The following ideas were submitted by Grand Lodge officers:

Card Tournaments

   Hold community bridge, cribbage, pitch or other card tournaments to raise funds, such as scholarships. Publicize it to get the community involved. Post winning teams in the community paper every month for free publicity. Play monthly rounds from September thru April.

Fundraiser

   Talk to local school officials so members can sell concessions at home high school ball games.

Masonic Education

   Hold a One Book, One Lodge activity. Select a book for all members to read and then discuss it at or after meetings.

Public Relations

   Invite several groups from the area (church, Boy Scouts, Masonic youth, Knights of Columbus, etc.) to an activity (such as a boat ride on the river). Hold a light dinner (sandwiches, chips, beverages) afterwards. The lodge pays for everything, but donations are also accepted. It’s a good way to raise awareness in the community and to get newspaper coverage.

Recruit Help with Ritual

            Seek the help from area lodges when members from your own lodge can’t attend degree work.

The following ideas are from the Grand Lodge officers.

Youth Sports Tournaments

Osceola Lodge No. 65 hosts a softball tournament for girls ages 12 & younger, and a basketball tournament for kids. The events each raise about $3,000, which is used to fund community projects. Osceola Lodge has purchased and built a backstop, and they’ve purchased uniforms and made donations to several local projects. In addition, the money raised pays for scholastic and Masonic All-Star Marching Band scholarships. Best of all, the two tournaments involve members in activities outside the lodge. Older members take the tickets and operate the concession stands, while younger members take care of the field or umpire, which increases their commitment and involvement in lodge.

Fellowship Over Coffee

To promote fellowship among your members, serve coffee and donuts at your lodge on Saturday mornings, or meet where donuts are served.

Fellowship After Meetings

Tabula Rasa Lodge No. 332 in Lincoln follows the English tradition of holding a Festive Board, or fine dinner, after meetings. Pick a location for your lodge to go out together and have a good meal after a meeting. Eat in a separate room, if possible, and keep the discussion on Masonic topics. Consider holding Festive Boards once a year, once a quarter or after every meeting.

Expediting Meetings

A number of lodges around the state print their lodge’s minutes, bills and treasurer’s report and make them available for members to pick up as they enter the lodge room. This gives members time to review the information before the meeting starts, thus saving time by eliminating the need to have them read during the meeting. Your members will appreciate the time saved in the meeting.

Recruiting Members

North Bend Lodge No. 119 holds a  steak fry and invites members of the Lions, Kiwanis, Rotary, Chamber, etc. These organizations are a good source for new members. Make it a fun gathering without pitching membership. Get to know them and later invite them to join.

Bikes for Books

Cotner Lodge No. 297 worked with an elementary school to encourage students to read more. Teachers selected books for students to read at each grade level. Every week, students and their parents filled out slips of paper with the amount of time they read at home. At the end of the reading program, four names were drawn to receive a gift certificate for a bicycle provided by Cotner Lodge. The school saw a 26 percent increase in reading improvement.

Rusty Nail Degree

Many members will never show up at your lodge out of fear of becoming embarrassed because they don’t remember what they must do to enter a meeting. The Rusty Nail Degree educates them about the steps, due guards, signs, grips, and words of the degrees. This “degree” requires only a few men to perform it and can be completed in about 35 minutes. An informal version could be combined with a Saturday morning coffee. Individually contact non-active members to attend, and offer to pick them up. If held before a meeting, serve a dinner, perform the degree and urge them to attend your meeting. The degree is available from the Grand Lodge at: toll free – 800-558-8029; Lincoln – 475-4640; or .

 BBQ Fundraiser

Papillion Lodge No. 39 holds an annual BBQ which is the lodge’s main money maker. Every member receives two tickets in the mail with a request for payment, and a number of out-of-town brethren pay for tickets as an opportunity to support the lodge. Awards are also presented at the BBQ, including band scholarships and service awards to non-Masons active in Papillion. For more information on the Masonic Achievement Award and Masonic Community Service Award, go to:  http://glne.org/fileDownload.aspx.

 Bottle Auction Supports Charities

A highly-visible event for the Masonic family in Tekamah is a potluck dinner and bottle auction held by the Lodge and Eastern Star Chapter. Attendees wrap a bottle and it is offered for the auction without the bidders knowing what’s inside the package. It makes for a fun evening. Proceeds from the auction are given to local food pantries. The event is open to the public and attendance has increased each year. Its first year, the auction raised $300, $900 in the second year, and last year the amount was $1,300.