Advice for new Masonic Secretaries

07-03-2021

The prospect of becoming (or being asked to become!) a Masonic Secretary can be daunting. The role is often viewed as challenging, time-consuming and arduous, but at the same time it’s a prestigious office to hold and a good Secretary is a key foundation for a great Lodge.

So where on earth do you begin if you’re a new Secretary, or even someone thinking about taking on the role in the future?   We asked a group of current Secretaries (both new and long established) to give us their advice and top tips for new Secretaries. Here’s a some of their advice;

1 - Keep your desk clear

It’s perhaps the most obvious point but a Masonic Secretary needs to be organised. They’re the hub of the Lodge’s communications, pull the meetings together and are at the very heart of the leadership team.  A big part of organisation is keeping a clear desk - don’t sit on anything too long (be it tasks, requests, communications, etc.).  Putting jobs off until later is often a mistake that can lead you to being overwhelmed.   Try tackling duties little and often; the brethren will probably respond better to frequent communications than a deluge of emails and attachments all at once.

2 - Separate your emails

A piece of advice that cropped up several times was to create a new, separate email address from your own that is specifically used for the Secretarial role (unless your Lodge already has one).  A simple gmail or outlook account will do the trick and they’re usually free.   This keeps important Lodge emails from getting lost amongst your personal emails,  it means you can use the Inbox like a to-do list,  and it also makes for an easy handover to your successor when the time comes.

3 - Dates for the year

When you’re starting out, make an outline plan of the Masonic calendar.  Every year is generally very similar, so you can create a handy rolling to-do-list with key dates for meetings, form submissions and reminders.

4 - Make friends with your Provincial Grand Secretary

Your Provincial Team are an incredible mine of information and experience - whether you’re just starting out or have been in the role a while, they’ve been in your position before and can almost always point you in the right direction.

5 - Check if your Province (or Grand Lodge) has a handbook

Some Masonic Provinces (particularly under UGLE) have a Handbook created specifically for Secretaries.  You can count on them having great advice, best practices and even province-specific details you might not find elsewhere. 

A great example can be found at the Provincial Grand Lodge of East Lancashire's website: https://www.pglel.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Lodge-Secretarys-Handbook-2017.pdf

6 - Easy Minutes

The more admin that can be done ahead of time the better,  so try creating a draft of your Minutes whilst you’re creating the Summons.  Assuming everything goes almost to plan, it’s a simple job of filling in the blanks and the Minutes are done!    You’ll have the brethren amazed by your speedy Minutes!

7 - Make thorough notes

It’s easy to assume ‘Oh, I’ll remember’ specific details.  But once you’ve enjoyed the Festive Board, a few drinks in the bar before heading home, have been quizzed by Past Masters on the way to the taxi and then had a good nights sleep… you’ll never remember.   Make thorough notes of anything you need to recall, then you’re sure you’ll have access to the information when you need it.

8 - Have a succession plan

You’ve probably gathered that being a Masonic Secretary can become a ‘job for life’ - especially if you’re good at it!

Lots of the Brothers that contributed to this advice have been in-post for 5 or more years.   It’s worth having a plan for when you may wish to pass the torch - it may be that you could slowly train an Assistant Secretary over a couple of years in advance of you moving on?

9 - Change is positive

Freemasonry can sometimes be criticised for a lack of forward momentum.  Our Ritual is sacred, but the methods of doing our admin doesn’t have to be.   You may be coming to the role with IT skills or experiences your predecessors didn’t have,  so don’t be afraid to update and systemise the processes.  What may have worked for past Secretaries may not work for you or your Lodge now.   However, remember your predecessors are also a wealth of experience to help you along!

10 - Have Fun

Freemasonry is ultimately a hobby, and should be enjoyable.   Lots of brothers who responded to help put this advice together had lots of positive things to say for the role,  and expressed how enjoyable and satisfying it can be.  Secretaries who stay in the role for many years often do so because of the satisfaction it brings, not because of the lack of volunteers!  

Take your time, have fun and enjoy the journey!

Of course we think one of the best ways to make a start as a new Secretary would be to take a free trial of The Working Tools - a suite of tools designed specifically for the modern Masonic Secretary. 

Have something to add to this list?  Share your thoughts with us on Facebook @TheWorkingTools

A huge thank you goes to the brethren who contributed their ideas to this piece, particularly those in the Masonic Lodge Secretary - UGLE group on Facebook. 

Image credit to Freemasonry Squared: Masonic Memes, via Exeter Masonic Lodge #303 F&AM on Facebook