May/June/July 2006


Feature Articles:


MOOSE CHARITIES
Forward in the Good, Onward in the Right

Get Your Moose Center Ready for. . .
Cooperative Community Fundraising Events!

By KURT J. WOLBRINK
Executive Director, Moose Charities




Please click on any photograph below to view a larger image.

> Holding a fundraising event in your Lodge is not really a new idea. But Moose Charities’ new concept of Cooperative Community Fundraising Events offers some new twists. New or not, it’s a plan that holds the promise of many benefits for all involved.

The first step calls for your local Moose Lodge and Chapter to identify an appropriate children’s charity in your community--one with a recognized IRS 501(c)(3) designation--as one of the charitable recipients for funds raised. The other charitable recipient would be our own Mooseheart Child City & School, and funds raised will be evenly split between the two children’s charities.

The fundraising event itself is to be conducted in the Moose Center, in accordance with Section 44.3 of the fraternity’s General Laws. This permits--with certain limitations--public access to the Moose Center (not the Social Quarters area) for charitable fundraising purposes, without securing a dispensation from the General Governor’s office.

The Benefits are Many.
Consider what can happen in your Moose Center for your Lodge and Chapter, hosting at least one Cooperative Community Fundraising Event a year:

  • You improve your visibility, and enhance your reputation in the community!

  • You help a local children’s charity, helping strengthen children’s services in your own community.

  • You’ll be teaching your neighbors about the Moose fraternity, the good works it has done for decades, and the community service it provides.

  • You’ll educate your community about our renowned Child City at Mooseheart (and can do so more effectively by showing the DVD presentation of This Is Mooseheart, $10, Catalog #192 from Moose Catalog Sales!).

  • You’ll help us meet the needs of Mooseheart’s children.

  • You may learn of more families in your community who are in need of the services Mooseheart provides!

  • It can be a fun event to strengthen member involvement.

  • New-member opportunities are virtually certain to arise with each event you host!

Fix It Up, Clean It Up, Brighten It Up!

Fraternal Fundraising Chairmen of Moose Associations, along with other Association fundraising leaders, will receive training on this and other fundraising programs during the 2006 International Convention in Chicago at the end of May. BUT--until this program is formally unveiled and volunteer training has occurred, the most important thing you can do is to prepare your Moose Center to welcome guests from the public. Look around your entire facility for areas in need of painting, repairing, replacing, possibly remodeling, or at the very least a thorough cleaning! Both the outside and inside appearance of your property will reinforce a positive image (and possibly dispel a stereotypical negative image!)--and make for a good first impression when visitors come calling.

For helpful “Home Improvement” ideas, please refer to guidelines for the Home Improvement Shining Star Award, on the General Governor’s page in the Members Only section of the Moose International website: www.mooseintl.org/portal/GeneralGovernor/Publications/ HomeImprovInfo.asp. (Note that this will require a Members Only password--available on the Contents page of this magazine.)

Stop the Fighting . . .
Before It Starts
Good advance estate planning can forestall family squabbles.


> A loved one has just died, and you find yourself in the position of being the family member charged with taking care of the estate. Your Aunt Mabel always trusted you, and thought you would be fair and impartial in distributing her assets. As you read her will, you quickly realize that distributing the financial assets of the will will not necessarily be difficult. Thankfully, Mabel took the time to have a will drafted that specifically detailed how she wanted to benefit the members of her family, along with some of her favorite charitable interests. However, she did NOT take the time to give the important details concerning her personal assets.

You immediately become concerned, because you’re sure that some of the relatives are going to fight over the distribution of Mabel’s extensive and “famous” collection of antique pig figurines. She collected them most of her life, and while the collection is probably not worth a great deal of money, it holds much sentimental value for those closest to her.

Unfortunately, Aunt Mabel’s story is replayed time and time again--because people seem to forget just how important it is to decide who they would like to receive some of their most important estate assets--those personal items with family or sentimental value.
There are several questions you should attempt to answer when considering the distribution of such “family” assets. They include:

  • What items do I own that others may find valuable for sentimental reasons?
  • Which family members would truly appreciate receiving these items?
  • Out of all those who would appreciate the items, who do I want to receive them?
  • Who might be hurt by NOT receiving one of these items--and what might I do to forestall such hurt feelings?

