Gentlemen;

During the Moose fiscal year of 2010-2011 the Moose Legion throughout our Fraternity donated a total of $160,731.01 to the Mooseheart / Moosehaven Endowment Fund. Could you imagine the possibilities if we had a greater membership in the Moose Legion than 8%-11% (a give-and-take percentage over the years) of the entire Loyal Order of Moose?

Take a look at our charitable giving during this same year. Our 19 Moose Legions jurisdictions within California and Nevada donated a total of $13,277.55 to the Endowment Fund. That translates into a little over $2.65 per Moose Legionnaire donated. Special recognition must go out to the Nevada Moose Legion #168 for donating $2842.53 which averages $16.92 per capita to the Endowment Fund. Phenomenal!

It is equally important to note that our 19 Moose Legion jurisdictions collectively donated $32,546.08 to all programs of Moose Charities in support of Mooseheart, Moosehaven, and other charitable subscriptions undertaken by Moose International. There are also times where we contributed through our Moose Lodges and the California / Nevada Moose

Association that Moose Charities doesn’t have credited to us directly.

After completing a full year and the dust settles, it’s incredible to see just how much it is that we do for each other and all those less fortunate. It is even more amazing to realize the incredible volume of our 19 Moose Legion jurisdictions in California and Nevada when we’re all on the same page. If you really want to go crazy with accomplishment, realize the affect of what 174 Moose Legion jurisdiction fraternity-wide accomplish year in and year out. We are truly awesome; independently and collectively!

Please be sure that you and the Moose Legion President thank all the Directors and Moose Legionnaires for all of their contributions of finances, time, effort, and membership building for last year and for all the great works that we will accomplish together in 2011-2012.

Thanks for all that you do,
Mark

Gentlemen:

Check out the most recent of the newly created “Southern California Newsletter”, by clicking link at end of this article. It is being disseminate by Southern California Moose Legion #006 to all of its members and local Moose Lodges. It’s a quarterly publication in addition to the continual flow of e-mails within the Board of Directors, to the Moose Legionnaires, and to the Moose Lodges of the jurisdiction.

The reason that I’m sharing bulletin with all of you is to show how interesting, appealing, and inviting that news flashes and upcoming events being sponsored by your Moose Legion jurisdictions, the Moose Lodge Moose Legion Activities Committees, and even the Moose Lodges can be entertaining and rewarding. It is so important to advertise our product; the Moose Legion, supporting the programs of our great Fraternity and having fun in the process.

If you don’t already have a regularly published bulletin, please  make

this a priority so as to inform our Brothers of an additional values to their membership. Use this publication as a membership tool by showing all the news and events available to a prospective Moose Legionnaire. It may be your greatest membership retention tool because it may give reason to a Moose Legionnaire in maintaining or renewing his dues. Whatever the reason, whatever the use, a tool such as a publication like this can only enhance our program.

The editor of the “Southern California Newsletter” is our newly selected Council of Higher Degrees Coordinator for the California / Nevada Moose Association, Ben Pendleton. I’m sure he’d appreciate your comments and would be willing to share some of his publishing expertise with anyone interested in starting or enhancing a fraternal publication by e-mailing him at bpendleton@cerritos.edu

CLICK HERE For Southern California Moose Legion 6 Newsletter    

Gentlemen;

Below is your first response to my most recent request for assistance in curbing membership retention. It’s not quite what I expected, but I’m pleased to see that you are taking this problem to heart. Make membership retention a top priority. It will benefit us all in the long run.

“I have been the ML Secretary since before LCL and I never met the majority of our members. They pay dues but never participate in an activity.  I really believe our biggest problem is getting members to participate, but I don't have the answer. I do know that participation will close the back door.  It seems to me that members that are " bought" will leave every time when the buyer is gone or dies (as probably my kids will do ).” 

My immediate answer is to continue providing activities for your membership. Provided more hype and greater promotion to insure attendance. Request feedback from those while in attendance as to their likes and dislikes to realize the type of programs that are necessary to maintain or achieve the greatest amount of attendance possible. Follow up with a written questionnaire thereby soliciting more information from .

the attendees as well as possibly from those that didn’t attend

There’s no quick fix. However, as stated in the Kevin Costner movie Field of Dreams, “if you build it, they will come”. I truly believe that if we provide the best possible programs and meal functions, our membership will be appreciative. I truly believe that if we provide that which we promised, our members will be supportive. I truly believe that if we reinforce the values of the Loyal Order of Moose program and support the 2-letter, 10-word statement “if it is to be it is up to me”, our membership will flourish and we’ll certainly lessen our arrearages.

