Your Guide to Serving as Lodge Almoner

Being the Lodge Almoner is possibly one of the most rewarding positions in the Lodge because you’re the brother who keeps our family connected, especially when someone needs us most. The role of Almoner is SO much more than sending the Lodge widows a Christmas Card, providing wheelchairs and ramps for Brethren in need and requesting MCF funding for a Brother in financial stress. Use this guide to walk yourself through exactly what the Lodge expects from you, step by step.

Understanding Your Role in the Big Picture

You’re part of what’s called the Unit Membership Team (that’s the collective term for Lodge/Chapter officers focused on membership). This team includes the Membership Officer, Mentor, Secretary and you. Think of yourself as the brother who keeps the human connection alive, you’re the one who notices when someone’s struggling and steps in to help.

Setting Yourself Up for Success

Understand Your Lodge’s Current Situation

What this means for you: Before you can effectively care for members, you need to understand who they are and what challenges your Lodge faces.

Your actions:
• Work with your Secretary to get a complete membership list with contact details.
• Review attendance patterns for the past year or two (who’s coming regularly, who’s dropped off).
• Look at the demographics: Do you have elderly members who might need different support than younger ones? Members who live far away? Anyone with known health issues?
• Participate in any Lodge review discussions, your perspective on member wellbeing is crucial.

Why this matters: You can’t look after brothers if you don’t know who needs looking after.

This review helps you see patterns before they become problems.

Be Part of the Development Plan

What this means for you: When your Lodge creates its development plan, make sure member welfare and engagement are part of it.

Your actions:
• Attend planning meetings when all members discuss the Lodge’s future.
• Speak up about what you’ve noticed regarding member satisfaction and attendance.
• Help identify: What makes members feel connected? What causes them to drift away?
• Push for plans that include regular contact with all members, not just those who attend.

Why this matters: The best time to help a brother is before he needs urgent help. A good plan builds prevention into the system.

Support Proper Expectation Management

What this means for you: While you’re not leading interviews, you play a role in helping new members understand what support looks like in your Lodge.

Your actions:
• When new candidates are going through the joining process, make yourself visible.
• At social events where prospective members attend, have casual conversations about Lodge culture and how members support each other.
• If asked, be honest about time commitments and the importance of staying connected.
• After initiation, introduce yourself and explain that you’re there if they ever need anything.

Why this matters: Members who understand from day one that we look after each other are more likely to reach out when they need help, rather than suffering in silence.

Your Main Territory

Support new Members as they settle In

What this means for you: New brothers are particularly vulnerable to feeling lost or disconnected in their first year.

Your actions:
• Contact every new member within their first month, just a friendly call or coffee.
• Ask how they’re finding things: Are meetings what they expected? Do they feel welcome? Any concerns?
• Make sure they know you’re approachable and that reaching out isn’t a sign of weakness.
• Keep an eye on their attendance in year one, if they miss more than one meeting without apology, reach out.

Why this matters: Most members who leave do so in their first few years. Early intervention prevents this.

Foster Ongoing Connection and Satisfaction

What this means for you: Your job isn’t just crisis management, it’s about keeping everyone feeling valued and connected.

Your actions:
• Regular contact cycles: Create a system where you’re touching base with every member at least once or twice a year, even if it’s just a quick “how are you doing?” call.
• Birthday and anniversary notes: A simple card or message on someone’s birthday or Masonic anniversary means more than you’d think.
• Attend Lodge social events: These are where you catch the informal signals, who’s happy, who’s quiet, who’s struggling.
• Build relationships outside the Lodge: Coffee, lunch, a pint, these casual connections make it easier for brothers to open up when they need to.

Why this matters: People don’t resign from organisations where they feel genuinely valued and connected. You’re building that connection every day.

Track Attendance Patterns

What this means for you: This is detective work. Changes in attendance patterns are your early warning system.

Your actions:
• Work with your Secretary: They should be sharing attendance records with you regularly (ideally after each meeting) contact all non-attendees before the next meeting.
• Know each member’s “normal”: If Brother Smith usually attends 8 out of 10 meetings and suddenly, he’s missed three consecutive meetings, that’s your signal. Contact straight away and again before the next meeting.
• Log apologies carefully: Someone who stops sending apologies has often already mentally checked out. Contact these members straight away and again before the next meeting.
• Watch for pattern breaks: A previously active member who suddenly becomes sporadic needs a conversation. Don’t wait contact them straight away and again before the next meeting.

Your record-keeping should note:
• Date of last attendance.
• Pattern of apologies (or lack thereof).
• Any known circumstances (work travel, family issues, health).
• Date of your last contact with them.

Why this matters: By the time a member formally resigns, you’ve usually lost them months earlier. This system helps you catch the drift before it becomes permanent.

Recognize Warning Signs of Dissatisfaction

What this means for you: Learn to read the signs that a brother is struggling or becoming= disengaged.

