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Per Capita for Grand Lodge of Texas

How would you vote on the per capita recommendation?

  • Yes

    Votes: 40 54.1%
  • No

    Votes: 27 36.5%
  • Wait I need more time, this is complicated

    Votes: 6 8.1%
  • Never ever

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • could care less, I will go to the restroom when this comes up at GL

    Votes: 1 1.4%

  • Total voters
    74
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rhitland

Founding Member
Premium Member
We had our official DDGM visit last night and the GM message is about raising per capita and I want to know how you Texas brothers feel about it(or others as well of course). The proposal if for going from $14.25 to $25. Currently the GL operates off of $7 of that 14.25 and the rest goes to charity purposes within the frat. The proposed increase if approved will be applied to the operations side of the budget and will balance the budget.

I am still on the fence about this personally but could be convinced. The problem I first saw is that the report gave allot of numbers on membership going down from deaths but there was no mention of the extra loss of members who could not afford a dues increase. Example if we have 1000 members and we pay $10 a piece equaling $10,000 and we raise it to $20 and we lose 450 members due to the increase we only receive an extra thousand dollars because of the loss of members. It kinda seems like a recipe for disaster for rural lodges who have 25-60 members and pay $30 to $50 in dues.

A PM of ours had the idea for GL to tack on a degree fee for candidates to pay and since we lose 3 out of 4 EAs in TX make the EA degree the big fee. This would relieve the smaller lodges of the burden of such a large jump in per capita. This to me seems it would place the brunt of theburden on those more ready to handle it. It was brought to our attention how some urban lodges have over 80% endowed members and with that not paying any returns they will be in the hurt locker as well. The degree fee would again allow this lodge to place the burden of payment on the new candidate. Many think that degree fees should not be to high but I say rubbish if you are performing them right there is no better show in town. Candidates at 148 already pay $150 a degree and most would be happy to pay more. This increase made a huge huge difference to our bottom line.

Them another PM stood up and had another great point and I quote he said " sounds to me like GL is addressing the symptoms and not the problem. What is GL going to do to help keep the members we already have?" He then went into the losing of 3 out of 4 EA and if we could change that number seems to him that money problems would start fixing themselves.

We need to sale adds in the TX Mason as well that eats up to much of the budget.

I also see the problem of 13% or so of the budget goes to GL officers driving all over the state to hold classes that could just as easily be done on the internet where all MM could view them in their own time thus saving tons of money on gas, room and board.

I would like to see this thought out a bit more because there seems to be allot of solutions for this problem it is just the easiest quickest one is to raise the per capita.
 

Wingnut

Premium Member
I voted yes. Ive often said we make Masonry too cheap and have cheapened it because of it. Who it will really hurt are the ldoges that havnt raised their dues in 30 years. They will still have their $20 a year dues and now get hit with a $25 per capita and go down quickly!
 

rhitland

Founding Member
Premium Member
I am with you on that thought Wing masonry is to cheap but what is this increase have to boast beside paying for the way things already are? I would like to see this burden spread out a little more so it is not all reliant on a per capita increase. What has GL tried beside the sale of merchandise and solicit donations? I am all for an increase it is waaaaaaay past due but I also feel an increase that big should do more than balance the budget. Tough times call for tough decisions and I know this increase will kill off many lodges and I am left to wonder if the budget should not get a decrease so less money is needed thus the per capita increase could be smaller like 4 or 5 dollars which is still a big jump?
 

owls84

Moderator
Premium Member
If it doesn't pass on the other hand it could put ALL the Lodges could go under. Fact is we have an almost $500,000 deficit we need to overcome. We are living on Merchandise sales and some money we have tucked away. It can't be done like this.

The problem is two fold really. We need to increase the annual returns as well as membership. Our DDGM brings up the point that the Grand Lodge of CA is $33 and MA is 20 something. The point is look at what the Grand Lodges produce as far as online capability, education for the candidates, and some of the community programs they make their Lodges partake in. If we don't do anything about membership we will be raising it again in 4 years just to break even and with no additions or changes to the Grand Lodge budget. I heard the number that 16% of the Grand Lodge budget goes to Grand Officer expenses (travel, supplies, etc.) On a $1.1 million budget that seems a little high. Another 16% went to the Texas Mason Magazine? What?? I got my new one last night and it is horrible. There is an article in there from Tommy Guest saying we need to be sure and do the ALL and LIFE program and these two programs are so outdated you can't teach them anymore. Everything you read has to be followed up with "this is not the case anymore". There is so much fat to trim I think with better management, better priorities, and better focus on the root cause and not the fix we will pull out of this in better financial shape than ever.

