Its About Membership

1
Its About Membership
Illinois Freemasonry

• Translating Leadership into New Brethren

2
Introduction

• Administrative matters
• Development and implementation of the programme

3
Scope of the Problem

• Membership in 1955 approximately 250,000
• Average Age in 1955 approximately 43
• Membership in 2007 approximately 70,000
• Average Age in 2007 approximately 68
• Average life expectancy 75 years /-

4
Recruitment

• First-time candidates (i.e. profanes)

5
New Grand Lodge Programme

• Billboards
• Advertisements in college newsletters
• New web site
• All lodges in the state may be involved

6
Membership at Every Meeting

• Should be discussed at every meeting
• Read
• Ballot
• Ask Why
• Work the prospect list
• Plan the next step

7
Membership at Every Meeting

• Not a one-man show
• Together
• Everyone
• Achieves
• More
• TEAM
• There is no I in TEAM

8
The Process

• 5-Step Process
• Meet Him
• Make Him a Friend
• Introduce Him to Your Friends
• Introduce Him to the Fraternity
• Ask Him to Join

9
The Masonic Process

• 3-Step Process
• Introduce Him to Your Friends
• Introduce Him to Masonry
• Ask Him to Petition

10
Membership Recruitment Strategy

• Invitational (friend to friend)
• Builds relationship
• Built on sharing stories (not a sales pitch)
• Materials ready to be adapted for easy use (see
  the resource list in Section 2, page 3)
• Consistency and organisation not haste

11
Commitment to the ProgrammeStep by Step

• A recipe for success
• Follow the plan
• Make adaptations to the plan once you have been
  successful
• Edit as needed and appropriate

12
Step by Step

• Prospect List
• Letter
• First Call
• Second Call
• Event
• Follow-Up Call
• Event
• Follow-Up Call
• ITP

13
Gathering Names Basic Information

• An individual effort or a team effort
• Set a goal
• Build a list of names
• Use a prospect information sheet
• Utilise an ITP when appropriate

14
Involvement

• Try to link up prospect with a similarly-aged
  contact.
• Invite prospects to functions.
• Get involved in your lodges degree work.
• Ask for referrals ASAP.
• Get new brethren engaged, including Entered
  Apprentices and Fellowcrafts.
• Must use the intender programme.

15
Brethren Whom The Prospect Knows

• Men whom he may already know
• and think well of
• Someone he might talk to
• For use in phone call and other discussions

16
Creating a Hot List

• Pared down list for current focus
• What is the magic number???
• Facility
• Letters
• Telephone calls!
• Budget
• Based on optimum performance

17
Mailing Prospects Letters

• A friendly, invitational letter
• Invitation to see a video and hear some
  information
• Does not seek membership decision
• Merely opens the proverbial door
• Letter formats

18
The First Telephone Call

• Essential part of the process
• Needs to be done well
• Utilise the outline but do not read from it
• Practice, practice, practice
• Keep it invitational in tone

19
The Follow-Up Telephone Call

• Within an appropriate window of time (3, 5 or 7
  days)
• Set prospect at ease
• Answer questions
• Clarify arrangements
• Reinforce the commitment

20
The Gathering or Contact

• Individual, small or large group
• Welcoming atmosphere
• Very well planned and executed
• Brief
• Story-based (with video)
• Make the invitation !!

21
Rules of Engagement

• DO wear one or two pins. It shows that
  Freemasonry is a fraternity of which to be proud.
• DO use first names. Its more engaging, more
  casual, and friendlier.
• DO look for potential in a man, and not a
  finished product.
• DO know enough about Freemasonry to answer his
  questions.
• DO be honest. If you lie and he finds out, he
  will not be impressed.
• If you dont know the answer to a question, DO
  ask someone who does.

• DO find out a mans interests and DO introduce
  him to brothers with similar interests.
• DO involve your brethren in progress in events.
  Because of their enthusiasm, they make good
  promoters.
• DO let your guest do most of the talking. This
  gives him a chance to ask the questions that are
  important to him.
• DO make sure all guests have left before
  commenting on any of them.
• DO give your guests something to take home.

22
Rules of Engagement

• DONT wear more than two pins it looks like an
  uneducated kook.
• DONT gang up on, or monopolise, a guest for the
  entire evening. The first practice makes him
  uncomfortable, and the second makes it hard for
  the rest of the members to get to know him.
• DONT ever, ever leave a guest alone.
• DONT use inside jokes or nicknames. Its rude
  and makes your guests feel even more like
  outsiders.
• DONT talk fraternity business in front of a
  guest.

