Everyone Contributes

Every month I record the donations made to the lodge. The amounts vary but there is a pretty consistent flow coming in through the mail of brothers looking to help boost either the general fund, various projects, or the Change for the Troops program. These are pieces of mail that I am happy to receive and checks that I gladly record in the ledger. And there is an even greater flow of donations going out at the same time. However, while the financial contributions of many are welcomed and greatly appreciated, it is the other donations that truly make a difference.

Over the past year we have received donations of various equipment for the lodge to use. The largest of these contributions was of an entire keyboard and speaker arrangement that we are now using to accompany both the stated and extra meetings. Recently we also received two laptop computers to replace the antiquated tower languishing in the basement office. Not only are they newer models but they are also, obviously, portable allowing us to conduct business throughout the building. We also came into procession last fall of an industrial copier/printer formerly used in a political campaign that has been a tremendous help turning out dozens of copies whenever we have needed them.

However, the greatest donations that we receive is of time and expertise. There have been countless instances during the course of the year when professional council has been received to address both issues that have arisen as well as to move projects along. These brothers have given of both their time and expertise to further the lodge (our kitchen renovation is a perfect example of this generosity). We have also had many brothers contribute their time to help man events, clean out sections of the lodge, hold offices, mentor other masons, and just get things done. Time is an all too precious commodity for many of us and the number of hours that have been donated to the lodge is truly staggering.  

I guess the most important thing that many of us need to remember is that financial contributions are appreciated but donations of time, energy, and expertise are what lodges really need to thrive. It is not only a means of getting things accomplished but it also brings us closer together as a masonic family when we work as one toward our goals. We may not all have the monetary means to support various efforts but we have time and skills that hold much greater value in our fraternity. After all, we all become richer people when we truly value ourselves, one another, and the fraternity.

Progress And Questions

Don't let this be your last question!

With the notice having gone out at the beginning of the week, I felt much better heading down to the main line to take care of a few things before the stated meeting this Thursday. I got to the lodge a little later than usual last night having had to run a few errands after work. By the time I arrived, the lights were on, the doors unlocked, and the brethren were already hard at work moving a few of the heavier items out of the kitchen. As soon as I walked into the small space I knew the best thing that I could do is stay out of the way and sort through the freshly collected mail.

The kitchen has been the primary lodge improvement project while we have been away during the summer and things seem to be progressing nicely. Actually, the space is looking completely different having been gutted, painted, and upgraded thanks to many of the brothers who have campaigned tirelessly to get the work done. It is the first of many on a long list of improvements that need to be made and, thankfully, the trustees have a schedule already formed as to when all the items will be checked off the list.

Once the heavy lifting was completed, I was finally able to catch up with a few of the brethren whom I haven’t seen all summer. We have all been at the lodge at various times but never at the same time until last night. There was a long list of things that we needed to talk about and it was nice to finally have the time to discuss many of the situations that we dealt with throughout the summer. This was also a time that afforded me the opportunity to discuss some potential projects with brothers who know what the heck they are doing rather than someone (me) who doesn’t have the background to go beyond the idea stage. This is only the latest of such situations/conversations.

And this is something that we sometimes lose sight of during the course of the year. The brothers with whom we spend time with every month (or every week) are not just family, they are professionals from all different lines of work. While certainly far from the focus of our fraternity, it is important to remember that there are always brothers with different experiences, occupations, backgrounds, and training who are willing to help no matter if it is personal, work, or lodge related. All you have to do is ask. Sound familiar?

Considering A Few Changes

I have been thinking about making a few changes to the blog over the next month or two. The main problem is finding the time to roll those things out so that they might be sustainable. Additionally, there are certain instances where I have to educate myself as to what the heck I am doing and how certain things can be done.

The first change that I am slowly starting to line up is the presence of guest bloggers. In addition to providing a different perspective and expertise (both of which are lacking to this point) it will also, in theory, free up some of my time so that I can pursue some of the logistical aspects of other ideas and put greater thought into the posts that I would like to focus on. While I am not going to take anything and everything that is submitted, I welcome submissions for consideration.

Something else that I am considering is starting a Patreon campaign to, potentially, cover some of the costs of the existing themes (i.e. travel, research time, admission fees, etc.) but also grant me the flexibility to pursue some other ideas (product reviews, range days, videos, etc.). You may not realize it, but this endeavor is a costly one at times. While I don’t expect to ever make anything blogging, it would be nice to break even now and again.

For those unfamiliar with the site, Patreon is a way for people (patrons) to support the blog on an ongoing basis based on the amount of content that is posted. Basically, you can make the commitment to give one dollar per post (you can also set monthly limits such as ten or twenty dollars). Essentially, I would only earn support by maintaining production.

Patreon would also allow me to provide more content (exclusive to partons) which would largely consist of additional photographs from trips, maybe a few videos, live chats, and additional content from other projects I am working on. This seems to be the easiest way for me to leverage the excess of content that never makes it onto the blog. Of course, I would also try to include a few giveaways now and again to make things a little more interesting. So, with all that information, do you think that this is something that is worth pursuing? Would that be enough to make you interested in becoming a patron?  

Lastly, and I have to figure out the logistics of this one, I am thinking about implementing permanent ads. While AdSense provides such promotions I actually have limited control over what is posted. I would much rather invest the time supporting companies and organizations that I agree with. I consider this the no surprises ad approach… you know what you are going to see every time you go onto my blog. Of course this also brings about the challenge of transferring the content to an actual URL without the blogspot portion of the address (with redirect from the old URL as well). Definitely something that can be done (and rather easily by those who know what they are doing) but it is a task that I am ill equipped to handle. I would greatly appreciate someone willing to donate their time to this task!

So, that is the list of things that I am considering at this moment. However, I would like your feedback as to what you think of those potential changes to the blog. Is it too much? Am I missing anything? Let me know your thoughts. After all, you are the ones visiting and reading these daily posts.