February 2024:
Getting Social in Lodge
The cat’s out of the bag as far as social media is concerned. From Facebook and Instagram to TikTok and Reddit, social media is an arena Masonic lodges can no longer ignore, says Dennis Caoile, worshipful master of Widow’s Sons Lodge No. 869. “Our lodge is pretty new, but we prioritized using social media early on,” Caoile says. “And the results speak for themselves.”
In recent years, Grand Lodge of California has taken an active role on social media as a way of spreading the word about the fraternity. This past year marked the second ever #ImaMason campaign. The effort garnered significant attention both locally and throughout foreign jurisdictions. In 2023, lodges from as far away as Kuala Lumpur and England participated. From simple Facebook status updates to videos and selfies, these posts got nearly 20,000 people engaging in discussion around the hashtag online. In total, these reached more than 6 million people worldwide.
But it isn’t only the Grand Lodge of California that has seen the value of social media. Lodges throughout the state are jumping on the bandwagon and taking to social to build community, build awareness, and build membership. Once they were fully constituted in 2022, the members of Widow’s Sons created a private, Masons-only Facebook page to begin building awareness of their new lodge within the fraternity. “We’d post every week or so and our following continued to grow,” Caoile says.
Many of those followers, which number over 350 today, quickly turned into members. “We were chartered with fewer than 30 members,” Caoile says, “but thanks mostly to our social media presence, we brought in more than 40 affiliates in just over a year.” In October, the lodge launched a public Instagram page, which it updates with photos of lodge events and news at least a couple of times per week. Despite modest numbers, the Instagram page has led to 40 public inquiries in just three months, Caoile says. “From those inquiries, we’ve got five new prospects—not a bad showing for simply sharing what we’re doing as a lodge with the larger world.”
The success of Widow’s Sons No. 869 didn’t come without some work. Here are some tips from Caoile on how to manage a social media page for your lodge.
- Think about content. Creating content for your pages doesn’t have to be rocket science. From posts about lodge events to chronicles of leadership trips to other lodges throughout the state, Widow’s Sons No. 869 created an active page by simply sharing photos and information about what they already do on a daily basis. Check the analytics of your posts—what is doing well? What isn’t? That can inform the way you post.
- Think about who’s doing what. Caoile wrangled several members of his lodge to help him create posts. This could be a great project for some of your lodge’s younger members. Recruit one or two of them to develop content. But also keep in mind….
- Keep control of what’s being posted. “Once it’s been posted, it’s out there forever,” Caoile says. Be sure to have a more senior member of the lodge leadership team to screen posts before they’re posted publicly.
- And at all times, keep monitoring the pages. Social media isn’t a one-way street. “Being proactive and answering questions or direct messages in a timely manner is key,” Caoile says. When you consider recruiting for help with your social media pages, remember that all members have a responsibility of keeping an eye on who’s reaching out on social media and what they’re asking about. Social media engagement should be a lodge-wide endeavor, not just the work of a few people.
Use this content to spread the word about resources provided by the California Masonic Foundation, the Masonic Homes of California, and more.
Masonic Health Services:
Services at MCYAF Across the Lifespan
The Pavilion at the Masonic Homes
Masonic Homes of California Resources
Masonic Philanthropy:
Stay on track of lodge business and prepare for important deadlines. Here’s your February checklist.
Executive Committee
- Schedule inspector’s official visit and examination of the books, due by end of March.
- Share the date and topic for the International Conference on Freemasonry at UC Berkeley with your lodge: March 30, 2024.
- Prepare to attend 2024 Leadership Retreats.
Senior Warden
- Review all candidates’ progress toward advancement.
- Begin preparing 2025 program plan.
- Begin preparing 2025 budget.
- Begin preparing 2025 officer appointments.
- Begin preparing 2025 installation of officers.
- Prepare to attend 2024 Leadership Retreats.
Secretary
- Present secretary’s annual report to the lodge at stated meeting.
- Continue to collect delinquent dues from members (were due on January 1).
- Send list of members with late dues to the master for the Retention Committee.
- Send any suspension notices.
- Charity Committee considers remissions.
- Review the list of suspended members sent to you by Grand Lodge and determine if your lodge wants to participate in the 2024 Restoration Campaign.
- Budget for and prepare to attend 2024 Leadership Retreats.
Treasurer
- Present treasurer’s annual report to the lodge at stated meeting.
- Prepare financial reports for Grand Lodge, to be filed by end of March (unless your lodge uses Intacct, in which case you do not need to submit anything).
- If you haven’t yet, enroll your lodge in the Dues Invoicing Service. Lodges enrolled in this program saw more members pay their dues compared to lodges that did not participate. All lodges that participated last year will be enrolled again this year. Lodges enrolled in the program will be emailed about dues through December. To opt into or out of the program, contact Member Services.
- Prepare to attend 2024 Leadership Retreats.
Hall Association
- Submit annual report to the lodge at stated meeting.
- Prepare to attend 2024 Leadership Retreats.
Audit Committee
Begin auditing lodge books, to be completed by end of April.
Questions? Contact Member Services at memberservices@freemason.org or (415) 776-7000.
Last month, we asked which service(s) of the Masonic Homes of California would you be interested in learning more about? See the results here.
- 45% - Prescription medication discount
- 45% - In-home senior care
- 42% - Senior independent living in Union City/Covina
- 37% - Case management/financial support through MOS
- 37% - Mental health and wellness through MCYAF
- 32% - Local senior home placement services
- 32% - Skilled nursing/memory care in Union City/Covina
