In most Lodges one of the hardest things to do is find someone willing and able to take on the job of Lodge Secretary. Lodges have been lost due to want of a Secretary, Lodges have needed to combine the jobs of Secretary and Treasurer to fill the posts, and too many Secretaries feel as if they can never leave their chair because the Lodge will be unable to find someone else, so they sacrifice themselves for the Lodge.
I think we can all agree that the situation isn’t good in these cases, so let’s chat about it…
How can we, as members of our Lodge, make the Secretary’s job easier so that more men are willing to step up and assume this vital office?
Thankfully, that hasn’t been an problem for Silverdale Lodge; however, I am a plural member of another Lodge that has experience this issue.
Often times the most qualified Brother in the Lodge for such an important position is reluctant to assume the duties of Secretary because he may struggle with one part of the job, such as Facebook, Zoom, email or social media. The secret is to find out what part of the job as Lodge Secretary he dislikes or struggles with and maybe the Worshipful Master can help with that. This reassurance could be enough to sway his decision.
1. Start a Secretaries Apprentice/ Assistance Secretary position That position gets read access or write access to what ever DB you guys use. That person is a secretary in training. They get all the training programs, GL emails, fill in when the secretary cant get in. Most importantly assist with Mailing Dues/ Subscription notices. Once the Secretary decides to retire to the South East corner of the lodge. (Grumpy Secretaries Position) The role is switched. Until the lodge can find another assistant secretary. Yes, its a elected position ad the assistant is not. But, if the secretary isn't training his replacement, it will never happen. If that secretary Dies due to illness and not assistant is in place it will be devastating to the lodge.
Many hands make small work. Give the secretary assistance. Break up the responsibilities. Provide a stipend for the position. I have all of these solutions in my new lodge proposal.
I have been a secretary for a lodge, and am unofficially the Assistant Secretary for my home lodge. It's a tough job, to say the least. Records keeping, contacting absent members, keeping track of who has (and has not paid dues), bookkeeping, birthdays (natal and Masonic), ordering pins and certificates, keeping track of qualifications and certifications, communication with Grand Lodge... You get the idea. The Master is Master for one year. He and the Secretary should be in each other's hip pockets, communicating constantly. "Observe the will and pleasure of the Worshipful Master" is more than a job description. It is a mandate. Just a suggestion: have the term of office for the Secretary be no more than five years. Assign an assistant and have him train up. Make the transition smooth and transparent. That way, no one individual gets "burn out." Just my thoughts...
This is an interesting topic. In 7 and a half years as a MM I have been installed as Secretary 14 times. (would have been 15 if not for Covid) In 2018 I was Secretary of 4 Lodges at the same time. I have on 2 occasions stepped up and saved the Lodge's Charter on a December election night. Once when I was not even a member of the Lodge.
The Secretary's place is an educational one. One learns how the logistics of a Lodge works. Shortcuts and organizational skills are honed. I have found the lessons learned have made me a better Worshipful Master on the 2 occasions I have filled that Station.
Trying to keep minutes with the Zoom meeting has been the biggest challenge. Not having the luxury of hearing the direction that comments come from as you would in an in person meeting complicates the task. Often Zoom meetings go off on wild tangents as well making it harder to categorize what is proper to be written and what is not.
My loss of hearing getting worse, having trouble reading and living often without internet service has made the position unworkable . Fortunately, I have found replacements or perhaps replacements have offered (or voluntold) to take the position off my hands which has led to my first year coming up as a MM without being a Lodge Secretary.
This year coming up I will be Worshipful Master of yet a third Lodge, SD in another, Tyler in my home Lodge and possibly Musician in a forth. Not counting this upcoming year, I have been installed as a Lodge officer 27 times. (by choice)
I don't disagree with those who say that spreading oneself so thin makes one not as effective in any one office. I think that the main purpose of Masonry is for the individual Brother to serve himself as Master of his own Moral and Masonic edifice with fervency and zeal. It is, in my opinion no mistake that one of the working tools of an EA is the common gavel, an emblem of authority. (over one's own destiny) To learn as much as possible in the time available.
I see the end of the runway on the level of time getting shorter and shorter with each passing day. I am planning on doing as much as I can in that limited time.
VWB Tig touched on some great items in his comment. I’ll base my take on those items.
“Record keeping, contacting absent members, keeping track of who has (and has not paid dues), bookkeeping, birthdays (natal and Masonic), ordering pins and certificates, keeping track of qualifications and certifications, communication with Grand Lodge... You get the idea.” I took over Secretary of Tenino Lodge from my uncle, who had been the Secretary since 1997. As such, I had a passing familiarity with the records and the Lodge membership. But the addition of a computer shortly after I was installed Secretary made these things MUCH more organized and simple, for me at least. Using the Mail Merge to get the dues notices out, using the internet to get the orders out to Mary Ann, then Lynne, using the Cloud as a backup for the minutes (which we now do with Grandview) actually made the position fun for me. Some Brothers from the older era would not be comfortable with using this technology to accomplish these tasks, and I acknowledge that they can struggle with some of these tasks as a result. Cool thing is building on relationships with all the members of your Lodge, including those who live out of state. That’s one of the things I miss now that I’m no longer the Secretary.