The warning signs to watch for:
• Reduction in attendance relative to their normal pattern.
• Missed meetings following significant events (an awkward moment at Lodge, a disagreement, being passed over for office).
• Changes in circumstances: job loss, divorce, illness, financial pressure.
• Withdrawal from participation: won’t take ritual, stops helping with events, doesn’t socialize at festive board.
• Payment delays: if someone’s late with dues and that’s unusual for them, it often signals deeper issues.
• Non-responsiveness: not returning calls, emails, or messages.

Your actions when you spot these:
• Don’t wait, reach out within a week of noticing the pattern.
• Start with concern, not criticism: “I noticed you’ve missed a few meetings, is everything okay?”
• Listen more than you talk.
• Offer specific help, not just platitudes.
• Follow up persistently but gently.

Why this matters: Most members don’t wake up one day and decide to resign. It’s a slow drift. You’re the one who can stop that drift.

Actively Engage with Absent Members

What this means for you: When a brother has become seriously disconnected, you need a structured approach.

Your process:

1. Identify who has the best relationship: Is there someone in the Lodge who knows this brother well? Ask them to reach out first.
2. Make personal contact: Phone call is better than email. Face-to-face is better than phone
3. Ask open-ended questions:
o “How have you been?”
o “What’s been keeping you away from Lodge?”
o “Is there anything we could do differently that would help?”
o “Have we done something that’s put you off?”
4. Listen without judgment: Don’t defend the Lodge or make excuses. Just listen and understand.
5. Explore options together:
o Would different meeting times help?
o Would they prefer a different Lodge that’s more convenient?
o Is there a temporary issue (health, work, family) where we just need to stay in touch until things improve?
o Do they need financial help with dues?

Document and report: Share (confidentially) with the Master and Membership Officer what you’ve learned. If no one knows the member well: Contact your Provincial Retrieval Team, they can act as neutral parties and often get more honest answers.

Why this matters: Many brothers who drift away would stay if someone just asked them what was wrong and genuinely listened.

Support Members Through Life Changes

What this means for you: When a brother is moving away, you help ensure he stays in Freemasonry.

Your actions:
1. Early awareness: Through your regular contact, you’ll often hear about plans to relocate before others do
2. Have the conversation: “Are you planning to continue your Freemasonry when you move?” (Don’t assume!)
3. Work with the Secretary: They’ll complete the Migration Form on behalf of the member (with his consent)
4. Explain the process: The receiving Province will help him find a suitable Lodge, he won’t be abandoned
5. Stay in touch: After he moves, check in occasionally. Make him feel he’s still part of the family

Why this matters: Members who relocate without support often just fade away. With proper migration support, they continue their journey.

When Things Get Serious

Deal with Potential Resignations

What this means for you: Despite your best efforts, sometimes members will consider resigning. Your job is to understand why and, if possible, find alternatives.

Your actions when someone indicates they’re thinking of resigning:

1. Request a conversation: “I’d really appreciate if we could meet for a coffee before you make your final decision”
2. Dig for the real reason: The stated reason (“too busy”) is rarely the whole truth. Gently probe:
o “What’s changed recently?”
o “Was there a particular meeting or incident that made you feel this way?”
o “Do you enjoy the meetings when you attend?”
3. Explore alternatives:
o Would Country Membership work (attending less frequently)?
o Would a different Lodge suit them better?
o Is it a temporary situation where staying on the books makes sense?
o Do they need financial assistance?
4. Respect their decision: If they’re genuinely done, don’t pressure. Thank them for their membership and leave the door open
5. Learn from it: What does this resignation teach you about your Lodge? Share insights (tactfully) with the Membership Team and document the real reasons (confidentially) for the Lodge’s learning, not just the official reason.

Why this matters: Understanding why people leave helps you prevent future losses. One resignation prevented is worth many new members attracted.

Connect with Unattached Freemasons

What this means for you: Members who’ve resigned from all their Lodges but want to stay connected.

Your actions:

• If a brother becomes unattached, maintain contact with his permission.
• Check in occasionally, circumstances change, and he might want to rejoin.
• If an unknown person contacts your Lodge claiming to be an unattached Freemason, verify through the Provincial Office before engaging.

Why this matters: Today’s unattached brother might be next year’s re-engaged member if we keep the relationship alive.

Participate in Lodge Review After Resignations

What this means for you: When your Lodge experiences resignations, it should trigger honest reflection.

Your actions:

• Request or initiate a review if you’re seeing patterns in resignations.
• Share what you’ve learned from conversations with departing members (maintaining appropriate confidentiality).
• Help identify what needs to change:

o Are meetings too long or boring?
o Is the culture unwelcoming?
o Are costs too high?
o Is there an individual causing problems?

