Now More Than Ever, We Need You to Sign a Member


> As you may well be aware, 2005 was a challenging year here at Moose headquarters, as, to an extent, we knew it would be. For example, we knew last May, at the beginning of the 2005-06 Moose fiscal year, with the conversion to new data systems, that there would be a period of time in which we would not be able to immediately credit sponsors for the newly enrolled members that they had brought into the fraternity.

We did not, frankly, think it would take the first eight months of our fiscal year to get all the kinks worked out.

But, as of mid-January, all those kinks now have been worked out--and certainly by the time you read this, all member-sponsors should have received full credit for every member they signed and got enrolled during the period from May 1, 2005 to the present. (If you want to make sure, please contact your Regional Manager.)

However, because of the lengthy “snafu” in getting our sponsor-credit situation straightened out, some of our fraternity’s more dependable member-sponsors grew, perhaps understandably, distracted or even discouraged from their normal week-to-week “push” to ask qualified friends, relatives and acquaintances to join the Moose.

Which means, of course, that as of January, it’s quite possible that we were falling short, for 2005-06, of the new-member production levels that we have enjoyed in recent years.

And this means (especially now that the system is working the way it should) that I need you--right now, this week--to spend a bit of time making a list of potential candidates that you’ll want to invite into our Order. Then, see your Lodge Administrator or Chapter Recorder to get a supply of membership applications, so that you can make the contacts--and ask.

You can also do your part in making sure we retain the Moose members we already have. Leaders of your Lodge, Chapter and Moose Legion have already been briefed on one essential aspect of the Light the Torch campaign: It’s a four-month “Moose-a-Thon,” with frequent evenings at your Moose Center on which a simple complimentary supper is offered to members who come with their cellphones--who, after dinner, sit down with phone listings of Lodge, Chapter and Moose Legion members in arrears to make calls during the crucial early-evening period to those past-due members with helpful tips and encouragement to come back into the fold.

Members occasionally contact me to ask what they can do to really make a positive difference in their fraternity; what they can do that will really get them noticed.

Well, right now, and into this spring, there is nothing you can do that could possibly be more important to the well-being of the Order than to lead an effort such as what I’ve outlined above--nothing.

Can I count on you?


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