After you’ve answered these questions, you may want to consider making a written list of who you want to receive which items. You can have your will make reference to this list--but don’t be too specific in the wording of the will. This way, you can keep the freedom to change and update the list over time. Place a copy of your will and the list in a safe place, that the person in charge of handling your estate matters will be sure to find. Even better, tell them exactly where they will be able, when it is necessary, to find these documents.

With some simple advance planning, you can be sure to leave a legacy of warm and happy memories with your family and friends--and avoid the strife and hurt feelings that all too often arise without it.

We at Moose Charities will happy to provide you with our two informative brochures--How to Make a Will That Works and Giving Through Your Will--to help in your planning process. These brochures are a free service of Moose Charities; there is no obligation.

If you would like copies of these brochures, or require other assistance in properly preparing your estate, please call Moose Charities at 630/966-2200.

Please note: The general information provided here, or by any representative of Moose Charities, is not presented as specific financial, legal or tax advice for any individual. Consultation with your own professional adviser is always recommended.



Consider Joining the Endowment Fund Club!

By JAMES E. MORGAN
Director of Fraternal Fundraising, Moose Charities


> The Mooseheart/Moosehaven Endowment Fund was established shortly after the founding of Mooseheart Child City & School in 1913, to help provide stable, ongoing income to support the operation of Mooseheart, and later, the Moosehaven retirement community (after its founding in 1922). Donations received are carefully invested to generate financial support for the care of our children at Mooseheart and our seniors at Moosehaven.

The Endowment Fund Club is a Moose Charities recognition program, designed especially for repeat or regular donors to the Mooseheart/Moosehaven Endowment Fund.

You can begin your membership with a gift as small as $25. When you send your initial gift, please indicate “Endowment Fund Club” on the “memo” line of the check, and we will mail you your Endowment Fund Club membership card.

Each time your cumulative giving in the Club reaches a new milestone level ($100, $300, $500, $700, $900 or $1,000), we’ll send you the distinctive lapel pin for that level (see above photo). Then, you can add funds to your membership total at any time, with gifts of $25 or more.
When you achieve the $1,000 Endowment Fund Club Life Member level, you’ll receive a framed collector’s display box--containing one of each pin, attractively mounted--and, an Endowment Fund Club Life Member lapel pin to wear proudly!

To quote from the Jr. Governor in the Loyal Order of Moose Enrollment Ritual, giving to the Endowment “is where your mark will be felt in the lives of the young” (and old!).

For more information, contact me, Jim Morgan, at 630/966-2200.

We invite you to join this very special club, today!

Chicago ‘Pacesetter’ Event to Honor $100+ Donors May 27

> Donors of $100 or more to Mooseheart, Moosehaven, or our Endowment Funds during the forthcoming International Convention in Chicago, will receive special recognition as a Pacesetter Donor for the new fiscal year (which began 5/1/06) during during the International Convention in Chicago. The Pacesetter Donor program has replaced the former “March of Checks”--but is very similar, with some nice additions!

The Pacesetter Donor Reception will be hosted by Moose Charities, from 4:30-6:30 p.m. Saturday, May 27 at the Hyatt Hotel’s Crystal Ballroom. This event is for all individuals, organizations and fraternal units (Lodges, Chapters, Moose Legions, Higher-Degree Councils) making Convention contributions of $100 or more to the great charitable endeavors of our fraternity. Details are as follows:

  • Donors of $100 or more will have their name and photo displayed in an on-screen presentation during Convention sessions; they’ll also receive a distinctive Pacesetter Donor pin. (Gifts will be accepted during Saturday’s Pacesetter Donor event, and at the Moose Charities booth throughout the Convention.)
  • Donors contributing $25-$99 will receive a distinctive pin; their names will also be displayed in an on-screen presentation during Convention sessions.

(Please complete the Pacesetter Donor Information Card included in your convention Registration Packet, so it can accompany your gift as a receipt.)


























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