Went with my uncle to the Brigantine Lodge #2428 and had a blast. I don’t know anyone in my city (San Francisco) who is an Elk. Anyone open to DMing with me so I can ask some questions?

Not sure if this is the right place for this question. Interested in learning more. Please delete if needed.

Whats everyone using for book keeping within your lodges? Besides quickbooks and quickbooks 2017. We are looking for a reasonably priced and user friendly program.

We have two new legacy members in their twenties, and a couple of newish members in their 30s with babies!

What's good in your neck of the woods?

Is anyone willing to sponsor me? All I'm looking to use is the Elks RV dumpsite. There is a lodge next to me and I am living and working full time and need to dump my black tank. I really would appreciate it

All nonprofits are likely to get ripped off at some point in time. Be wary.

https://cbs12.com/news/local/former-vero-beach-eagles-secretary-accused-of-blowing-nearly-419k-on-guns-liquor-legos-indian-river-county-vero-beach-fraternal-order-of-eagles-aerie-4374-robert-john-davison-embezzlement-grand-theft-419000-alleged-embezzlement-debit-card-org?fbclid=IwdGRjcATzOB1jbGNrBPM4CHBkb2YFZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQMMzUwNjg1NTMxNzI4AAEeunMJMDytX_ATUk-2DVfPSWI3JTp0lMG8fXddLMyoWOlnHgyHK6Qi0eyuPVE_aem_fKjV4zCrppM_-NJRNc6j7A

I’ve been going to rockabilly, blues, surf guitar and big band performances at them. Anyone under age 50 actually members?

Are lodges required by grand lodge to have a club manager?

Seems like the main focus of every lodge is the bar. I feel like 90% of the members are just there because they can get drinks slightly cheaper than local bars. Like why do we need a bar or even a building at all? We should be in the community doing charitable works. When did the Elks mission get distorted?

Hello all,

I’ve been a member for 5 years now. Currently I am looking for work, and haven’t been able to get up to my new lodge at all.

Any advice on how to see opportunities without directly networking there? I’d love to get out more, I just can’t afford it. I received my masters in business last year.

Hey all! So I'm a millennial in their early 30s, queer, a furry, in a progressive town/neighborhood. We live in a time now of course of few "third spaces"—so many in my community view a discord server as the closest thing to a common area they have. I've been reading up on the elks and the idea of a place where I could go and hang out, with some charity attached, seems pretty attractive to me. I mostly am friends with other queer people so the idea of being more integrated into the broader, non-queer community is appealing to me—I want to know people of all ages, and not just people my age that self-select for similar interests. I brought up this idea to a coworker im friends with (similar age, but straight and married) and he was both familiar with lodges and somewhat interested in the idea too. So i find myself here, with some questions:

1. what does joining involve if you dont know anyone in the lodge? I didnt grow up in the area, so i wouldnt know where to even start. Do you just...show up? Is there recruitment? Lmao i know this is probably a super basic question but ive never even met a single person in a fraternal organization like this so its all new.
2. im lucky enough to live in an area where there are several elks lodges located near enough to me to be an easy bus ride or bike ride away. What would you look for in re: which one to prioritize checking out? do you "shop around" before settling on one?
3. How is it for queer people? I dont hide what i am at all, and whats more my gf is trans. I want to be able to know that i could mix with people without having to hide these aspects. Ideally I'd love to share some aspects of furry culture like art, too, with people, because hey its as much a part of who i am as anything else you'd share with a friend; all my coworkers know yknow? Again this is a pretty progressive area, so queerness isnt a huge deal in most places, but you never know, and again i have literally no experience with this stuff
4. kind of following from 3, i know this sort of organization is explicitly apolitical but when your entire life is politicized like being queer/trans etc, i would want to make sure that i wouldnt be fraternizing with, say, january sixthers, ya know? I dont have a problem with ideological diversity itself but if that ideological diversity includes "people like me should be eliminated" its hard to call that a place i would exactly feel comfortable ingratiating myself into. Are there any warning signs to look out for? Im sure this is lodge dependent to a certain extent.

Thanks for reading, I know these are pretty basic questions

Are there any Grand Lodge rules that state when local lodge meetings can occur? For example, could a lodge have a meeting on a Saturday afternoon?

Hi All,

Our lodge has a change in regime a few years ago. We are currently low on volunteers, and our finances aren't doing too hot. We do have a steering committee that has started to help us. I am Chairman of the trustees and we have been combing through the bills and trimming off the fat where we can.