The fact is we can't continue to loose money year after year. They could come up with a system to freeze annual returns for members on a fixed income as long as they have proof they are on a fixed income. However it would have to be a HUGE overhaul to the current system. It would have to allow many Law changes. Ones that would allow a Lodge to charge separate fees based on approval. It could be done but it would require a ton of work.

It troubles me when people say I can't afford my $30 a month payment because I'm on a fixed income. If a man can not truly afford this payment a system should be in place. Call it a Mason Assistance Fund. It is set up for people that have trouble paying dues to apply for assistance. The thing is you have to ask to get help.

These are just a few ideas of how to fix it and they are no where near the best but I think it is important to keep brainstorming. We can't loose focus about the root cause being our membership is declining but our cost are rising.
 
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Jamesb

Registered User
When you have a system in place that will not allow for flexability you will end up breaking it. What happens to the "per capita" of lodges that go under? Wouldn't it be better for the Grand Lodge to pick some failing lodges to merge with healthy one's selling the buildings or land etc...then splitting the sale monies with the new combined lodge? This seems to me the best case for everyone, but I know that I often see the logic in things that others don't. Well any way then the per capita would remain the same; at least for now.
 

owls84

Moderator
Premium Member
Is it a bad thing to Merge a Lodge that is struggling to survive? It fascinates me when I read a story of a person that is not willing to cut off an infected foot to save his life. Why would this person rather die than loose his foot and live for many years? No one wants to loose a foot but it sometimes is mandatory to live.

I don't' want any Lodge to go away as a matter of fact I want more but from a reality stand point if a Lodge is not active, not growing, and falling down what do we do? What if there are 4 Lodges with 5 active members like there are in some rural counties and they are all on the decline could we not do better by merging them into one or two and then they have 10 or 20 guys to do events and draw members in? Otherwise it is spinning their wheels. Again, I really don't know the solution here and I know a lot of good guys from the rural Lodges but rather than have Masonry die in the county all together there comes a time where it is necessary to cut off the others making the outcome stronger.
 

Dave in Waco

Premium Member
It's not just the rural Lodges that would suffer here. For example, I live in Waco. Waco itself has 8 Lodges, not counting the other 9 in surrounding cities in the county. Some are healthy, some can't open Lodge if they have an EA visit. Most all depend on plural membership. I remember a sight at our recent Joint District Installation. Some of the officers had as many as 4 jewels from different Lodges. So I can the reason and need to merge Lodges.

I also agree that there is a need to trim the fat. Return now our returns are down because the market is down. I know my Lodge itself is looking at different things to turn around our current negative cash flow. I think one thing that would help in saving costs would be to adopt a paperless solution on things like the Texas Mason Magazine. I know currently they make them available on the GL website, but what about giving a subscription option to just receive an eletronic form of it? That should save some on printing and shipping costs. Another idea would be for the GL itself to have some type of statewide fundraiser to help raise money for charity, so that GL would still be able to meet its commitments to their charities and have more of the budget going into operating costs.
 

LRG

Premium Member
I agree with Dave. Grand Lodge should e-mail the newsletter to each lodge, which can be printed, copied and handed out the brethren. At least on member per lodge shold have a pc/printer.
With these economical times every person/business should had started with a budget a 1-1.5 yrs past. GL needs to give the whole financial situation, ie expenses(where and to whom) profit/loss, with this plea for raising per capita.

But overall, I do'nt mind one bit with dishing out a little extra for our Grand Lodge and I as an endowed member will pay yearly dues to my lodge due to my compassion for the craft
 

Wingnut

Premium Member
Devils advodcate time: Endowed memberships sounded like a good idea at the time. They are killing lodges I think. Someone that is 25 and has an endowment will never pay dues again, but the lodge still pays their returns every year. Even when we were getting payouts from endowments, seldom did they cover the returns.

Once a brother passes on or gets to the age he doenst have to pay dues then it stops hurting the lodge. Now with an increase in returns to the GL endowed members till dont pay dues but the lodge has to pony up the extra money from their already depleting coffers. To many brothers are on 'fixed' incomes... frankly I think all Brothers are, mine seldom fluctuates but sadly neither do my bills. Its past time to rethink a lot of the paradigms on how we do business.
 

rhitland

Founding Member
Premium Member
When you have a system in place that will not allow for flexability you will end up breaking it. What happens to the "per capita" of lodges that go under? Wouldn't it be better for the Grand Lodge to pick some failing lodges to merge with healthy one's selling the buildings or land etc...then splitting the sale monies with the new combined lodge? This seems to me the best case for everyone, but I know that I often see the logic in things that others don't. Well any way then the per capita would remain the same; at least for now.