• DONT congregate in large groups.
• DONT wait to be introduced introduce yourself.
  But DONT butt rudely into a conversation.
• DONT forget that the average man knows very
  little about Freemasonry. Take the time to
  explain the basics and clear up any
  misconceptions he may have.
• DONT use foul language. Youve got to first be a
  mans friend before you can act like a jerk in
  front of him and get away with it.
• DONT criticize brothers. Youre trying to sell
  brotherhood, not backstab.

23
Answers You Will Need

• How much does it cost to join?
• On average, how much will the fraternity cost me?
• Are you really close to every brother in your
  lodge?
• Why is your lodge so small or so large?
• What do you do for service projects? Does
  everyone have to do them?
• What do I have to do to be initiated, passed,
  raised?
• Have you noticed a change in your lodge since you
  joined?

• I dont think I can afford the fraternity...
• My family dont want me to join. What if I just
  didnt tell them?
• I dont think I have time to join a fraternity...
• Will I be hazed? What will you guys make me do?

24
Follow-Up Contacts

• Avoid buyers remorse
• Answer questions
• Finalise or facilitate petition
• Facilitate fees
• Confirm and reinforce his interest and your
  interest in him

25
Prepare Candidates for Initiation

• See that he has all the information he needs
• Schedule
• Location
• What he needs to know . . .
• Refer him to any information provided and web
  sites

26
Invitation to Petition

• Could be the first step in the process, but
  should the last.
• Used when you cant get a man to ask.
• Will likely result in objections.
• Be prepared to answer objections.

27
Tracking Your Prospects

• Know where each prospect is in the process.
• Know when to take the next step.
• Post it somewhere visible in the lodge.

28
Prospect Matrix
29
Utilise Your Newer Brethren

• Get a hot list from each new brother
• Newly-raised
• Work-in-progress
• Involve them in events
• Be sure they can speak intelligently
• Start meeting their friends

30
Recruitment-Retention-Reclamation
Membership Chairman
Recruitment Chairman
Reclamation Chairman
Retention
Assimilation Chairman
Enrichment Chairman
31
Retention

• Assimilation
• Incorporation

32
Intender Programme

• Choose the correct coach
• Should be someone the candidate knows
• Should understand the candidates and lodges
  goals
• Cant be a forced relationship
• Continues after raising

33
Communication

• Regular contact by intender and lodge
• Add to mailing list
• Add to email lists
• Add to call lists
• Invited to all lodge events personally
• Participation/attendance at degrees
• Introduce to travel, where feasible
• If we do a good job, we wont need reclamation

34
Retention Through Enrichment

• Enrich the mind with knowledge
• Enrich the soul with fellowship and activity

35
Programming

• Interest survey
• Generational differences workbook elements
• If we do a good job we wont need reclamation.

36
What is a good event?

• Meets goals.
• To measure the success of an event (or anything),
  there must be a goal, be it explicit or implied.
• To control and event, state the goals.

37
Planning

• No successful event is accidental.
• Discover the details for your programme.
• Form an event team.
• Define the teams duties.
• Set deadlines.
• Publicise.
• Follow up.
• Critique the event afterward.

38
Elements of Reclamation

• At risk one year of non-payment of dues.
• 180 days Dont wait!
• Best face-to-face
• Ask why.
• Done by team.
• Not the dais nor secretary.
• Use the script but dont read from it.

39
For More Information

• Please visit www.ILMason.org
• or
• Resource list (Section 2, pages 19-20)

40
Special Requests

• Please send all home-grown and enhanced
• Forms
• Ideas and
• Techniques
• Electronically (e-mail, CD, flash drive, etc.)

41
Special Requests

• Benny L Grisham MWPGM
• Grand Secretary
• Grand Lodge of Illinois
• 2866 Via Verde St
• Springfield IL 62703-4325
• BGrisham_at_AFAM-IL.org

• Earl F Wys
• 2625 N Woodhaven Dr
• Peoria IL 61604-2015
• EarlWys_at_InsightBB.com
• or
• WysEF_at_Cat.com

42
Questions?

• John Dorner john_at_ilorlibrary.org
• Barry Weer barry_at_ilorlibrary.org
• Thank you!