Finances And Freemasonry
If we want nice things, we have to pay for them
My friend Cameron Adamson is a Mason in Ontario, Canada who perhaps a couple of years ago decided that he was going to pursue Freemasonry on a pretty much full time basis. He interviews Masons from around the world, travels, and tells the story of Masonry to a world wide audience, using the tools provided by our vast social media networks.
I am not familiar with his monetization plan or results, I think, but don’t know for certain that it is reliant on a combination of advertising revenue and patreon subscriptions. Whatever it may be, if his work is to continue, it will require some level of income to maintain itself.
You can find Brother Adamson’s work here:
I recently encountered the project of another Mason who is working to create a new social networking site, just for Freemasons. It is set to launch at the end of this month, and looks to be similar in use to what we are used to with Facebook.
Years ago Facebook was a superb way for Masons to stay in touch with each other, and for Lodges to advertise upcoming events. But algorithm changes have made it much less useful for us, and resulted in a clearly more toxic online experience.
I understand why our Brother wants to create a great quality alternative for Freemasonry, and I know that it will be extremely costly and time consuming to do so. He is looking to fund the endeavor with monthly membership fees.
You can find that site here:
Finally, of course, I must mention this newsletter, Emeth.
It is supported by the generous subscriptions of its readers. Without the funding that they provide, it could not exist.
It seems to me that in the past, a vast array of what we now refer to as Masonic content was made available through the financing and other backing of large and well heeled Masonic groups.
I have hardback books published by my local research Lodge. I don’t think that they are able to publish at all anymore.
I receive the Scottish Rite Journal each issue, and it is fun to read, but it does not remotely compare in depth or breadth to the New Age of one hundred years ago.
I am a member of five Lodges, and have never seen a Trestle Board published by any of them. Although I am aware that this was normal practice for all Lodges decades ago.
By pointing these things out, I am not criticizing my Lodges, the Scottish Rite SJ, or my local Research Lodge. They have neither the human, nor the financial resources to do now that which they were able to do in the past.
I am simply trying to make the point that as Freemasonry has contracted, there is much, much less for us, and our organizations to work with.
We also, years ago, had enough Masons to support publications through advertising dollars. Masonic newspapers existed to keep members widely informed of events and adventures. There were enough of us that advertisers felt we were an important commercial audience to reach.
Now there isn’t even enough sales potential for the List of Lodges book that we are all familiar with for the publisher to continue with that endeavor. Collectively, our Grand Secretaries with the help of others had to figure out a way to make this vital information available to every Lodge in North America.
Last week the Worshipful Master of a Lodge in a sister Jurisdiction showed me his Lodge’s collection of Grand Lodge Proceedings, going back to the very beginning of that Jurisdiction. He explained to me that he has been able to use those books to answer questions about the men who helped create his city and his Lodge. My Grand Lodge can no longer afford to print a copy of the Proceedings for every Lodge in the Jurisdiction, and I imagine that other Grand Lodges are in a similar boat.
By recounting all of these things, I am simply pointing out that the world has changed. The model of huge Masonic organizations, overflowing with money and manpower, able to do all of these things no longer exists. And it hasn’t existed for a long time now.
The world has changed, and I think that Freemasonry must change with it.
If we want a rather quirky Masonic newsletter written by some old Past Grand Master, well then enough of us are going to have to buy subscriptions to it in order for its publication to be feasible. (And a Huge Thank You from me to all of you who have done so!)
If we want to have a Masonic correspondent willing to travel around North America to report on happenings in our Jurisdictions, and interviewing the movers and shakers of those Jurisdictions, then enough of us are going to have to sign on as Patrons of that work so that it can continue to be done.
If we want a viable alternative to Facebook, where our Masonic content can be seen instead of buried under an avalanche of division and vice, then enough of us are going to have to sign up and pay the monthly fee that will allow it to exist.
It is clear that our organizations can no longer provide these things to us as a benefit of our membership, so we have to directly support those who are creating in the Masonic sphere, or go without. I see no other options.
But, that is an option. A viable option.
It is however an option that only exists because of technology.
Technology has drastically reduced the cost for production of all the things this post is about. Brother Adamson is able to create his video productions without the need for sets, television cameras, and all the rest. He can provide his videos with a production cost low enough to make the endeavor theoretically feasible.
Likewise with the software that supports this newsletter. It isn’t free, and there is more than one large corporation taking a bite out of each subscription. But it is vastly cheaper than if I were to try and send out 200 plus issues of this newsletter each year via USPS. The software I use to produce Emeth results in costs low enough to make this endeavor theoretically feasible.
Our Brother who is creating Trowel & Trestle will have IT costs that I shudder to imagine. But, as he need not build the software from scratch, those costs will be low enough to make his endeavor theoretically feasible.
The costs of production faced by creators today are extremely low compared to the costs faced by creators just a few decades ago. But that doesn’t mean that they don’t exist, or that each time cost is driven downwards, creators hold more profit. The drastically reduced costs have made these endeavors feasible and without these reduced costs of production, these endeavors simply would not exist.
The fact of the matter is that no Masonic creator is going to ever get rich creating Masonic content. I would guess that none will ever reach an income even closely resembling the minimum wage. What the dollars we pay do, when combined with very low production costs, is make creation possible. They pay for the tools the Masonic creator needs in order to create.
Given that it is obvious that our large Masonic organizations no longer have the money nor the manpower to create these things as a benefit of membership, we must look to other models for their creation. Our capitalist system provides a reasonable map for us to follow.