This might work for a few lodges but most struggling lodges are not worht a hill of beans. Good example is Nash Lodge 638 which I am a member there building might be worth $25.00 and the land is might render the same but more than likely if you try and sell most of these lodges and the brothers stop caring for them the will be condemed and then a whole new set of problems come in we have to throw money at. If Nash lodge was put on the market where it sits and the condition it is currently in, it would be a very hard sale. Still ight work for places like Tarrant county which has 29 lodges and needs about 9. This land is generally worth some doe.

Devils advodcate time: Endowed memberships sounded like a good idea at the time. They are killing lodges I think. Someone that is 25 and has an endowment will never pay dues again, but the lodge still pays their returns every year. Even when we were getting payouts from endowments, seldom did they cover the returns.

Once a brother passes on or gets to the age he doenst have to pay dues then it stops hurting the lodge. Now with an increase in returns to the GL endowed members till dont pay dues but the lodge has to pony up the extra money from their already depleting coffers. To many brothers are on 'fixed' incomes... frankly I think all Brothers are, mine seldom fluctuates but sadly neither do my bills. Its past time to rethink a lot of the paradigms on how we do business.

I think when it was sold as never having to pay dues again was where the whole thing went wrong. If I put my money in an endowed fund for my family that does not mean I do not have to buy groceries for them anymore. I still while alive have to take care of my family even if endowed just like I will my lodge. This leaves the lodge to go beg for donations since most are not active and do not know the lodges state of affairs. If you think about it as well when if the poo hits the fan and that money has to be tapped it will be because GL has to have it not because a lodge does it will demise but GL will not till every penny is gone. So it might behoove a few lodges to endow some but not the majority. I know for alot it is to late on that.
 

Frater Cliff Porter

Premium Member
We are at $40 per capita per Brother. I don't mind funding Masonry, but even in our tight budget I see some wasted or misused funds. That being said, I show up, I speak, I vote, but I almost always support the increases because in the end, Masonry is underfunded.
 

Hippie19950

Premium Member
We just decided to raise our dues... Biggest fear, was losing more members. It's just as has been written here, we WILL lose some. They don't come to meetings now, don't come out to help with events, and so on. Our Lodge was one of the most active, and well thought of Lodges in this area, and District for many years. From what I've been told, some drifted away because of something said, and "real world politics" that were brought up in the dining room before a meeting. I wasn't in when all this took place, but I pay for it now. We are one of the Rural, Struggling Lodges! If they took our building to sell, and put us with another Lodge, the building would bring very little money, IF it ever sold... This town is an economical depressed town, with little activity in the "Downtown Area" where we are located. Would the sale, and combining of two Lodges make a difference?? Yep, it would drive MORE members away!!!! We are trying to build ourselves up. We will only see about $400.00 at best in raising our dues, NEXT year... Of that half half will go to GL, so here we are, only getting $200.00 at best. I can go in, and ask my boss for a raise, and he will tell me he can't afford it. Then I can either continue to work for him, change some of my lifestyles, and make do, or I can find another job. Not quite the same here, but if we don't have the money, and they CAN'T change their "lifestyle", then what happens?? I didn't know my Lodge was in the shape it is in when I came in. I didn't know Masonry in Texas was in the shape it appears to be in. We are trying with the few we have to keep going, we have taken in 3 new EA's this year, we have two who want to come back and finish their work, and one FC who wants to finish. They didn't come to us, to have to go someplace else to finish. We are an Ancient organization, as we were when I joined, but we keep replacing it with modern things, ideas, and the NEED for more money to spend on things that really don't seem to be helping out here. I for one am don't to drive 15 or 20 miles to go to another Lodge, because we had to shut down mine, and I am sure MANY throughout the State will share that feeling. If we are going to be a modern fraternity, then we need to look at how other modern fraternities are doing, find the BEST design, and pattern ourselves after it. I have paid dues for a couple of Brothers I knew were having trouble in the past, as well as my own, but I may have to stop that, and concentrate on mine only, and that takes away from being to help others as I was taught. Had we known this was going to come up, we would have raised our dues to match the "rich Lodges" around here, and either had more to come in, or signed the Death Warrant early....
 

