Memo from Bob Neff, Director of Ritual and Higher Degrees
May 2012

I really hope you are planning to attend the Tampa convention. The Moose Legion conference taking place will have some very interesting presentations and we think positive changes to share with you. I suggest you attend each topical session as well as the main luncheon with our annual general session on Friday, June 29th. These gatherings promise to be very interesting.

A Ritual Banquet and Awards presentation will take place Monday, July 2nd and the annual Fun Night sponsored by the Moose Legion has some great entertainment in Lee Greenwood and Louise Mandrel. Early ticket sales have been very brisk. Make your plans to attend all sessions now!

Congratulations to the Loyal Order of Moose and to the Women of the Moose for some positive great finishes to the 2011-2012 fiscal year! Both ended the year with more active members than were started with. What a great accomplishment!

How did they do it? I can assure you that retention of current members was a very major influence. It was really cool to see the e-mails flying and the phones calls taking place & to have members all across the fraternity pulling together to reach a common goal – even though some were not likely to show an increase individually. That did not stop some members from working for the common good of the whole.

As for the Moose Legion, we ended a little short and did not quite get the job done. However, we do thank those loyal Moose Legionnaires who worked diligently to try. Many members were saved that would otherwise have been lost. Those efforts did matter and were appreciated. Some individual areas did show increases and we congratulate them for doing so.

So now what do we do? The proof is out there. The chapters did it again and the Lodge membership did it by working on personal contacts with members. The Moose Legion can do it too. We need to start now-this month.

By being pro-active and reaching out to our members before their membership expires, we have a better chance of retaining them. Lets take the list and contact them while they are still members. Let them know their membership is important. Be sure they are aware of the good their membership supports in the care of children and seniors and in support of our lodges.

Lets be sure our own lodge has an active and functioning Lodge Moose Legion Committee in place. We can each make a difference in seeing to it that meetings are held and functions are scheduled for the Moose Legionnaires and their families locally at our own lodge between the jurisdiction celebrations.

Then lets invite another member or two to attend with us. Get them to come to the lodge and "enjoy" their membership. Guess what? If they do that-they will be much more likely to renew without much follow up. And it even helps by bringing in needed support to the social quarters to help strengthen the lodge operations.

It isn't rocket science. It just takes members caring about members and reaching out in small positive ways to be part of the solution. Together, we can do this.

Cordially & Fraternally,

Robert A. Neff
Director of Ritual and Higher Degrees

Memo from Paul Curtis, President Moose Legion
May 2012

Many Thanks

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Moose Legionnaires of Lone Star Moose Legion #97 for having me as your "Official Visitor" to your Moose Legion Celebration during the month of April. Bonnie and I can't thank you enough for the kindness and hospitality that was shown to us.

The whole weekend went off without a hitch thanks to the efforts of the men and women of Grand Prairie Lodge #1818. The Luau and the rest of the meals were fantastic, the entertainment and games were superb, and the Conferral Ceremony was performed by a tremendous Ritual Team. I can't say enough about all the good things this group of fraternalists do for the Moose Legion.

From there, it was off to Ohio the following weekend for another fantastic three days at their All-Ohio Moose Legion Celebration as their "Official Visitor". Again, Bonnie and I were welcomed with open arms and a full weekend of kindness and hospitality. What a fantastic job the men and women of Lancaster Lodge #955 did with the meals and entertainment. Their Moose Legion meetings were quite productive and they performed one of the finest Memorial Services I have ever seen in all my travels.

They also had a tremendous Conferral Team that enrolled 4 new Moose Legionnaires on Saturday and ended their Celebration with an outstanding MLEC Class on Sunday with approximately 20 Moose Legionnaires in attendance. During the banquet a great" James J. Davis" presentation was put on by one of their Moose Legionnaires who just happens to have moved here from Great Britain. Again, I can't say enough about all the good things this group of fraternalists do for the Moose Legion as well.

