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Written by: Senior Membership Reporter

Published: 26 March 2018

We have one of the friendliest lodges in all of the Moose Fraternity and we are asking this year that you show this by taking a second look at your family and friends and see if they want to sign up.  We are all ambassadors for the Moose Fraternity when we are inside and outside the lodge.  So, we ask that you show that "Family isn't an important thing, it is everything!"  The next time you are in the Social Quarters, please strike up a conversation with a member you don't know well.  You never know, that new conversation might lead to a new best friend!

Now to other matters, our current membership drive is going not as well as expected.  The LOOM of our lodge has a set quota of signing up 54 new members this year.  I want to personally thank all the members who have signed up a new member.  You have rallied again this year.  We have signed up 34 (63 percent of quota) new members to date.  The deadline is April 30, 2018, to sign up twenty-one new members.  We have been behind before, we can only do this with everyone’s help! Is your name in the sponsor column yet?

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Written by: Walt Zurowski

Published: 19 March 2018

As we near the end of this campaign year, we are within reach of showing a gain for the first time in seven years. While we are down some 1600 Moose Legionnaires (at mid-March), there is still time to contact those who have not renewed and make a concerted effort to get them to renew. While we continue to receive good news on recruitment of new members, it is also important to preserve those we already have as members. The reason I mention this is because I’ve noticed a decline in the number of new members attending activity events within our Lodges.

Working with our respective Moose Legion Secretaries, Jr. Past Presidents, his Retention Committee and the Council of Higher Degrees we can and must make the effort to contact those expired and former members and return them to the rolls. I often hear of the frustrations over having to deal with the same problems each year; that of membership retention. Some of you have been in the leadership roles within your jurisdictions for many years and understand this is an ongoing problem. Some may be new to the membership process and by now probably understand the challenges of retention. Retention is something we should be doing each day if we are to increase our membership.

The International Moose Legion Council is actively pursuing ways to increase membership and retention and being something we all need to do each day by interacting with our membership through constant communication. This reaches from getting new members involved, to following up on those we haven’t seen at our Lodge Moose Legion Committee meetings. We need to pull out all stops to interact with our membership. These things do not magically happen, they take time and effort. Have you and your Directors reached out to all or at least most members? Have you tried something new to reach out to them and get them back and involved?

It takes a team to do this right. It is not just the Jr. Past President, his committee and the Council of Higher Degrees. It is a coordinated and sustained effort that will allow us the opportunity to succeed. At the end of the day, you can at least say that every effort was made to retain our fellow Moose Legionnaires.

With the right personal effort, you can help assure that our members remain active and involved within their Moose Legions, Lodges and even help our Chapters. Together we can make a difference and keep more Brothers in the Moose Legion. As we end this Honoring Community Heroes Campaign year will you at least make the effort with a final push?

Reposted from Moose International

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Written by: Dan Sullivan

Published: 15 March 2018

Welcome to the new Vienna Moose website.  I wanted to thank those board officers that approved this endeavor.  As a new member, I look forward to helping my new lodge.  While I am new within the Vienna Moose ranks, I have been a member of the fraternity since 2002, and a Bull Run Moose Legion #185 member since 2012.  And, I am also the webmaster for the award-winning Virginia Moose Association’s website since 2015.  I hope this website helps you feel proud in a lodge with a very honored and distinguished past.

In the near future, I hope to not just relay information about lodge operations and charity work via the website but hope to produce a new newsletter.  I am looking to create a new Publications Committee for the lodge.  Would you like to help?  I have a few requirements, the biggest is do you read email often during the day?  If you would like to join our committee please send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. today!  I am going to need help if this is to be successful!

Over the coming weeks and months, we have lots to do with this website.  What we have been successful in creating so far includes:

• A new themed website
• A new calendar integrated with Google Calendar and Facebook Events
• A contact us page for members and the general public
• A new navigation system to make it easy to find information on the site
• An increased presence on social media

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Written by: Bob Neff / Director, Higher Degrees

Published: 14 March 2018

Are you ready for spring? It really is just around the corner. I would like to suggest it is time for some spring cleaning. That sounds like a lot of fun, right? However, clearing out the trash and scrubbing down this or that is not quite what I am proposing.

My proposal is that we might truly work together to clean up our respective fraternal unit’s expired member list. We are winding down the final months and weeks of the 2017-2018 fiscal year. The time to build our positive numbers – or reach them, to begin with – is right now.

Some fraternal units did very little, while many chapters, lodges and Moose Legions made really good strides during November’s retention week program. They reached out and contacted members, many of whom only needed a friendly nudge to be retained. But what have we done since? Remember that retention week was promoted as a “one-week focus” – but a “year-long commitment.”

As we wind down the year, we have a chance to show again. Continued effort to recruit new members is part of the solution. Reaching out with friendly contacts to retain the members we already have is vital and important. Let us each pick up the phone or go visit a member who has not renewed and remind them of the many positive attributes of Moose membership.

Each of us can make a difference – each member saved makes an impact! Just like sponsoring new applicants, we have to extend a fraternal hand and invite members to retain those benefits of membership they originally bought into. Remind them of the value of membership to both themselves and to those in our care who depend on all of us.