Jamesb

Registered User
My origional post should in no way be considered a blanket statement. There are obviously lodges that this couldn't apply too, but not many. Let me give you an example: A lodge that if you took it and placed it within a circle of a 5 mile radius. It being dead center. Also within that 5 mile radius there are three other lodges. All of them have about the same number of "active" members. All have buildings that need "work". Is it logical to have that many in such a small area?
 

rhitland

Founding Member
Premium Member
no it does not but that is a problem not many rural towns have just the urban ones like Houston, Dallas, and Tarrant County to name the big three.
 

Hippie19950

Premium Member
AS Brother Rhit said, our Lodge wouldn't bring a lot. It would bring less than $10k, maybe even less than $5k. It is in the old downtown area, away from either major highway, and we have a hard time trying to rent the downstairs for much of anything. To top it off, many of the old business buildings around us have gone for less than $4k, 2 stories, and in decent condition. We have been in this building since 1939, it has a lot of history, and I relish this history. I also realize that times do change, and we sometimes need to make changes, but we can't become a throw away fraternity, just because others think we need to do it to be modern, effecient, and bring in more money. We need to look at ALL aspects, and see where we can trim things... As for the "magazine", it comes out three times a year, two newsletters, and one sort of real magazine. I usually don't find much in it these days. I have one from the 30's that is LOADED with great info, and it was a monthly publication as I recall. Just put it online, we can print it out for the other Brothers who don't use Internet, or we can take a laptop into our "old Lodges" with a wireless card, and have it up for them to read when we are all there... That should cut some of the costs. Grand Lodge needs a new A/C unit, as well as a new sound system. I felt comfortable there last December, and heard them with no problem. I was there in May for a visit, and was comfortable again. We need 10k to replace our HVAC system, and we don't have a sound system. Many Brothers can't hear, due to injuries from WW II, and Viet Nam. Don't know about others, because we haven't gotten any Iraq/Afghanistan Vets yet. We are looking for pennies in the street, on the floor at the stores, and anyplace else we can to get it cool enough to have Lodge without suffering Heat Exhaustion. As soon as we are able to over come our problems, I will be able to better support GL, and many other needs. That may not sound nice, but right now, MANY of us are struggling to make ends meet. Even where I work, it is very slow. I don't have to worry so much, because I work on the custom/classic autos, and do the frame repairs on the collision jobs we do get. Folks can't afford the deductibles on some of their autos, and aren't brining the cars in. I get a salary for the customs, but on the collision stuff, it is strictly commission. I do OK, but I have a hard time sometimes, when my injuries flare up... I want to retire, but things aren't stable enough right now to do that. I pay dues to the Lodge, help others when I can, pay dues to the American Legion, the VFW, and maintain my membership in a LEO organization I was a member of during the years I was a Police Officer. As one Brother said, some of these can come to over $1000.00 a year. I still have a daughter at home, who has been a blessing int hat she doesn't; have to have everything the other kids have, or the very best of anything. She will be going to college in a couple more years..... My wife has a disorder that affects her hands, and she is unable to work, so it is all on me. I'm not saying this to get ANY sympathy for me, but guess what? There are MANY more out here in this very same position. I plan to ALWAYS find a way, but many are stuck, and can't. What do we do for them?? Are they no longer a viable Brother because they can't afford everything they are expected to pay? If the money from the Masonic School could be invested to end up with several million dollars, we need to have the same people working on the money we pay here and there to make it work the BEST it can. I was floored when I heard how much money there was from the sale of the school etc, and then where the GL was at!! I was NOT alone in that either. Now, I'm done Bi#*@$^g, and plan to work on a fix, anyone care to join me????
 

rhitland

Founding Member
Premium Member
The sale of the Home and school did net a big chunk of money but that will pale to the amount of revenue from the oil and gas rights from the land it sat on. I was surprised at the amount of the money as well mostly because 148 doanted the land and I wished they had kept it in 148. lol That money had crossed my mind a time or two to help us out. The crazy thing about the hole deal is we or GL made laws that said when times get really tight and money is scarce you cannot touch the principal which is usually all that there is in these times. Last year at GL it snowed as well so it was nice but I hear on the usuall Texas December weekend when it is 95 it is very stuffy and hot in there but then again it is only four days.
 

Christopher

Registered User
Currently the GL operates off of $7 of that 14.25 and the rest goes to charity purposes within the frat.

So, over half of the GL budget goes to charity? Why not just lower that percentage? I mean, if I were donating half of my income to charity and then went to my parents for money to pay my rent, do you think they'd help me out? No! They'd tell me to stop giving away my money and use it to pay my bills!

Does this make sense to anyone else?
 

Frater Cliff Porter

Premium Member
Very little of our GL budget goes to charity, but I would say that if we have crumbling temples or ill repaired ones, that no money leaves the house until ours is tight and fast.
 
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