“The Master is Master for one year. He and the Secretary should be in each other's hip pockets, communicating constantly.” Agreed. Fortunately, I had good working relationships with all of the Worshipful Masters during my tenure as the Secretary, even though many of those Masters fought with each other bitterly.
‘"Observe the will and pleasure of the Worshipful Master" is more than a job description. It is a mandate.’ It has to work that way, but I’m glad VWB Tig mentioned it here as a good reminder. It can be really easy for the Secretary to wind up running the Lodge from his desk, whether or not he does it intentionally. I consider this an effort of self-discipline on the Secretary’s part, reminding himself every meeting to “Observe the Will and Pleasure of the Worshipful Master.”
“Just a suggestion: have the term of office for the Secretary be no more than five years. Assign an assistant and have him train up. Make the transition smooth and transparent. That way, no one individual gets "burn out."” I can see how this is a good idea in cases where the Lodge can see that the Secretary is starting to get flustered in his position, and also, if that Secretary is starting to “run the Lodge from the Secretary’s desk.” But I have to admit, I actually had fun serving Tenino Lodge in this capacity; the only reason why I had to give it up was due to my increasing Grand Lodge responsibilities. Same thing with the other Secretary positions I held in the Concordant Bodies. But then again, if that 5 year term was over, and another Brother took over, he could be elected again after another 5 years, if the Brethren liked a particular Brother in that office due to his excellency in that duty.
Another note: I note that for many Lodges, the Lodge mailing address is actually the Secretary’s mailing address. I’ve seen first-hand the issues associated with that, particularly if something happens with that Secretary that prevents him from continuing his duties. The most notable situation is death, but it could be other circumstances. Let’s take the Secretary suddenly passing of a heart attack. All the records are at his house, and the widow has no idea of what that stuff is, where it’s all located, the password to the laptop with essential information on it, etc. This can take months to fix, if it can indeed be fixed. All of the Lodges I’m a member of have their own mailing address, such as a P.O. Box, that certain Lodge members have a key to (more than one, again, in case one of them dies,) so the Lodge records can stay as much as possible in the Lodge building, rather than at a Brother’s house.
In all, being a Lodge secretary today is considerably easier than it was even 15 years ago, and Totally easier than it was in the 1980’s and earlier. Our Grand Secretary has hosted numerous Secretary trainings that can be found on Grandview, and I suggest anyone, not just aspiring Secretaries, to kick back and watch them.
Thankfully, that hasn’t been an problem for Silverdale Lodge; however, I am a plural member of another Lodge that has experience this issue.
Often times the most qualified Brother in the Lodge for such an important position is reluctant to assume the duties of Secretary because he may struggle with one part of the job, such as Facebook, Zoom, email or social media. The secret is to find out what part of the job as Lodge Secretary he dislikes or struggles with and maybe the Worshipful Master can help with that. This reassurance could be enough to sway his decision.
Have a blessed Wednesday.
1. Start a Secretaries Apprentice/ Assistance Secretary position That position gets read access or write access to what ever DB you guys use. That person is a secretary in training. They get all the training programs, GL emails, fill in when the secretary cant get in. Most importantly assist with Mailing Dues/ Subscription notices. Once the Secretary decides to retire to the South East corner of the lodge. (Grumpy Secretaries Position) The role is switched. Until the lodge can find another assistant secretary. Yes, its a elected position ad the assistant is not. But, if the secretary isn't training his replacement, it will never happen. If that secretary Dies due to illness and not assistant is in place it will be devastating to the lodge.
Many hands make small work. Give the secretary assistance. Break up the responsibilities. Provide a stipend for the position. I have all of these solutions in my new lodge proposal.
Your question says it all. It is long past time for Grand Lodge to review the Secretary's position to make it much easier.
I have been a secretary for a lodge, and am unofficially the Assistant Secretary for my home lodge. It's a tough job, to say the least. Records keeping, contacting absent members, keeping track of who has (and has not paid dues), bookkeeping, birthdays (natal and Masonic), ordering pins and certificates, keeping track of qualifications and certifications, communication with Grand Lodge... You get the idea. The Master is Master for one year. He and the Secretary should be in each other's hip pockets, communicating constantly. "Observe the will and pleasure of the Worshipful Master" is more than a job description. It is a mandate. Just a suggestion: have the term of office for the Secretary be no more than five years. Assign an assistant and have him train up. Make the transition smooth and transparent. That way, no one individual gets "burn out." Just my thoughts...
This is an interesting topic. In 7 and a half years as a MM I have been installed as Secretary 14 times. (would have been 15 if not for Covid) In 2018 I was Secretary of 4 Lodges at the same time. I have on 2 occasions stepped up and saved the Lodge's Charter on a December election night. Once when I was not even a member of the Lodge.
