We have started sending out a new weekly email blast to all members, to help keep everyone better informed on what is happening at your lodge. Weekly meetings, dinner specials, and event announcements are included each week.

If you are not already getting the weekly email, and would like to, fill out this form to be added to the mailing list:

On May 3, the Endicott Elks Lodge installed their new slate of officers for 2017-18.

When you see any of these people around the lodge, be sure to thank them for stepping up to serve as an officer. Our club has been going through some tough times, but things are heading in right direction again and this great slate of officers will be helping lead this.

We still have an opening for Leading Knight. This is an important position that we would love to fill. If you are interested, please see ER Sharon Powell.

These “50 Recruitment Ideas” were complied by Rick Gathen, Grand Lodge Membership & Public Relations Manager. Local lodges who have begun to try these ideas have seen results!

1. Produce Lodge flyer-Have available in the lodge. Hand to nonmembers during community events. Display in local offices, restaurants, etc.
2. Contact your Chamber of Commerce-They can help you advertise your events. They are a point of contact for local citizens, professionals, etc.
3. Rent out your Lodge to civic, benevolent, and fraternal groups-Examples are Rotary, Lions and Knights of Columbus. Shows off your Lodge to people already involved in other similar organizations who are more likely to join another one.
4. Open your lodge to community organizations that need a place to meet- Examples include local autism supports group, senior groups and local political clubs, etc.
5. Encourage your Members to “Just Ask”- Examples include friends, family, neighbors, associates, etc. to join the Order.
6. Sponsor a community work day.
7. Ask to be invited into a local school- Parents and teachers are the prospects. Sponsor a presentation. Hand out drug awareness information during lunch or an assembly. Inform the school about the Elks’ children’s programs and student scholarships.
8. Arrange to speak at a homeowners association meeting-Give a presentation about the Elks and our charitable works. Use the Reinstatement Letter from the Membership Manual.
9. Share the “Why We Join” video – Download and lets go viral to thousands of friends and family.
10. Develop teams to go into the community- Make presentations about Elkdom and invite prospects to open house events.
11. Develop a training program- for those in your lodge who are usually a first point of contact for prospects. Include bar staff, greeters and Officers. Educate them about our mission.
12. Get applications- out of the Secretary’s office. Make applications available in high traffic areas of your Lodge.
13. Provide- calling cards for Members to hand out.
14. Plan- prospecting activities at the Lodge which will attract target groups. Examples include retirement planning, housing/loan seminar, guest speakers such as a local city official, medical practitioner, and school superintendent; etc.
15. Target- Stray Elks.
16. Target groups – People who we would benefit from membership and could benefit from us like Teachers, Firemen, the newly widowed, etc.
17. Set up- booths at craft fairs and local shows. They draw large crowds. A good way to share information to many people at once. Makes your lodge more visible to your community.
18. Participate- in local parades.
19. Open- your lodge to scouting and other youth organizations.
20. Give- every member a Lodge decal or bumper stickers for their car. Share the Pride.
21. Use- Twitter and Facebook.
22. Set up- think tanks with other lodges to share ideas
23. Set up- think tanks with other lodges to share ideas.
24. Develop- a culture in the lodge in which Gen X and Y are desired and welcome. Let them join purely for social reasons. Many of us joined for social reasons. Let them build an age group base that will develop into something more.
25. Schedule- a Member appreciation day in April, May or June.
26. Special Reinstatement Fee- Lodges may, AS PER BYLAWS establish a sixty (60) day consecutive period or a two (2) consecutive month period during the Lodge year in which any reinstatement fee otherwise required by this section is reduced to one (1) dollar except the months of February, March, April and May. In order to take advantage of this a Lodge must amend their ByLaws to include this special reinstatement period.
27. Community Service Projects-Fund with ENF grants and make sure they are well publicized.
28. Legacy Recruitment Drive.
29. Military Recruitment Drive.
30. Encourage- Members to bring guests. Every month in your Exalted Ruler message .
31. Ask Lodge Secretary- to run list of all former Members dropped for non-payment over the past five years. Call the ones you want back.
32. Give guests Lodge pins-Make them feel wELKome.
33. Approach- corporations and businesses. In some communities, businesses look for community involvement opportunities for their employees. If a company has a community relations, community affairs, or corporate giving department, it’s likely to be a good place to begin asking about employee volunteers.
34. Lead- By example. How many members have you recruited?
35. New Members- They should be our biggest recruiters. Give them each 3 applications. Then ask every new member to submit 3 prospects to the membership chair and receive the award GER pin.
36. Place pamphlets- In doctors’ offices, hospitals, cafeterias, libraries, etc.
37. Send letters- To people in the news with an invitation to visit the Lodge.
38. Have a special guest day- Free food always works!
39. Write letters- To the newspaper about the campaigns your Lodge is working on.
40. Honor- Outstanding community members with awards.
41. Wear- Your Lodges pin in public. People will ask you questions
42. Send- Your lodge newsletter to recent guests.
43. Assign- Every Chair Officer to a 5 person recruitment team and each team brings in a 5 new members.
44. Pass out- M & M candy to remind members that “Membership Matters” and that we need “More Members”.
45. Distribute- Extra copies of the Elks magazine to waiting rooms, etc (i.e.: Rotarian).
46. Hold- Wine and cheese receptions for prospective members.
47. Build- A Lodge web site and social media page.
48. Create- More fun at your lodge.
49. Hold- Recruiting events with the entire district.
50. Place- Invitation card in the hand of every member to remind them to bring a guest

If you are on Facebook, be sure to “Like” the Endicott Elks Facebook page and share our posts to help spread the word about our lodge!

https://www.facebook.com/EndicottElks/

Welcome to our newest members:

Merry Gray
Joe Liciandrelli
Billy Meyers
Thomas Gordon

Hello Members:

I am pleased to serve you as the Exalted Ruler for November. Let’s have a great month as we prepare for the holidays. Not much to say in this note, but I do want to give a big shout out to all the volunteers for all your time and effort that you give. You truly are the unsung heroes of Lodge 1977.

My choice for Elk of the month is Carol Mathias. Carol worked as head of our House Committee, a job not easily done — Carol worked on many projects, but her main project was making sure our lodge has enough food to keep dinners going, running around town to get the best deals on product certainly is time consuming and exhausting! Thank you Carol!

Due to health reasons, Carol has resigned from the head of House Committee so if anyone is interested please reach out to me.

Quote of the month:

Life is all about making choices. Always do your best to make the right ones, and always do your best to learn from the wrong ones.

Fraternally Yours
Donnie Miller, PER

For the low price of $20/ticket, you get a chance to win $2000!

Prizes are:
one prize at $2000
two at $500
four at $250
and ten at $100.
(Limit of 500 tickets)

Drawing will be held at the Legacy Reunion Fund Raiser. Ticket stub from the Cash for Christmas Ticket admits one to the fundraiser event on 12/17. Tickets available at the bar.

(If all 500 tickets are not sold, the prize payout will be a percentage of the total sales.)