Paying Dues
Considerations for those who lead our Lodges
Before we jump into today’s short essay, I’d just like to take a moment to say that I hope that you had a very merry Christmas, and that you are enjoying this holiday season.
Here we did Christmas Eve at our house with the family, and on Christmas day we visited friends. On Monday we’ve got a lot of Masons and their families coming down to the Lodge for a great holiday dinner.
Like Masons throughout Washington State, I paid my Masonic dues recently. Individually, they are all small. Indeed I’ve argued for years that they are too small. That we need to pay more to support our Lodges.
But, collectively, they add up. A couple of Lodges, the Scottish and York Rites, the Shrine, and a handful of smaller Masonic organizations. Stack enough of these groups atop each other, and soon enough it becomes a significant expense.
To my mind, that is something that we, as leaders of our Lodge or other Masonic bodies must remember.
Because if we expect a man to pay his dues over and over, for years, we have to recognize that he’ll only do so if he finds value in doing so.
That value could be nostalgia or loyalty to the Lodge that raised him, or in which he served as an officer. The value could be a Lodge mission that the Brother believes in, or the building he hopes to help support. It could be the education or the brotherhood he finds when he attends.
The possible ways a man might find value for his dues are as limitless as there are Masons. But he must find that value, or he will sooner or later stop paying.
And really, it is up to all of us to ensure that there is value within the Masonic organizations that we are a part of. When a man pays his dues, it’s much like if he is buying a product. We must make sure that we’re delivering that product, if we hope to retain him as a customer.
If we don’t, he’ll stop, and loosing a good man from Masonry harms our Craft, as well as the man himself.
I maintain a personal spreadsheet to track my own dues, and I make it a point to pay them on time without waiting for an invoice from the secretary or recorder.
As a secretary for both a Blue Lodge and a York Rite body, I routinely spend four to five hours each month following up on dues. During this process, I have been yelled at, accused of mismanaging accounts, confronted by frustrated spouses, and regularly asked for paper invoices. Preparing and mailing these paper invoices - while volunteering my time - requires a trip to the post office and roughly 15 to 20 minutes per request, despite the convenience of paying electronically.
Another recurring issue occurs before meetings, when a large number of members approach my desk simultaneously, dropping off cash without identifying themselves or expecting immediate change. All while I am trying to prepare for the meeting. This creates unnecessary confusion and adds stress.
Brothers, please remember that our Masonic bodies rely on dues to operate effectively. Timely payment is essential, and consideration for the volunteer secretary who manages this work goes a long way.
I think that we face a problem that most organizations do at some point in their existence. How to measure value, without losing sight of the objective.
I know some Brothers are worried about using metrics like money, attendance, retention rates and similar measures of health, and not without reason. It shouldn't become a business for the sake of making revenue, or growing for the sake of numbers. Devaluing what might be found or shared, ultimately losing sight of the meaning of Freemasonry.
Though I would consider that we go to a physician where they take our heart rate, blood pressure, temperature, and a number of other essential measurements to determine how healthy we are. Does this make our existence, or our experience, any less miraculous or spiritual? Or is it just ensuring we are doing our best to ensure the health of the vessel we inhabit during our time in this realm?
We are taught in our ritual to take actions that prolong our existence, to create positive impact, and to lead meaningful and impactful lives. How can we do this if we are not cognizant of the state of our resources, the state of our selves, or the state of our Craft? While I don't think that numbers and measures are the way to create a spiritual/transcendent experience. I do think they are a way to gauge where we are in relation to it, determining if we are achieving our goals, or what things we may need to adjust.
I think raising dues without offering or increasing value is a quick death. I think lowering them and offering a pittance of what we once did is a slow one and tarnishes the Legacy we inherited. We need to consider a balanced approach to Masonry, ensuring that we offer the things we have committed ourselves to, avoiding devaluing or cheapening it. Our approach to this should be as balanced as the lives we are called to lead.
In an alchemical journey we must be cognizant of the mind, body, and spirit as a balance to be maintained. If we neglect any, or all of those aspects, we are liable to experience challenges that might have otherwise been avoided. The Craft claims to make its votaries wiser, better, and happier, are we delivering that experience? If not, how can we get their without a compass or measurements to find our way there?