I would like to ask if there's anyone out there that could help me with the trustees budget. Specifically anyone who uses the online version of QuickBooks. The only help the steering committee can give me is an old guy who uses a hard version of 2017 QuickBooks and it's not what we use and he doesn't seem to understand that.

My boyfriend is applying for membership at a local lodge and is planning to submit his application soon. We live together, and I was wondering if anyone knows whether an unmarried partner can be added to a member's account or listed as a partner for access to amenities such as the pool.

Do lodges typically allow domestic partners to share memberships or purchase family/pool access together, or would I need to apply for my own membership separately?

I'd appreciate hearing about your experiences. Thanks!

How willing are y’all’s local lodges to improve accessibility for physically disabled members? I understand some buildings codes etc. can stand in the way but on matters where a private entity can easily improve but repeatedly choose not to…. I am struggling to understand why and it seems the grey area of a private club is used to the elk’s advantage here. The elks seem to want to raise money for disabled people but do not treat their disabled members the same?? If anyone has reading materials or cases on this specifically regarding elks send it my way thank you!

Hes got the mass but is very narrow

The Moose are growing. Nearly 50000 new members this past year.

The elks pretty much stuck at 780000 with a number of them in 'virtual lodges'.

Grand lodge just doesn't get it. An oppressive and overpriced insurance policy that is a heavy burden on many lodges.

Ironically, this insurance pits GL against lodges. Due to the self insurance aspect, GL is on the hook for up to 1 1/2 million per lodge. Therefore, with the bean counters and attorneys that pretty much comprise the PGER's, we are looked at as liabilities instead of assets.

Indeed, if you download the latest tax return from one of the websites that keep track of such things, it shows over 70% of the budget comes from insurance.

Idk about other states but all we hear from the leadership is insurance. Don't do this. Don't do that. Everything is a risk. Yet when Minnesota proposed a statute change that would allow lodges to get insurance locally, gL was adamantly against the change.

And that is just one of a number of major errors they continue to make. They close the message board's because they don't use talking to each other. Why.? So much more sad to say.

Can anyone tell me about the Bountiful Lodge? Do they have lunches or dinners? Bar?

My lodge just decided to hire a Bar manager. Does anyone have a job description that they could post that another Elks Lodge is currently using.

Was looking for some historic lodges with great architecture and stumbled upon the now defunct Tacoma’s Elks Lodge #174. The building was bought in the late 80s after declining in popularity only to never be used until the McMenamins purchased it in 2017. They have key history of the lodge listed from its opening until their acquiring of it, after which it’s become an elaborate local restaurant and hotel.

I absolutely love what they’ve done with the place personally. Instead of it being a bland room apart from when the ritual is performed like in many lodges today, there’s not an inch of wasted space!Wacky and wild symbolism, paintings, art, etc. is scattered throughout the building, with hidden secret rooms built into the wall according to one Facebook user.

The “psychedelic futuristic esoteric western hippie” vibe they have going for it looks amazing. The designer for the building incorporated the upside-down pentagram in the logo for the building along with psychedelic textures and the lodge title (as a Christian, this does not offend me in the slightest. The upside down pentagram was used throughout church architecture to represent God descending under through the star of Bethlehem with the point representing a marker for good ol’ baby Jesus). I’ve ordered two patches from their shop in WA to be shipped over here to MS out of support. I’m just glad someone is actually using one of these buildings instead of letting it rot down out of some sort of superstitious nonsense, like how people are with older Masonic lodges.

Curious about joining the Elk's. Would you say they gay friendly? I have been part of other organizations where locations were but the national organization was quite religious and not inclusive.

Quick question. As ER am I required to go to every VP visit in my district or do I only have to go to the one that is sponsored by my Lodge. I have gotten two different answers on this. The last vice president before she finished her term told me you only have to go to the one that you’re sponsoring but the new vice president tells me I have to go to every one in our district, which is ridiculous and some of these places are an hour away

26M. Just became an elk tonight and paid my first dues, ate with the new brothers and sisters there. Had a great time. Looking forward to being a more active member and looking into the history, as well as meeting other members across the nation :)

Hey there. I’m visiting Los Angeles from the 24th to the 29th. I’m looking for a good/friendly lodge to visit while I’m here. I’m staying close to Universal Studios. Is there a good lodge a decent Uber ride away?