And while we are at it, my great friend, VW Frank has an excellent Masonic trivia game for sale here:
And my very own Mentor through the Degrees, VW Andre makes the greatest Masonic SWAG around:
By supporting these, and all the other Masonic creators out there, we are ensuring that we can continue to have those things that we hold dear.
A massive amount of information in this post. Thank you as always for your time and shared knowledge you put forth in all of your posts. I understand and agree with much of what you have shared, with exception to the expense of putting out quality information concerning the Ancient Craft.
In no way do I think investing a small amount of money to a good cause that puts forth knowledge is a bad thing. Seeking Light is difficult for all of us who are what I like to call, "Hungry for Knowledge".
This is where I slightly disagree with the idea that money has to be spent on a monthly, quarterly or yearly area on the internet to share this knowledge.
The endless available outlets for websites are out there for all of us to use. My personal website that I use costs me 60.00 a year. I understand that this does cost money from the Brother who is providing this information because he has a website but it is only 60.00 a year and any Brother out there who enjoys sharing what they have to say concerning the Ancient Craft isn't doing it for the making of money. At least they shouldn't be in my opinion.
There are exceptions to my above comments. Emeth shared the Brother who travels to interview Men of the Craft. That does take money and is a very unique resource that I completely agree with the subscription based website.
When I speak to the topic of shared information on the internet, previous decades of periodicals and out of print books I must say that there is an endless amount of topics, data etc. that is relatable to today's Freemason.
In my Jurisdiction of Oregon there were very energetic Brothers from post WW 2 that created a magazine named "Oregon Freemason". Sure, the content was mostly Oregon specific but the quality of the shared light is amazing to read. These magazines are currently being scanned and provided for free from the volunteer hours put forth at the Grand Lodge of Oregon Library and Museum. I will assume that in other jurisdictions there were Brothers who did the same thing that was done in the Oregon Jurisdiction. There are other periodicals that were published on a subscription basis.
That was prior to the technology that we have today.
A quality magazine can be put together with a word program and using the outlets via the internet.
This is all an investment into all of our personal paths as Freemason's.
Seeking light and finding it should not cost money in my humble opinion. A small investment to help the annual subscription of a website I can understand but sharing this light of knowledge that some of us enjoy making available is a passion and doesn't need to be paid for.
We just need Brothers to volunteer their time and share their new found knowledge and thoughts on the Ancient Craft on a platform that is available at a very low cost or no cost at all.
I am a believer that a zero investment for the Light of Brothers should be out there. Knowledge should be free to the hungry Freemason.
Great topic. I enjoy the brain food. I look forward to more content.
My 2c.
Happy New Year Most Worshipful Sir! This is a great topic and one that deserves both structural and transactional attention.
Transactional: Should we be willing to pay for value? Sure. That's the easy part.
Structural: I think there are a few issues that deserve reckoning.
First, make sure that Masonic gatherings, both virtual and in-person, and publications are valuable. There have been many discussions in this forum about the absence of value in too many of our encounters. It's clear that we've become a little too comfortable with empty encounters. Personally, I joined this Fraternity because I was told that we help good men become better. To that end, it does me no good to partake in any encounter unless I leave with something to think about and to use as a potential path to personal growth. With that criteria in mind, think of the time and money we put into encounters that don't come close to fulfilling this criteria. (Rather than record a rant of my own, each of us can certainly come up with our own lists).
Second, matching cost to value will be difficult to solve on a piecemeal basis. Let's stipulate that the various publications and forums you've cited deserve financial support. Undertaking funding for these endeavors individually will likely be a long and difficult process, not because they lack value but because many Masons are still operating in a false reality when it comes to money. I believe the Fraternity needs a significant wake up call, and that wake up call should start at the top. I'd start by doing something drastic at the Grand Lodge level. I mean no disrespect to the faithful Brothers and employees who operate Grand Lodge, but all organizations live in the shadow of their leadership. How much money goes to events and activities that don't prioritize making good men better? How much to we spend on Masonic bling? How much does Grand Lodge, and individual Brothers, spend on the annual communication; can we really justify asking a Brother to use his vacation time, put a couple hundred miles on the car, and pay for a hotel room to watch debates and votes about Masonic technicalities that don't make good men better? What does it cost to support our numerous committees and what do they deliver to the cause of making good men better? Certainly we need a central body to protect our ritual, maintain our tax exempt status, and manage our legal risks. Those essential administrative functions would probably cost a lot less than what we're currently spending.
Finally, I'd abolish the Life Member program and call it out for what it is ... a poorly designed otherwise good idea. As a brand new Mason I bought a life membership in my lodge because I was told that I'd never have to pay dues again. A few years later I got a detailed look at the lodge finances and realized that we were bleeding cash, in large part because about 90% of our members were Life Members. Around the same time the District Deputy stood up in a meeting to praise the Brothers who purchased Life Memberships since they had made "a lifetime commitment to the Lodge". But it was marketed to me as a way to dodge a lifetime commitment. Unwinding the program would send a message about financial realities to all Brothers.
I'm sure there's more, but my point is that we'll never get there if our discussion is limited to the merits of subscribing to individual forums and publications. The world has changed in many ways from the days when most Lodges were financially strong. For many Brothers it's much harder to pay their full fair share compared to the way it used to be; in the last few decades college education, healthcare, and retirement costs have all inflated at rates well in excess of wage gains. Broadly speaking, the entire Masonic business model requires an overhaul. Costs will have to be aligned with the ability of Brothers to pay, and justified by imparting value in exchange.