fun outing. Invite the wives, the
kids, and even the neighbors. The family spirit is good for the
lodge and allows the brothers to learn more about each other.
Plan activities during the picnic that encourages people to
work and play together. The rewards are numerous.
30. Lodge field trips inspire the members. Why not make a
trip to the Orphanage or to the Masonic & Eastern Star
Home.? Join together on a Saturday and visit points of interest
throughout the state. The locations don’t necessarily have to
be Masonic, but it does add something extra.
An occasional Planning Meeting can inspire
members everyone in the lodge it it’s done right.
Be sure to make a special effort to involve those
who are not normally a part of the planning
process. Even if they don’t say anything they will
feel a part of their lodge. This can go a long way.
31. Everyone has skills. Everyone has talents. Everyone has
interests. Try to find out the skills, talents and interests of the
members. Make them feel like their involvement is expected.
Create a list of these items and use it in your planning. The
more you can direct your lodge programs toward member
interests, the more attendance you will have.
32. Be sure to listen to the members, don’t just act like you are
listening. Follow some of the suggestions. They may just work.
If they don’t, what have you lost? Remember, the lodge
belongs to ALL the members and there is no such thing as an
unimportant member.
33. When you develop your plan... follow it! Don’t put it off.
DO IT! Lodges suffer from indecision and inactivity They
thrive on planning and activity, but even the best plan is no
good until it is implemented.
Why is evaluating your lodge? in the last place
in this book? Simply because some Masons who
have heard the first thirty-three suggestions are
saying that it won’t work in their lodge or we
have never done it before. If any two statements
ever appear on the gravestone of Masonry it will
be It won’t Work and We’ve Never Done It
Before.
34. Two or three people offer to help the Secretary review the
minutes for the last ten years and make a list of who attended
the lodge and when. From these lists isolate the members
who haven’t attended in the past 10 years, 5 years, and 1
year. You will be surprised. And, it may jump-start your
planning.
35. Do you seriously have regular programs in your lodge or is
it just hit or miss? Is there something scheduled for your first
meeting night in September? What about next meeting night?
What was planned for tonight other than opening, reading the
minutes, this program and closing? Do you believe it’s really
enough to keep all your members interested?
36. Answer this question honestly. Are you doing everything
you can do to make your lodge the best it can be?