This is an excellent subject to discuss both on the positive and the negative.
First the positive, if done right and if your property is in the right location, using your property as an income source can become self sustaining but it takes work. You must plan ahead and transform your building into something that can be used by the public…
This is an excellent subject to discuss both on the positive and the negative.
First the positive, if done right and if your property is in the right location, using your property as an income source can become self sustaining but it takes work. You must plan ahead and transform your building into something that can be used by the public either for events or for specific purposes like yoga, dance halls, music recitals or things like weddings, funerals, corporate meetings, parties, etc. or if your building or property is set up correctly, multi purpose with meeting facility and Commercial or retail space for long term rentals or leases. Additionally, with the popularity of food trucks many kitchens can be turned into cafeterias for food truck or caterers to prep their various foodstuffs. All of these things can become longterm sources of income. But all of them will require countless hours of management which is generally not in the talent pool of a “standard” Hall Board and the Hall Boards should look at hiring a management company or rental manager.
The downside of having a successful rental program is that you may loose the opportunity to support concordant bodies especially youth programs. If you are renting to the public then you have to make a choice of renting your facility for $XXX or giving it away for free or a discount. You must have a philosophical discussion with your lodge and hall board and decide if the $$$ are more important that supporting our Masonic concordant bodies.
I don't think that should be an issue. Infor example have a hipcamp campsite on my property. I block out dates on my calendar for off the market activities such as personal use or use by friends and neighbors at reduced pricing than my through the app rentals. The same could be done for concordance bodies. A reduced fee through the app or just handle those monies separately. If a vibrant lodge has a full schedule of concordant body such that it is busy every evening for a whole month is probably not in financial need to rent outside the fraternity at all. But even so, they could still rent day-time midweek conferences to local business groups. My idea for the app would be to make such scheduling options easy to do on your phone.
This is an excellent subject to discuss both on the positive and the negative.
First the positive, if done right and if your property is in the right location, using your property as an income source can become self sustaining but it takes work. You must plan ahead and transform your building into something that can be used by the public either for events or for specific purposes like yoga, dance halls, music recitals or things like weddings, funerals, corporate meetings, parties, etc. or if your building or property is set up correctly, multi purpose with meeting facility and Commercial or retail space for long term rentals or leases. Additionally, with the popularity of food trucks many kitchens can be turned into cafeterias for food truck or caterers to prep their various foodstuffs. All of these things can become longterm sources of income. But all of them will require countless hours of management which is generally not in the talent pool of a “standard” Hall Board and the Hall Boards should look at hiring a management company or rental manager.
The downside of having a successful rental program is that you may loose the opportunity to support concordant bodies especially youth programs. If you are renting to the public then you have to make a choice of renting your facility for $XXX or giving it away for free or a discount. You must have a philosophical discussion with your lodge and hall board and decide if the $$$ are more important that supporting our Masonic concordant bodies.
I don't think that should be an issue. Infor example have a hipcamp campsite on my property. I block out dates on my calendar for off the market activities such as personal use or use by friends and neighbors at reduced pricing than my through the app rentals. The same could be done for concordance bodies. A reduced fee through the app or just handle those monies separately. If a vibrant lodge has a full schedule of concordant body such that it is busy every evening for a whole month is probably not in financial need to rent outside the fraternity at all. But even so, they could still rent day-time midweek conferences to local business groups. My idea for the app would be to make such scheduling options easy to do on your phone.