I still want your input. I want to hear from you as to what you are doing to combat the problem of our members “going out the back door”. Please know that if we do nothing, that’s exactly what we’ll have. Let me know of your successes in membership retention so that we can share this with others in order to strengthen and maintain our defending circle. Please make membership retention a top priority?!

Thanks for all that you do,   Mark

Gentlemen;

While going on-line to our International website, I came across the attached article regarding membership retention from May of this year. This message is equally as vital and necessary today as the day it was first disseminated. I can’t impress any stronger how an effective membership retention program goes to the very core of the furtherance of our Order. It certainly wouldn’t hurt if the above attached message was to be reproduced for every Moose Legion bulletin board in each our Moose Lodges. It certainly wouldn’t hurt if the Chairman of the Retention Committee (the Jr. Past President) and the Board of Directors were to make the rounds of the Moose Legion Committees within each of our Moose Lodges to promote membership retention as well as new membership production.  On every level of our Fraternity there should always be a report and information in regard to these foundations of our existence. And certainly the Moose Legion should be no exception.

 In fact, as the care takers of the Fraternity, it should be up to us to preach the word louder and stronger than all others. Please be part of the solution by getting serious about conserving the members we have, increasing new membership, and restoring former members. I certainly don’t expect the Moose Legion Secretary to accomplish this single handedly. With the assistance of the entire Board of Directors, the Assistant Moose Legion Secretaries, the Moose Legion Chairmen on the Moose Lodge level, and a band of gung-ho Moose Legionnaires, we can accomplish the upper limits of any scenario. I promise that a little hard work and a bit of effort will pay major dividends because the Moose Legion is a worthy enterprise.

Thanks for all that you do,
Mark                                                   Click Here For Message

Gentlemen;

Attached above is the notice from Moose International announcing our Moose Legion annual project and a spreadsheet showing the breakdown of costs per Moose Legion jurisdiction within California and Nevada. We were asked to provide 2 more 15-passanger vans (as the 5 we recently donated) and 21 computer to be used where needed throughout our Mooseheart Child City.

Even though there is an assessment for this project of $1.75 per Moose Legionnaire based upon active membership as of the commencement of this fiscal year, there are opportunities for a discount by making payment as indicated on the spreadsheet. You are encouraged to take advantage of a 20% discount by submitting your donation as soon as possible and no later than the 30^th  of November.

Why wait? Run some raffles or a special function in order to save your Moose Legion a greater interest then you can earn from any financial institution. Make your checks payable to Moose Charities and in the lower left hand memo area of your check please designate M L - Vans & Computers so you’ll receive proper credit for this donation.

Please remember that the Endowment Fund is a continuously ongoing opportunity of giving in support of Mooseheart and Moosehaven whenever we gather in the name of the Order. This is always a prime area of need in maintenance of the never ending obligation in operating our twin cities; Mooseheart and Moosehaven.

The Youth Awareness Scholarship Fund is another annual program based at $.50 per active Moose Legionnaire throughout our Fraternity that we undertook a few years back. Please promote the fact that it is the Moose Legions of our Fraternity that supply a total of $30,000.00 in higher education

 scholarships for this program. We are truly more deserving than the minimal publicity that we receive for funding this program.

And, the Mooseheart Senior Package is something quite unique to the Moose Legionnaires of California and Nevada. We not only cover the photo packet for each graduating Mooseheart High School Senior at the beginning of the school year, we supply their caps and gowns, their graduation invitations, the programs available at the graduation ceremony, their Mooseheart High School diploma and cover, and then there’s also the picnic lunch for the senior class on the day before graduation that is also supplied as part of the Mooseheart High School Senior Package. All of this is covered at a mere $1.00 per capita share of active Moose Legionnaires in California and Nevada.

Additionally, there are many other areas for donations to be made through Moose Charities. These programs are endless and up to each Moose Legion jurisdiction to be involved where they can afford. It may seem overwhelming at this point. However, with a bit of planning, some fund raising projects, and event or two, getting others involved, and a little luck, you’ll be amazed at what moose legionnaires can accomplish.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate in contacting me immediately.

Thanks for all that you do,

Mark

Click: 2011-2012 Annual Projects Announcement .pdf
Click: Moose Legion Annual Project 2011-2012 Excel