Grand Master Message September 2023

My dear brethren,

Spring has finally arrived and with the warmer & sunnier days, comes the rollout and commencement of several initiatives from Grand Lodge, not least of which is the release of IMIS, our new database management and CRM system for all lodges and members.

We have communicated consistently over the past 12 months on the benefit and value add that IMIS will give all our members and showcased live to the membership during the recent Town Hall roadshow, the actual system and its benefits to all, across lodge management, data integrity, flexibility, availability of timely and accurate information and ability for the system to become a single source of truth for each member & lodge.

I commend the system to you and encourage each member to take the time to log in and play with the system to acquaint yourself with it and check your personal data to ensure it is correct and if not, either change it yourself or speak to your lodge secretary who will be able to assist you.

We currently have a dozen lodges utilising the system for their lodge administration and the feedback to date, has been exemplary.

I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate W Bro Tim MacDougal for a herculean effort to date as Project Manager responsible for the delivery of IMIS and our Grand Secretary, RW Bro Peter Murdoch, for his guidance and oversight as Project director.

These two brethren have been single-minded about delivering IMIS, which is the Board of Grand Lodge’s key initiative and foundation stone of the Membership Strategy and we are both grateful and excited to see it now here.

As I reported last month, we have made significant inroads into Membership initiatives and the Recruitment workflow process for enquires coming into the Grand Lodge website and a process to effectively court them, which takes them on a journey to becoming a qualified lead to put with the lodge.

The work proactive work being done by the Chair of the Membership & Communications committee, W Bro John Daventry has been showing early signs of very positive uptake, with an average of 1 enquiry per day, being contacted and taken through the online process.

Additionally, the Membership & Communications committee have engaged the assistance of Social Media expertise to develop a campaign that reaches out and attracts those prospects disposed to the values and ethos of Freemasonry and funnels them into a pipeline, the beginning of the workflow & courtship process, which will and has through a pilot process, significantly increased the daily enquiry numbers.

We will report shortly on initial results, however, can confirm the Grand Lodge membership strategy is beginning to see some very positive outcomes, which will assist us to meet our need to replenish those members we are losing to the Grand Lodges above and other means, keeping us stable whilst we allow the work currently being done, to see positive growth in our member numbers.

I wanted to finally remind all of the upcoming Annual General Meeting which will be held on Wednesday the 25^th of October commencing at 6:00 pm at Grand Lodge Centre in West Perth and would ask all that if you cant make it, can you please complete a Proxy form which was e-mailed out to all early in the month and get it to Cherie at the Grand Lodge office, so we can be sure we achieve quorum to be able to conduct the annual business of Grand Lodge.

In addition, the Grand Proclamation will be held at the Furnisdale Lodge rooms in Mandurah, on Saturday the 28^th of October, commencing at 10:00 am

This is an opportunity to attend our yearly marquis ceremonial meeting and celebration of the Deputy Grand master’s re-appointment and investiture of new and re-appointed Grand Officers.

It is also an opportunity to recognise some outstanding contributions made by members of our craft and I would ask that you please try and attend.

Thank you and I look forward to seeing you all out in your lodges.

MWBro Daniel Ganon

Grand Master