Connecticut Takes Forth Place in Membership Gain
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At the 2017 Grand Lodge Convention in Reno, Nevada it was announced that Connecticut came in 4th in the nation for a gain in membership.
This makes the third year in a row that Connecticut has been in the top five of membership gain in the country.
Way to go Connecticut!
CEA Receives 5-Stars for Major Projects Display
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The Connecticut Elks Association received a 5-star award for excelence in a state major project display. This was awarded at the annual Grand Lodge Convention, this year being held in Reno, Nevada.
Congratulations to everyone who made this possible!
Connecticut Takes Second Place in Area 1 PER Contest
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Pete Nelson PDD - State Chairman CEA Ritualistic Committee
On Sunday June 25th a hand picked team of PERs plus one made the two hour trip to Salem N. H. to compete against Maine, New Hampshire, and Mass at the Derry-Salem Lodge #2226 in the Area 1 PER contest. As always it was good to see old friends and make new ones.
The team Ct. consisted of the following.
Exalted Ruler- Leon Zahaba PSP, PDD, PGLC
Leading Knight- Deb Barta PER
Lyoal Knight- Frank Hegedus PSP, PDD
Lecturing Knight- Pete Nelson PDD
Esquire - Mike Barta PSP, PDD
Chaplin- Jim Coley DDGER
Inner Guard- Ed Gumula PER
Candidate- William Coley
It was an extremely close contest at the end with Massachusetts beating out Connecticut by less than 1/10 of a percent. It was good to see a renewed interest in ritual amongst the Area 1 PERs, it was the first contest of PERs that we've had in a couple of years, with these four states committing to the Roulette contest in the fall in Maine.
But wait, there's more.
Even though Connecticcut came in second as a team we did take four first place trophies.
Our candidate in his first Area 1 contest won top honors, along with our Inner Guard, Esquire, and Lecturing Knight. Congratulations to all of the team and my sincere Thanks for taking time out of you busy schedules to show Area 1 that Connecticutt is keeping ritual alive. Bone up on your parts Sept will be here soon enough. Again great job and thanks.
Keep Membership Gain Your Number One Priority!
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Andy Caporossi, PDD - State Membership Chairman
As a result of the great efforts of members and Lodges, we are proud to report our state has achieved member growth for the third consecutive year!
Connecticut Elks have ended the 2016-17 Lodge year with a net 210 member gain! For the record, 1,467 new members were Initiated and 167 re-instated to give us a year end total of 20, 809 members.
Now the work begins again! In putting membership at the forefront of our endeavors, we can make our goal of continued growth a reality. Recruitment, Re-instatement and Retention is a proven formula for success.
Continue efforts in recruiting individuals of good character in your community to join us in conducting our patriotic and charitable programs. Check out "50 Recruitment Ideas" by accessing the membership toolkit on elks.org.
Approach members who have lapsed- invite them back and re-aquaint them with the programs and social activities your Lodge has to offer.
Make sure existing members are kept aware of what's going on in your Lodge and the presence you have in your community through your newsletter, web site and social media. Pride in membership keeps members on the rolls!
Let's keep the momentum going and work to give President Donna a 4th straight year of growing Elkdom in Connecticut!
Thanks in advance for your efforts!
Get Ready, 2017-18 CIP Grants Applications are Coming!
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2017-18 CIP Grant Applications will be available on July 1, 2017. As your Lodge prepares for the new grant year, here are a few tips for planning a successful project.
Pinpoint a community problem and identify a solution the Lodge can provide. Next, create a budget and strategy for the Lodge’s project. Then identify Lodge members who can help put this project in action. After project completion, find ways to publicize the charitable impact of your Lodge’s project on Social Media publicize in local media, like the community newspaper. Need some project ideas? Check out the ElksInAction Instagram page for inspiration instagram.com/elksinaction. For help planning a successful project reference the CIP toolkit here: elks.org/cip/resources/toolkit.cfm..
This year, the ENF is offering a one-time grant opportunity through the Anniversary Grant. The Elks National Foundation wants to help every Lodge celebrate by doing even more do more for their communities.
Learn More Here: Visit elks.org/cip to find more information about CIP and the Anniversary Grant.
The Elks National Foundation allocated $12.53 million this year to fund the Community Investments Program. Lodges meet local needs through Beacon, Gratitude, Promise and Impact Grants. These grants offer Lodges opportunities to serve the community in ways that will raise the Lodge’s profile, energize the membership, encourage former members to return to the fold, and gain the notice of people who want to be part of an organization that’s doing great things. To learn more about the Community Investments Program, please visit elks.org/CIP.