Charity Steward's Resume

September 2010

Reading the latest edition of ‘Concord’, I could not help but admire all the remarkable efforts that the Brethren of our Province have undertaken to raise funds in the name of Freemasonry. The support given to charitable causes is absolutely wonderful, as are the many ways in which lodges and/or individuals have raised funds towards their designated charities. You have cycled through Europe, had yourselves thrown out of perfectly serviceable aircraft, organised tombolas, garden parties, sponsored marathons, walking events, a little girl on her ‘trike’, and many other events that we probably don’t know about - truly magnificent feats and outstanding generosity!

This generosity has, of course, been well reflected in the success of the 2010 Festival Appeal for the RMTGB, which as you know, draws to a close on 25th October when the ‘fruits of our labours’ will be revealed. For many lodges the appeal has not proved arduous in attaining patronage status, where as for others it has been somewhat difficult – for many reasons. Nevertheless, I have always been optimistic that the Freemasons of Buckinghamshire would rise to the challenge as they have done from the time when the benevolence of our predecessors gained us the accolade of becoming the Hallstone Province of Buckinghamshire – a feat not matched by any other Province. The launch of the appeal seems but yesterday, rather than five years ago when the PGM invited the Brethren to raise £2M towards the Girls and Boys Trust. Since that time I have experienced the untold generosity of many lodges and individuals who have dug deep into their pockets, organised fund raising events and donated funds from raffles and alms collections, and all this at a time when we are experiencing the worst recession for many years.

The ‘Family Fun Day’ at Stowe was a brilliant event that was enjoyed by all who attended, and was in many ways a ‘thank you’ to the Brethren and their families for their endeavours towards the Festival Appeal. At the Provincial meeting in October it is anticipated that another day to remember will draw us to the close of the Appeal. Although we have not set any precedences by opening up the Provincial meeting to non-masons, it will be (to my knowledge) the first time this has happened in our Province. I anticipate that this, again, will be a spectacular occasion when all the pageantry of a meeting in the Grand Temple in Freemasons’ Hall will be on display. With other events taking place throughout the afternoon and early evening, culminating with the ‘grand announcement’ of how much we have raised, the day will be memorable to many for years to come. I do hope that as many as possible will be able to attend to offer their support to the PGM.

As I have stated on previous occasions, with the conclusion to the Festival Appeal, lodges and chapters will now be turning their attentions to supporting their preferred local charities. Charity fund raising is now recognised as a business and many of the national charities employ a skilled workforce to meet their objectives. In Freemasonry we are probably not that fortunate, albeit we have many knowledgeable and skilled individuals who can be relied on to provide us with the support and advice we need, but never forgetting that this is all provided by volunteers who do not charge for their services.

For many Charity Stewards the festival has been their first foray into the business of fund raising, and I have experienced a number who have introduced several innovative ideas to encourage their members to subscribe to charity, and have had the confidence to undertake this. Unfortunately, for some Charity Stewards it has been a difficult experience and who, with all the best will in the world, have not felt confident enough to engage their members or to generate any enthusiasm for their charitable cause. In many respects, as Masters-Elect, we have selected a Brother to fulfil the role, not necessarily because of his abilities as a fund raiser, but rather to give somebody in the lodge a job to ensure he is seen as being proactive so as not to miss out on a promotion! Without any means of guidance, (job description), or a mentor to turn to, the expectation has been that the Charity Steward will just get on with the job as best he can while limiting his efforts to organising the raffle at each meeting. Thankfully, this scenario is not endemic throughout the Province, but nevertheless, it is happening.

Experience during my tenure as the Provincial Grand Charity Steward has shown me that only a handful of lodge Charity Stewards seek to gain the skills and knowledge of the role by regularly attending the annual seminars/workshops for Charity Stewards. They are very easily recognisable as they are the ones who achieve success when they return to their lodges to apply the knowledge/skills and experiences of others gained at the seminars. I do not seek to castigate Charity Stewards for an apparent lack of interest in the role, but rather I look to the indifference we have given to the role over many years.

A principle aim that I have now set myself is to raise the profile of the role of Charity Steward within the Province. In doing this I want to encourage Charity Stewards to think beyond the confines of their lodge and to go into their respective communities and identify non-Masonic charitable causes that would benefit from our intervention. This may not necessarily be achieved by donating funds, but could be achieved by offering a service to a charity, in similar fashion to that which ‘Freemasonry in the Community’ undertakes. This will, in turn, communicate the positive aspects of Freemasonry and demonstrate our good intentions to charitable causes. In addition, I would be looking for Charity Stewards to identify financial need for local causes by seeking assistance through the Bucks Masonic Centenary Fund (BMCF). The BMCF meets four times a year to review applications submitted to them. Each time we meet we reject a high proportion of these because the requests are submitted by national charities, or from individual organisations seeking funds to pay wages to their employees, none of which are supported by the Fund. The BMCF is there to support organisations or individuals within Buckinghamshire primarily, with occasional support for appropriate appellants across the borders; regrettably, we see very few submissions from our lodges or Brethren! I believe that many charities in our respective communities are missing out on a golden opportunity for us to assist because nobody is out there looking. It is possible that lodges are not reliant on the BMCF and are able to support causes through their own initiatives. However, I also firmly believe that there are many more causes being overlooked and we need to be seeking them out.

As a first step in raising the profile of Charity Stewards I am proposing to form a Provincial Grand Charity Stewards’ Support Team that will take responsibility for supporting Charity Stewards and to offer guidance in the role, and to act as a mentor. The formation of this team would provide a conduit to increase awareness of the charitable work undertaken in the Province, to identify need for charitable aid within communities, and to work in conjunction with the ‘Freemasonry in the Community’ teams. Members of this Support Team will be allocated 10 lodges each and will work closely with the lodge Charity Steward. Naturally, their roles will not entail telling lodges or Charity Stewards what they should or should not be doing, but rather acting as ‘ambassadors’ on behalf of the Provincial Grand Charity Steward, who in turn advises the PGM on charitable matters within the Province.

I am now seeking Brethren who may wish to join this Support Team, who have a keen interest in charitable work, and could offer sound advice, guidance and support to Charity Stewards. If you are interested I would be delighted to hear from you.

Finally, in the latest edition of ‘Concord’ you should have received the ‘yellow’ booklet on the Central Masonic Charities that provides information to you and your families (if you have not received a copy, please let me know). This booklet should always be presented to Initiates in conjunction with their copies of the Regulations and lodge by-laws. When you and your family have read its contents, keep it with your regalia so that it is available should there be a need to call on the support of any of the charities. Charity Stewards may wish to obtain additional copies, which can be obtained from the Grand Charity.

I look forward to seeing as many of you on 25th October, and in the meantime, I repeat my deepest thanks for your support and contributions towards the 2010 Festival Appeal.

Bob Chevin, Provincial Grand Charity Steward