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Dues

PaulCastelli

Registered User
Brothers,

This is always an awkward question; yet it is a rather practice one that should always play a minor role I'm decisions, at least as far as considering when petitioning may be prudent. From your experience, what is typical of dues for each of the three York Rite bodies? I intend to petition at some point and am discerning whether this is the time or if it would be better to wait.

My thanks,
Paul


My Freemasonry HD
 

Brother JC

Moderating Staff
Staff Member
It varies by Lodge. I have seen them as low as $25, and over $300. It is best if you talk to the Brethren at the Lodge you wish to petition.
 

BroBill

Site Benefactor
Site Benefactor
Chapters and Councils work as lodges do, they set their dues in accordance with income requirements and directed minimums. Helotes bodies are $30 each- Chapter and Council.

S&F
 

Brother JC

Moderating Staff
Staff Member
Sorry, I read (and answered) this too quickly.
My York Bodies each have different dues, but the three of them total $74 a year.
 

RockBender

Registered User
Brothers,

This is always an awkward question; yet it is a rather practice one that should always play a minor role I'm decisions, at least as far as considering when petitioning may be prudent. From your experience, what is typical of dues for each of the three York Rite bodies? I intend to petition at some point and am discerning whether this is the time or if it would be better to wait.

My thanks,
Paul


My Freemasonry HD

My lodge dues are 100.00, royal arch 35.00, council 12.00 and KT 45.00
 

KyPastMaster

Registered User
My YR bodies are $30 for the Chapter , $30 for the Council and $40 to the Commandery . The Commandery is higher now because the Grand Encampment raised our assessments .
 

Companion Joe

Premium Member
For us, it breaks down like this:
Lodge - $64
Chapter - $17
Council - $17
Commandery - $35

I am a life member of both my Chapter and Council, so those are taken care of in my case.
 

Txmason32

Registered User
Holy cow what can an organization do on 65-100 a year ?? Much less 17.00 a year ?? I am shocked as masons we find this acceptable and cheer about this .

Sent From My Freemasonry Pro App
 

vangoedenaam

Premium Member
My lodge dues in total are a bit above 300 euro which doesnt include coffee and drinks. Its close to 400 US dollars.


Sent From My Freemasonry Pro App
 

cacarter

Premium Member
Chapter and Council are $50 total. Commandery is $50 also, but will be going up likely because of the higher assessments from Grand Encampment.

When I heard the dues, I thought to myself, much like Txmason32, "What in the hell can you do with dues that low??"
 

Companion Joe

Premium Member
What is it that we are supposed to "do" in terms of Masonry? A Lodge isn't supposed to turn a profit. There is no point in having vast sums of treasure just for the sake of having it. We provide a place for like-minded people to fellowship. We provide a local scholarship annually. We do something each year for the widows. We give to various local charities. We help around our community.

Our building and grounds were paid off decades ago. We have a reserve should something major hit. Our Lodge has invested wisely during its 213 years of existence, so we have revenue from that. Our dues are set to cover expenses plus per capita tax. Why would you charge MORE just because if you don't require it?
 

Brother JC

Moderating Staff
Staff Member
You seem to be in the minority, Companion. Most of this discussion has centered around lodges that can't pay for their buildings, can't pay scholarships (or any community giving), can't pay for a decent dinner. Huzzah to your lodge's forward thinking years ago.
 

dfreybur

Premium Member
What is it that we are supposed to "do" in terms of Masonry? A Lodge isn't supposed to turn a profit.

Bro Nagy makes a distinction between Freemasonry and Masonry. The former the goals and actions of the organization the later the goals and actions of the individual. The meeting point is the lodge level - Lodges teach masonry to individual brother and support the financial structure that allows us to continue generation to generation.

Our building and grounds were paid off decades ago. We have a reserve should something major hit. Our Lodge has invested wisely during its 213 years of existence, so we have revenue from that. Our dues are set to cover expenses plus per capita tax.

Be cautioned that buildings eventually crumble. Unless the building shows a positive cash flow to keep maintaining itself forever and/or your lodge's investments do that that troubles eventually arise.

I suggest it's the difference between Freemasonry and Masonry as Bro Nagy puts it. A lodge is chartered when there are enough brothers to to degrees and teach each other Masonry. A lodge can function broke for a very long time. If we want buildings (big if) there is a need to bootstrap other lodges from broke tenant status to well invested landlord status. It's a giant gap to jump and tons of lodges purchase buildings long before they are ready. Those lodges on the flush side of that gap form a stable foundation on which to build the organization.

We should have building funds that purchase positive cash flow properties somewhere in the state to get lodges across this gap. Better to fund a lodge far away across the gap than to spend our own money locally to put ourselves into the gap. This from a brother who normally objects to increased involvement at the Grand Lodge level. I take this stance because I see the duty of GL as being on the Freemasonry side. Build infrastructure, charter new lodges, allow old lodges to die, change with the times, work on PR.

Why would you charge MORE just because if you don't require it?

Notice I didn't really answer this directly. Rather I offered one view of what to do with excess money. That's because there has already been plenty of discussion of men valuing more that which they paid more for.
 

Companion Joe

Premium Member
As Trysquare pointed out, we had forward thinking men years ago who invested wisely, and our Lodge coffers continue to grow annually that way and not by burdening its members. Our building was constructed in the 1970s and paid off in the 80s. There are many of us willing and capable of doing maintenance and upkeep, so it is as sound as the day it was built. I do agree with buildings crumbling. Some Lodges in our area have really old buildings, and I know their upkeep is a nightmare.

Our building belongs to the Blue Lodge. Chapter, Council, Commandery, OES, York Rite College, Scottish Rite Club, AMD, and Red Cross all meet there, but no one pays rent or a fee for using the building. If something arises that requires money, each group offers what it can contribute.

I obviously live in a location where folks are notoriously thrifty :laugh: but because we do take care of our money is why we are in good shape. A full third of our annual dues is Grand Lodge per capita tax and building assessment.
 

JJones

Moderator
"What in the hell can you do with dues that low??"

You can hold fundraisers to offset the cost of not charging enough to run your lodge in the first place. That can have the unfortunate affect it sidetracking the lodge from it's mission if the fundraiser takes a lot of time and effort to plan.
 
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