The Secretary's place is an educational one. One learns how the logistics of a Lodge works. Shortcuts and organizational skills are honed. I have found the lessons learned have made me a better Worshipful Master on the 2 occasions I have filled that Station.
Trying to keep minutes with the Zoom meeting has been the biggest challenge. Not having the luxury of hearing the direction that comments come from as you would in an in person meeting complicates the task. Often Zoom meetings go off on wild tangents as well making it harder to categorize what is proper to be written and what is not.
My loss of hearing getting worse, having trouble reading and living often without internet service has made the position unworkable . Fortunately, I have found replacements or perhaps replacements have offered (or voluntold) to take the position off my hands which has led to my first year coming up as a MM without being a Lodge Secretary.
This year coming up I will be Worshipful Master of yet a third Lodge, SD in another, Tyler in my home Lodge and possibly Musician in a forth. Not counting this upcoming year, I have been installed as a Lodge officer 27 times. (by choice)
I don't disagree with those who say that spreading oneself so thin makes one not as effective in any one office. I think that the main purpose of Masonry is for the individual Brother to serve himself as Master of his own Moral and Masonic edifice with fervency and zeal. It is, in my opinion no mistake that one of the working tools of an EA is the common gavel, an emblem of authority. (over one's own destiny) To learn as much as possible in the time available.
I see the end of the runway on the level of time getting shorter and shorter with each passing day. I am planning on doing as much as I can in that limited time.
VWB Tig touched on some great items in his comment. I’ll base my take on those items.
“Record keeping, contacting absent members, keeping track of who has (and has not paid dues), bookkeeping, birthdays (natal and Masonic), ordering pins and certificates, keeping track of qualifications and certifications, communication with Grand Lodge... You get the idea.” I took over Secretary of Tenino Lodge from my uncle, who had been the Secretary since 1997. As such, I had a passing familiarity with the records and the Lodge membership. But the addition of a computer shortly after I was installed Secretary made these things MUCH more organized and simple, for me at least. Using the Mail Merge to get the dues notices out, using the internet to get the orders out to Mary Ann, then Lynne, using the Cloud as a backup for the minutes (which we now do with Grandview) actually made the position fun for me. Some Brothers from the older era would not be comfortable with using this technology to accomplish these tasks, and I acknowledge that they can struggle with some of these tasks as a result. Cool thing is building on relationships with all the members of your Lodge, including those who live out of state. That’s one of the things I miss now that I’m no longer the Secretary.
“The Master is Master for one year. He and the Secretary should be in each other's hip pockets, communicating constantly.” Agreed. Fortunately, I had good working relationships with all of the Worshipful Masters during my tenure as the Secretary, even though many of those Masters fought with each other bitterly.
‘"Observe the will and pleasure of the Worshipful Master" is more than a job description. It is a mandate.’ It has to work that way, but I’m glad VWB Tig mentioned it here as a good reminder. It can be really easy for the Secretary to wind up running the Lodge from his desk, whether or not he does it intentionally. I consider this an effort of self-discipline on the Secretary’s part, reminding himself every meeting to “Observe the Will and Pleasure of the Worshipful Master.”
“Just a suggestion: have the term of office for the Secretary be no more than five years. Assign an assistant and have him train up. Make the transition smooth and transparent. That way, no one individual gets "burn out."” I can see how this is a good idea in cases where the Lodge can see that the Secretary is starting to get flustered in his position, and also, if that Secretary is starting to “run the Lodge from the Secretary’s desk.” But I have to admit, I actually had fun serving Tenino Lodge in this capacity; the only reason why I had to give it up was due to my increasing Grand Lodge responsibilities. Same thing with the other Secretary positions I held in the Concordant Bodies. But then again, if that 5 year term was over, and another Brother took over, he could be elected again after another 5 years, if the Brethren liked a particular Brother in that office due to his excellency in that duty.
Another note: I note that for many Lodges, the Lodge mailing address is actually the Secretary’s mailing address. I’ve seen first-hand the issues associated with that, particularly if something happens with that Secretary that prevents him from continuing his duties. The most notable situation is death, but it could be other circumstances. Let’s take the Secretary suddenly passing of a heart attack. All the records are at his house, and the widow has no idea of what that stuff is, where it’s all located, the password to the laptop with essential information on it, etc. This can take months to fix, if it can indeed be fixed. All of the Lodges I’m a member of have their own mailing address, such as a P.O. Box, that certain Lodge members have a key to (more than one, again, in case one of them dies,) so the Lodge records can stay as much as possible in the Lodge building, rather than at a Brother’s house.
In all, being a Lodge secretary today is considerably easier than it was even 15 years ago, and Totally easier than it was in the 1980’s and earlier. Our Grand Secretary has hosted numerous Secretary trainings that can be found on Grandview, and I suggest anyone, not just aspiring Secretaries, to kick back and watch them.