If each chairman and officer acted as true leaders of the fraternal units they represent, a great spring cleaning could be accomplished. Won’t you please at least give it a try? The person you save might be thankful and attend or even help with an upcoming function.

Eventually, with the right mentoring, they might even become a positive leader of our fraternal unit. But first, we have to reach out and retain them as members and encourage their renewal. Yep, time for a little spring cleaning it seems. I’m going to try – will you?

Reposted from Moose International

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Written by: Mike Rios - Moose International Membership Director

Published: 14 March 2018

We often hear the question – “why are there so many rules?” – and understand the frustration.

It used to be different. We just did what we thought was best and learned from our mistakes. Rules are usually formulated when someone makes a mistake. If you look at many personnel manuals, most rules are as a result of an incident that caused issues so we put rules in place to protect others from suffering the same pitfalls.

For example, did you know that our fraternal units are “corporations” and as such are required to have meetings? Did you know that we are required to pay sales tax? Many of “our” rules come directly from the IRS in order to protect our tax-exempt status and are a direct result of our Mission Statement.

The question is often asked, why other fraternities don’t have the same rules. The answer to that is that all companies don’t have the same rule and their structures are different.

Think about it: What other fraternal organizations do you know of that takes care of over 200 children on an ongoing basis, and serves its members like we do at Moosehaven? We have an obligation to protect our interest and are required to abide by certain rules and regulations in order to maintain our status.

When I grew up, we would ride in the car, lay on the back dash, jump around and do whatever we liked. Our seat belt was our parents’ arm and it didn’t always work. Once our highways became more dangerous, safety regulations were put in place to protect us. Now, we have child seats and seat belts. Those are the rules.

So the next time you become frustrated about the rules, think about what they protect; our most precious assets – the children at Mooseheart and our seniors at Moosehaven who depend on us every day.

Reposted from Moose International

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Written by: Dan Sullivan

Published: 13 March 2018

The Moose has different districts all over the state of Virginia. These districts help in the everyday running and distribution of great ideas for our fraternity. We invite all members that wish to contribute more to our fraternity to attend our next district meeting! Below you will find information on District 4 meetings. We look forward to seeing you at the next meeting.

Regular Officer Meetings 10:00 am
General Business Meetings 11:00 am

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Written by: Grand Regent Kim

Published: 12 February 2018

Well, I almost missed the beginning of the year…okay I know it is January 30 and the month is all most over, but I can still wish all our fantastic members “HAPPY 2018!”

I usually don’t set any New Year Resolutions as within minutes I have broken them, but I did this year. My resolutions are to be healthier and happier, take off 30-40 lbs, exercise by walking, and to smile more at everyone I meet. I usually journal all year, and I have lots of them in boxes from the sixth grade to now, but my journal this year is writing down my blood sugars and my walking time with a few remarks.  I started January 2, 2018, and have documented in my Journal and on Facebook, because you see, I need all of you to keep me on the right track so I don’t break these resolutions.  It is like everything we do in the Moose, we need each other to be successful in our Chapter year.  If we are there for all our members we are a successful group, the Chapter grows, members participate, we are having fun, eating together, planning all kinds of activities together that we don’t have time to dwell on the gossip running around the corners of our Lodge homes.  My friends, yes, I consider all of you my friends, but as I have said before we don’t all have to be besties to be a successful Chapter.  We need to learn to respect and work with each other at all times towards our mission of supporting Mooseheart, Moosehaven, and our communities.  We should be united in our goals so the Chapter earns the Award of Achievement and we should uplift the Co-workers working for their personal honors. The important thing is to work together for everyone’s success.

That said, FEBRUARY, the month of LOVE, is almost upon us. HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY TO ALL OUR MEMBERS. There are so many things going on in all the Chapters this month; selling the Rockers for the Endowment fund, Valentine dances and dinners, Mid-year Conferences, and making plans to attend the International Conference in New Orleans. Share the LOVE and have FUN!

This is also the time for nominations and elections for 2018-19.  Have you announced the dates, time and place of the first, second and third Nominating Committee meetings, as well as the names of the co-workers serving as your Nominating Committee?  At the second meeting in January, you should have asked co-workers to submit names for consideration to serve as an officer. The first Nominating Committee meeting shall be held during the first two weeks of February (prior to the 15th) with the second and third meetings held after February 15th.   Make sure all Nominating meetings are announced at Chapter meetings prior to the date held and that you hold them before the first meeting in March.  At the first meeting in March, the FINAL Slate of Nominees is read to the Chapter.  At the second meeting in March (two weeks later) Elections are held and then anytime in April you hold the Installation of Officers. WOW!  We’ll be busy!  Plan ahead to stay organized and productive.

Remember co-workers, always have lots of fun even when you are working hard on completing your Chapter year.  The next few months are going to be busy for you as well as for me, but I promise to stay in touch with you either here on the Moose Website or check out my “Travels of the Grand Regent” page on Facebook.  Follow Tiddlywinks and me as we visit Macon, GA, New Orleans, LA, Cedar Rapids, IA, Harrisburg, PA and then Ontario, Canada.

I am here for you……Love to all, have a fantastic February and March!

Grand Regent Kim

Reposted from Moose International