“Making Good Men Better”
- James Noah Hillman Award – all healthy Lodges should be able to attain this award
- Full line of officers – fill every seat – not just required seats (Stewards, Marshall)
- Improve Masonic Ritual
- Get it right and keep it there – including receiving in the East
- Instill rigor & regularity (Lodge Schools, District Schools, Area Schools, etc)
- Catechisms – coaches and mentors – all current and past Lodge officers
- Learn a lecture
- Redundancy – we should all strive to know ritual well enough to teach it
- In 2020 we can conduct all 3 degrees in house
- Improve Masonic Education (promote VA Masonic University as it comes on-line)
- Duties of Officers – learn and faithfully execute your duties
- Teach your successor – pass your knowledge on to your successors
- Learn or create a program to deliver
- Instill rigor and regularity (year-to-year) – LEO gets ~ 5 min each stated communication
- Improve Planning
- Lodge Calendar!!! – pay attention to the Lodge calendar and plan around it as you can
- Officer meetings (average every other month)
- According to your duties and responsibilities – PLAN AHEAD and COMMUNICATE
- Program for Stated Communications – plan it/make it interesting – set the process going forward
- Long Range Plan – build on the long-range plan, lay ground work for process going forward
- Support the District and Grand Lodge events!!!!
- Instill rigor and regularity (year-to-year)
- Improve Fellowship
- Fraternal Visits – visit each Lodge in District at least once, shoot for twice (DDGM OVs) – add traveling committee to list of committees
- Plan more events outside of Stated and Called Communications
- Ladies Night, Bring a Friend Night, monthly breakfasts, shooting/Bull Run, picnics, fellowship, etc.
- MAHOVA Open House visit
- Improve Financial Position of the Lodge
- Annual Budget – create, manage, and lay ground work for process going forward
- Focus on fund raisers – advertise where it makes sense
- 50/50 Raffles, Flea Markets, Yard Sale, Stewards Box contributions, Builders Club, etc.
- Study and adjust Lodge dues to bring budget into balance
- Research plans to bequeath funds for Lodge building and grounds
- Other opportunities – Lodge shirts/hats, fund raisers at social events like shooting clays at Bull Run, etc.
- Build Local Community Ties
- Patronize the same restaurant(s)
- Scholarship Committee – Mt. Vernon High School
- Advertise in local rags (fund raisers)
- Build ties to Mt. Vernon – if possible – this has been difficult but we should continue.
- Community Builders Award – Recognize Mt. Vernon civic leaders (fire marshall, police chief, etc.)
BOTTOM LINE: Put in place the foundation & framework (the leadership, processes, plans, redundancy, rigor & regularity) to build upon so the Lodge continues to succeed and grow for years to come.