Why this matters: Your Lodge can only improve if it learns from its losses. You’re often the one with the most honest intelligence about what’s really going on.

YOUR ESSENTIAL TOOLKIT

Regular Communication Schedule

Create a system that works for you. Here’s a suggested framework:

Monthly:

• Review attendance list from the last meeting.
• Identify anyone who missed without apology.
• Reach out to those brothers within a week.

Quarterly:

• Review your full contact log.
• Identify members you haven’t spoken to in 3+ months.
• Make contact with each (even if just a text).

Annually:

• Contact every single member at least once.
• Review your overall patterns: Who are your “at risk” brothers?
• Report to the Lodge on general member welfare (without breaching confidences).

Key Relationships

Work closely with:
• The Secretary: Your main source of data and official communication channel.
• The Membership Officer: Your partner in keeping members engaged.
• The Master: Keep him informed of serious concerns (confidentially).
• Personal Mentors: They’ll spot issues with newer members.
• The Treasurer: He’ll alert you to payment issues that might signal problems.

Resources to Know About

Provincial Support:

• The Provincial Building Together Membership Group are there to help.
• Provincial Retrieval Teams engage with disconnected members.
• Contact your Provincial Grand Membership Officer, for advice and support.

The Masonic Charity:

• Know the basics of how to access Masonic charity if a brother needs financial help.
• Understand the process so you can guide someone through it when needed.
• Remember: The charity exists to help our members; there’s no shame in needing it.

PRACTICAL TIPS FROM EXPERIENCE

Do’s:
✓ Be proactive, not reactive: Regular contact prevents crisis.
✓ Build trust through consistency: Be the brother who always follows up.
✓ Maintain confidentiality: Brothers need to know conversations stay private.
✓ Focus on listening: Your job is to understand, not to solve everything.
✓ Keep good records: Your memory isn’t enough; write things down.
✓ Stay positive: Your attitude about the Lodge influences others.
✓ Work the team: You can’t do this alone; involve others appropriately.

Don’ts:
✗ Don’t wait for problems to come to you: By then it’s often too late.
✗ Don’t take it personally: Some brothers will leave despite your best efforts.
✗ Don’t gossip: What you learn stays confidential unless there’s a safety issue.
✗ Don’t overwhelm yourself: You can’t save everyone; focus on being consistently present.
✗ Don’t forget yourself: Look after your own wellbeing too.
✗ Don’t make promises you can’t keep: Be honest about what you can and can’t do.

MEASURING YOUR SUCCESS

You’ll know you’re doing well when:
• Members feel comfortable reaching out to you when they’re struggling.
• Attendance patterns stay consistent or improve.
• Brothers tell you they appreciate the contact, even when “nothing’s wrong”.
• The Lodge notices fewer surprise resignations.
• Members who move away maintain connection.
• New members feel welcomed and supported.
• The Lodge culture feels more like a family.

YOUR FIRST 90 DAYS

Here’s how to get started:

Week 1-2:
• Meet with the Secretary and get your membership list with contact details.
• Review attendance records for the past year.
• Identify who you already know well and who you don’t know at all.

Week 3-4:
• Attend a Lodge meeting and make a point of speaking with everyone.
• Introduce yourself as the Almoner to anyone who doesn’t know you.
• Start your contact log.

Month 2:
• Begin systematic contact with members you don’t know well.
• Set up your regular communication rhythm.
• Attend any Lodge social events.

Month 3:
• Report to the Master on what you’re learning (general patterns, not individual confidences).
• Identify any brothers who need immediate attention.
• Review your system and adjust what’s not working.

FINAL THOUGHTS

The role of Almoner is all about relationships. You’re not a social worker, a therapist, or a problem-solver, you’re a concerned friend who pays attention and shows up when needed.

The best Almoners I’ve known have been the ones who made every brother feel like he mattered, who noticed when someone was struggling before they had to ask for help, and who created a culture where reaching out wasn’t seen as weakness but as what brothers do for each other.

Building Together gives you the framework, but you’ll bring it to life with your own personality, your own style, and your genuine care for your brothers. Some of your efforts will prevent crises no one ever knows about. That’s okay, you’re not doing this for recognition. You’re doing it because this is what Freemasons do: we look after our own.

You’ve got this. And remember: your Provincial team is there when you need support or guidance. You’re not alone in this work.

Welcome to one of the most important roles in your Lodge. Make it your own!

In Friendship and Brotherhood,

QUICK REFERENCE CHECKLIST

□ Get the latest membership list with full contact details.
□ Set up a contact tracking system.
□ Establish a relationship with your Secretary.
□ Know who your Provincial support contacts are.
□ Attend Lodge and meet all current active members.
□ Start a regular communication cycle.
□ Know the warning signs to watch for.
□ Understand the resignation process.
□ Set up a quarterly review system.
□ Taking care of yourself while caring for others.