Michael A. Botelho, 32°, K.C.C.H.
P.O. Box 391, Eureka Springs, Arkansas 72632
emmgmt@nwaft.com

A small Lodge demonstrates how any Masonic Body can take a major step toward solving its financial problems.

Bills! Bills! Bills! Every one of us faces the tiresome, never-ending parade of bills-utility bills, telephone bills, repair bills, tax bills, the list goes on. This is true in our private home, and it is true in our Masonic home.

As Masons, we are obligated to come to the relief of our distressed Brethren, yet we seldom consider the financial distress of the institution of Masonry itself. Right now we have Lodges, Appendant Bodies, and even Grand Lodges facing severe cost-cutting measures just to survive on their limited incomes.

Many local Lodges are being forced to operate in a virtual financial vacuum. The costs of keeping the Lodge open are forever rising, yet members are reluctant to meet the challenge out of their own pockets. As a result, Masonic Bodies resort to holding pancake breakfasts, yard sales, and spaghetti dinners to raise money, not for the purpose of funding our charitable works but rather just to provide for the cost of operation. There was even a story recently about a Lodge that was planning to place big mayonnaise donation jars around town, hoping to raise the money it needed to pay its own utility bills. Thankfully, the Grand Master of that jurisdiction vetoed the proposal. Imagine Masons asking the public to underwrite the cost of keeping our own Masonic doors open!

The answer to these financial problems is to be found within Lodge walls, not outside them. Masons must be willing to make the financial commitment to keep the Craft strong! Recently a Lodge in Arkansas has done just that. In a Grand Jurisdiction where the average Lodge dues are $30 per year, the Brethren of Basin Spring Lodge No. 386, Eureka Springs, Arkansas, recently voted to raise their dues from the average to $100, the highest of any Lodge in the state!

With just over 110 members, this Lodge is housed in a building whose 40 years of deferred maintenance is beginning to show. Unfortunately, the Lodge is located in both a state and a county that assess a real estate property tax to all buildings except actual houses of worship. Basin Spring Lodge was facing a serious cash crunch.

Historically a Lodge with a very active membership, the Brethren of Basin Spring Lodge No. 386 had held all the usual fund-raisers, collecting nearly $20,000 last year alone. However, there has been a long-standing Masonic promise to the community that all money raised in this way would go to fund only the charitable activities of the Lodge. The membership was unanimously unwilling to break that commitment, but what to do?

Finally, the Worshipful Master decided to call an emergency meeting of his principal officers and those Past Masters of the Lodge who had served in the recent past to consider the situation. The discussion went far into the night and was adjourned to the next evening as well. The answer was obvious to all attending-raise the dues. But how?

The burning question was how much of an increase would the Brethren accept. Older members on fixed incomes could not afford an increase, it was said. Nor could younger Brothers with families. The Lodge was warned that Brethren would relocate their memberships to other area Lodges that had yet to face their own financial realities.

As previous attempts to raise the dues had met with a great deal of resistance, a decision was made to design a program to "sell" the membership on the idea of a meaningful dues increase.

The first step in this program was to identify and prioritize all the expenses that had brought about the crisis. These primarily fell into three categories: a) ongoing major expenses that were not easily controlled such as insurance and real estate taxes b) necessary, but non-emergency, deferred maintenance to the building which could be scheduled over a fixed period of years, and c) the immediate replacement of failing major systems.

The next step was to draft a letter to the membership frankly outlining the problems and recommending the hard solution, a major increase in dues. The Worshipful Master and both Wardens then signed this lengthy letter. Importantly, six Past Masters also signed the communication to the Brethren, a clear indication of the severity of the matter at hand. In the message, members were invited to attend a special meeting of the Lodge to discuss the problem or to contact any of the signatories who would explain the matter in greater detail.

There was an enormous amount of interest, and attendance at the informational meeting was very high. Numerous phone calls were made to the signatories. An important result of these conversations was the creation of a Dues Review Board. Composed of three Past Masters appointed by the Worshipful Master, this board would consider appeals made by individual Brethren relating to the level of hardship the new dues imposed upon them. The board was authorized to decide each case in the best interest of the Lodge and to report its actions by summary only, never naming the Brethren who had appealed. The board was given authority to waive dues altogether; to set the dues at the old rate of $30 or at half the new fee; and to allow periodic payments to be made-all as determined by the circumstances of each appeal.

The vote to adopt the new $100 dues was set for the next Stated Meeting. The air was electric as nearly 75% of the total membership packed into the Lodge Hall. For several older, infirm Brothers, it was the first time they had sat in Lodge in years! At the appointed time in the meeting, the Worshipful Master asked for a motion, which was made and seconded.

When the floor was opened to discussion, one of the long-absent elderly Brethren slowly struggled to his feet. "There are way too many 'ring bearers' in Masonry," he said in his slow, earthy style. "These are Brethren who are always ready to flash their fancy Masonic rings, but never available to do anything helpful. Tonight," he continued, "we can remind everyone of his obligation to serve and preserve our glorious Fraternity in a most meaningful way!" Not another voice was raised, and the motion was passed unanimously!

Predictions that many Brothers would relocate their membership if this increase were adopted were wrong. Not a single Brother has asked for a demit. Only five appeals were heard, and all the Brethren were accommodated to their satisfaction.

All Masons can learn a valuable lesson in the efforts of this Lodge. It is that our Brethren are willing to share the financial burdens of our Fraternity. As this story demonstrates, it is only necessary to explain the need in detail, holding nothing back, answering all questions forthrightly, and having a sensible plan in place to assist those Brothers who are truly in need.

Michael A. Botelho is presently Wise Master in the Scottish Rite Bodies of Fort Smith, Arkansas; Past Master of Basin Spring Lodge No. 386 in Eureka Springs, Arkansas; Representative of the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts living near the Grand Lodge of Arkansas; Past Grand Tyler, Grand Lodge of Arkansas; member of King Hiram's Lodge, Provincetown, Massachusetts; honorary member of Loga Sete de Setembre in Brazil; member of the Scottish Rite Bodies of Little Rock, Arkansas; and a Charter/Life Member and a Contributing Member of the Scottish Rite Research Society.