Dean Kennedy

It has occurred to me since writing the post entitled “Potential Answer to Lodge Dues Administration? FreshBooks” that perhaps I did not touch on various issues.  I know I only posted that last post this morning but it’s been a long day in my mental head-space.

The number one thing people will say is, “well we only collect money from everyone once a year;  We don’t need a system like this”.  My response is simple.  If you don’t need this system then good for your lodge, you should pat yourself on the back.  Many lodges are constantly after their lodge members to pay dues and follow-up on them.  An online system such as FreshBooks or the even more comprehensive MORI system Mark is considering for individual lodges, would automate much of the work and not allow for as many dropped balls.  It would make the job of tracking dues and other invoice-able requests less of a nightmare and more like “fun”. (Yes, I put fun in quotations as it may not be everyone’s definition of fun.)

Furthermore, these online solutions allow lodges to link up dues payments with paypal or other payment gateways and allow members to pay online from their bank accounts or even from their credit cards.  No postage stamps or printing at all.  Insteaad of looking at the cost of the software, imagine the savings in printing and postage, not to mention quicker collections and less fuss.  Take the Secretary out of the collections business and treat him with a program that will do it for him, equitably and systematically.

Give your secretary a break… Hire a computer program to help them.  How much do you pay them anyway?  Don’t they deserve it?  Just asking…

Next week, I will review computer programs to automate the Tyler position.  (Joking!  Just checking if you were still reading and paying attention.) Although a lodge computer tracking membership status across the jurisdiction, in the hands of a Tyler, would be useful wouldn’t it? Hmmm…..