WBro Martin P. Roche – February 2012
Understanding Membership & Recruitment
Paper 3 – Approaching Retention and Retrieval
This is the last in three short papers addressing the issues of recruitment and retention and
providing simple and practical advice on the subjects. They are designed to give you some ideas, get
you thinking, get you talking and vitally, give you a starting point to build on.
This third paper explores how your Lodge can collectively work together in retaining members and
recovering former ones. As with the previous papers and approaches, it will require teamwork,
honesty, commitment and planning. And it begins by discussing as a Lodge 3 simple questions: Why
have your members stayed members? Why have some left? How might you go about assessing the
former members who have resigned and the merits of re-contacting them?
Every Lodge is different. That’s what makes Freemasonry the diverse and fascinating organisation it
is, providing different things to a spectrum of very different men. For many Lodges, this is a strength
and that uniqueness created by the blend of members in the Lodge and their approach to
Freemasonry is what makes the Lodge what it is – be that successful or otherwise. And success when
you drill down into it will undoubtedly be founded on some key principles. First and foremost, that
the Lodge is happy, is well supported by visitors and in turn, visits others. Has a strong basis of
quality ritual, quality ceremonies and quality candidates. It has a keen sense of charity and
community, engages with that community, recruits from that community and has a strong and
proud identity. It actively and positively seeks out new members and in doing so, plans for the
future. A golden thread running through all of it will be Mentoring and mutual support. Does that
sound familiar? If not, does it sound like a Freemasonry you would like to be a part of? This may be a
pen picture of an ideal but we all have the capability to work towards it and ultimately, enjoy a
model of Freemasonry that supports growth through simple recruitment AND retention practices.
A basic principle is that members will only stay if they feel a part of the family and are engaged,
involved, interested, valued and inspired. One word for that is Mentoring. Therefore, in very simple
terms Mentoring = Retention. And positive and well planned Mentoring can counter three classic
scenarios of resignation.
Number 1 - The new member: brought in without adequate explanation and possibly at a time when
life, family and work did not compliment membership. Then he was rushed through ceremonies
which were not adequately (or at all) explained and therefore had no meaning. Then he was
expected to learn in isolation and not supported. Result? Resignation
Number 2 - The Past Master: has worked through all his offices and completed his time in the chair.
But due to older members wanting to retain their offices and him not being given the opportunity to
be stretched and engaged by his Freemasonry, he became bored and uninspired. He quickly and
easily thought of better things to be doing with his time and money. Result? Resignation.
Number 3 - The older Past Master: a past Provincial Officer who because of his years does not feel
confident delivering a full ceremony or a complete charge any longer. Is on a fixed income and feels
he contributes very little any longer to justify the cost. Is then missing for a few months due to illness
and is disappointed that the Almoner, his old friend, is the only person who contacts him. Result?
Resignation.
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WBro Martin P. Roche – February 2012
All of these are common scenarios and all contribute to the growing number of resignations. But the
travesty is that all three scenarios are preventable and it is within the power of all of us to do
something about it.
Resignations are the greatest threat to Freemasonry, are the thing we do the least about and
embarrassingly, are the easiest thing to address. It simply takes the will to do it. So what are you
doing about it? Well, the solution to deal with all three could not be simpler. Competent, committed
and supported brethren carrying out the roles of Mentor, Almoner and Charity Steward and Lodge
members who all see that they have a role in supporting the duties these three vital brethren
perform. In addition, Proposers and Seconders who see their role as life-long and not ending when
their candidate has been Raised. It couldn’t be simpler and again, it has its basis in Mentoring.
Finally, have you ever looked at your Lodge summons and apart from reminiscing about those who
have passed away, wondered whatever happened to the ones who resigned?
It needs a discussion as a Lodge and no small amount of soul searching to establish not just who has
left in the previous several years, but moreover, why they left. Can anybody actually remember what
the real reasons are why a Brother really resigned? Commonly, there are several reasons: Change of
job, work commitments, no work, moving away, financial reasons, family commitments, personal
problems, bereavement, loss of confidence, loss of interest, conflict within the Lodge and finally,
Freemasonry was not for them. A more fundamental reason may be that they should not have been
brought into Freemasonry in the first place and they were simply not suitable. But apart from this,
none of the possible reasons stated would in itself be a bar to re-contacting the Brother. For
instance a conflict or ‘fall out’ which is very common may have been negated by the other party no
longer being a member. Time is not always a great healer, but it can provide an opportunity for a
fresh approach, a re-introduction, a timely ‘phone call to play catch up and vitally, a friend taking the
time to tell you that you are still missed, that we have been thinking about you and that the door is
still open. And the starting point is as easy as getting the signature book off your Lodge Secretary
and looking through it for back several years.
And remember, just because your Lodge was ‘not for them’ does not mean that Freemasonry is not.
We need to think of the bigger picture and the fact that we might be able to facilitate a return to a
different Lodge, a different hall, a different area. What is important is that sometimes we need to
think of the Order and not just our own interests. Pride is probably the greatest obstacle to
overcome in retrieving former members but the possible benefits that can ensue from the cost of
one ‘phone call are immense. And the number of examples of returning Freemasons who have
answered such a call with the words “I wondered why you have taken so long to get in touch” means
that it is worth your taking a deep breath and making the call.
The East Lancashire Mentoring Toolkit (Part 2) provides an easy and more detailed explanation of
this simple approach and much more. It along with the first part of the Mentoring Toolkit is available
on the Mentoring pages of the East Lancashire Provincial website at www.pglel.co.uk. These two
simple and easy to read documents provide all the advice you will ever need to assist you in
retaining your members. And they illustrate that Retention works if Mentoring works.
Brethren, we all have the capability and the skills to recruit, retain and retrieve Freemasons. These
are the skills acquired from simply practicing what it is to be a Freemason, being a true brother to
another and caring to care. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain and the result will be a
vibrant and growing Fraternity which is founded on a proud history but equally, confident,
committed, prepared and proud to take it into the 21st century and beyond.
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