Membership and Retention

The 2011/2012 Moose fiscal year ended on a low note for the Moose Legion as far as active Membership numbers were concerned. Although the Loyal Order of Moose and the Women of the Moose finished the year with positive gains, the Moose Legion was not able to keep pace with the Lodge and Chapter gains. I want to thank all those who gave it that extra effort during the month of March and April in signing new members and utilizing their "Arrearage Lists" with an active phone committee in their respective Lodges bringing many delinquent Moose Legionnaires back into the fold. We were close, but not close enough.

The new Moose fiscal year is upon us and we need to address Membership and especially Retention right from the start. Now is the time to get those phone committees in place or start sending out letters to those Moose Legionnaires whose dues are delinquent and follow up with a phone call to those who don't respond to their reminder letters or postcards.

Only by working our "Eligibility" and "Arrearage" lists right from the start, can we hope to have a positive gain at the end of the 2012/2013 Moose fiscal year. Each Moose Legion jurisdiction and each Moose Lodge in that jurisdiction has the opportunity to control their own destiny.

The big question now is how will each of us approach that opportunity? I am hopeful that you will embrace that opportunity in a positive manner and work diligently each and every month in signing and enrolling new members as well as retaining existing members. If each of us takes a pro-active stance from day one, we too will have the chance to stand up on April 30th of next year and applaud ourselves for a job well done by showing a positive gain in our Moose Legion Membership numbers.

Congratulations go out to the 12 Canadian and the 1,179 Moose Legionnaires who earned a year's free dues for sponsoring and enrolling two new Moose Legionnaires during the 2011-2012 Moose fiscal years.

Lodge Moose Legion Committees

A hearty welcome to the new "Board of Directors" for each and every Moose Legion jurisdiction who will be serving for the 2012/2013 Moose fiscal year. As the leaders for your Moose Legion jurisdiction you are charged with many responsibilities. The most important of which, is the development of the Lodge Moose Legion Committees that fall under your control.

There can be no greater accomplishment than to ensure that these Lodge Moose Legion Committees are successful and prosperous when your year comes to an end. It will take some hard work, but hopefully that is why you chose to be a part of your "Board of Directors". Quite simply, you need to get out to the Lodge Moose Legion Committee meetings in your Moose Legion jurisdiction, find out who needs your help and guidance, implement a plan to help them develop and work with them on that plan. Then, be sure and follow-up to ensure that they have embraced all that you have passed on to them. Don't forget to also visit those Lodge Moose Legion Committees who are doing a great job and thank them for following the Moose Legion program.

The Lodge Moose Legion Committee can be the best Membership and Retention tool that you have in your Moose Legion jurisdiction. A self-sufficient, properly ran, Lodge Moose Legion Committee that provides numerous activities that give back something to their Moose Legionnaires will entice more Lodge members to join. Once they see what they are getting for those additional dues, they won't want to leave and will renew their Membership year after year. The effort that you put into developing these Lodge Moose Legion Committees will pay big dividends down the road as well as eliminate many of your Membership and Retention problems. Try it-you'll like it.

Moose Legionnaire of the Year

This year's forms for the "Moose Legionnaire of the Year" are now in the hands of the Lodge Administrator. The Lodge Moose Legion Committee Chairman should pick these up and select a deserving Moose Legionnaire at your next Lodge Moose Legion Committee meeting. The selection committee should concentrate on what that Moose Legionnaire has done over the last year and not what he has done over his entire Moose Legion history. What better way to recognize a deserving Moose Legionnaire for all of his efforts this past year than to submit his name as your Lodge selection for "Moose Legionnaire of the Year". Believe me, this type of "Thank You" will go a long way in gratitude from the individual you have selected and your Lodge Moose Legion Committee will reap the rewards for years to come.

Don't forget to put your Lodge Number in the upper right hand corner of both halves for identification purposes. As you are well aware, the tracking numbers were inadvertently left off at the printers.

International Convention in Tampa

If you haven't registered for the International Convention in Tampa, you need to do so now. The Moose Legion is providing some great Topical Sessions full of information that you can use in your own Moose Legion jurisdictions as well as an "Awards" presentation Session followed by the Moose Legion luncheon.

There are a considerable number of things being proposed and announced at the International in Tampa this year. The best way to get it is to be there in person and hear it first hand. Hopefully, we will see you all there.

Fraternally Yours,

Paul Curtis
Moose Legion President