One Moose

One Moose – “Stronger Together”

“One Moose” Presentation given at the National Conference in October 2021

Click to Download The Slide Show Presentation

PLEASE NOTE:
When opening the Presentation in Slide Show mode, the first slide is the preamble from Alan Harries, which he gave at the start of the session. The last words of that preamble, are “Thank you!” when you hear this you then need to hit the page down button on their keyboard so that the next slide appears, along with the commentary. The Presentation slides will then come up automatically until the end of the Presentation.

One Moose FAQs

1. Within One Moose will there be Affiliate and Associate membership relating to the Ladies?

No! All Ladies will be equal members of One Moose. Technically, all Ladies’ Circles members have been equal since the adoption of the newly amended Constitution of Ladies’ Circles in 2019.

2. Will there be a joining fee for the Ladies and the Gentlemen, and if so, how much will it be?

Yes, all new Ladies joining One Moose will pay a joining fee, as will all new gentlemen. The joining fee will be a one-off payment of £10. If a couple joins, then the one-off fee applies per couple.

3. Within One Moose, can the financial accounts of any of the various Committees, e.g. Social Committee or Conservation etc., be held outside of the Lodge Accounts? If such accounts exist outside the Lodge, will we have to open a new Lodge account for any of these Committees?

The Manual clearly states that any unit of the Lodge must not control its own funds or open a separate bank account. All financial activities should be dealt with by the Treasurer. Page 10 of the Manual sets out the terms clearly! If such accounts do exist, all monies should be returned and held within the Lodge, which means that new accounts will not be needed.

4. Will there be a special Joining Ceremony for new Ladies who join the Lodge?

Within ‘One Moose’ we are all equal members of the Lodge irrespective of gender. Therefore, the Joining Ceremony will be the same for all new members, both Ladies and Gentlemen. If Ladies wish to join the Ladies’ Circle, then the existing Ceremony for any new Lady joining the Circle can be used.

5. Within One Moose will the offices of Vice President and Junior Vice President still exist and will the Vice-President and Junior Vice-President automatically move in the role of President, and Vice-President respectively without the need of a ballot?

The Vice-President automatically becomes President at the end of the existing President’s term of office, without the need of a ballot, as will the Junior Vice-President. Assuming these positions are filled.

6. The money raised from moose members with social is kept outside moose in another bank account, the committee are made up of moose Lodge members, Will the 3 main officers still have to be balloted?

See question 3 above.

7. Some Lodges have a lady welfare officer and male officer, both in charge of each welfare. When One Moose comes in, can they both be in charge on the same committee? Or does it still need to be one for One Moose and one for Ladies’ Circle?

Yes, they can both be on the Welfare Committee. Having a couple makes sense as they can work together in the manner that best suits the welfare needs.

8. Does a Ladies’ Circle have to have its own set dues paid annually or is it possible to pay one amount, say joining fee (as well as One Moose) like legion have?

In year one of membership, any new member pays their joining fee and their Lodge fees. In addition, the Ladies will pay £6, £5 of which will go to Central Fund and £1 remains in the Circle, like Legion. In subsequent years, the Ladies will pay their Lodge fees as usual, plus whatever amount has been set by the Circle for the running of the Circle

9. Will a President of the Lodge be expected to attend all other committee meetings as well as Board of Officers, e.g. Social, Welfare, Civic etc., as at the moment a Governor can attend any However, say I put my name down for President, it would be very difficult for me to attend all meetings

It would be very difficult for anyone to attend all meetings, and such an expectation may stop some members from accepting a nomination to be President! The President may attend all and any meeting in their capacity as President. However, they are not required to do so. They should, however, be notified of all Committee Meetings – date, time, venue etc., in advance to enable them to decide whether or not they are able to attend. The President should also be updated regarding the outcomes of all meetings.

10. Our Lodge Governor and Lady President both choose a charity for the length of time in office. They hold separate functions to raise funds, would this still be so within One Moose? Or would it be up to the Lodge to choose something if we wish? Our members sometimes complain that we hold too many functions, it can be costly

As ‘One Moose’ it might be appropriate for the entire membership of the Lodge to decide on a charity. However, if the current practise is preferred, then it could continue as it does now. As ever, consideration should be given to the cost element involved.

11. If the positions in Lodge stay the same is it possible to add to the new One Moose those positions; what the position is; how many members are needed roughly on that committee; and what the job or jobs entails? Some Ladies may not have the relevant knowledge relating to the various committees, for example, Civic or Conservation.

As things stand at present, the existing Committees, i.e. Civic Affairs, Social, Publicity, Meeting Arrangements, Auditing, Welfare, Nominating etc., will remain. Again, the Manual states that Lodges may have special Committees either on a permanent or an ad hoc basis. The appointment of the Chairperson of such committees is the prerogative of the Lodge President and the appointment of the members is the prerogative of the Committee Chairperson. All committees must have a stated purpose and set of objectives and will need sufficient members on the committee to achieve those objectives. Again, a Committee or any other unit of the Lodge must not control its own funds or open a separate bank account. All financial transactions of a Committee must be dealt with by the Lodge Treasurer.

12. We have a lady in circle who does the registration and calls out during our meeting the number of apologies. The brothers do the same except they take it further because the person taking the register is secretary and on welfare. The newsletters that don’t get picked up at Lodge are sent by post if the recipients live a distance away. If the recipients live locally, the newsletters are delivered by hand. However, the person delivering doesn’t always knock on the door to find out if they are well. The ladies do none of this, so am I to assume that when we come together, these 2 members if voted in, will work together and hopefully have other members to help, will be on the committee named “Conservation”?

As noted above about Welfare, it would make sense to have a both a Lady and a Gentleman involved to ensure that we cover all bases, and to ensure that all those in need of support, get that support, additional committee members would of course be beneficial.

13. As an example, just say I put my name in for Junior Vice President and the Brother whose name is down at the moment doesn’t get it and I do, he isn’t going to be pleased with me! Also is that place guaranteed until I would go into the chair? Otherwise next time he might get it and I’m knocked out. Also I may not be able to attend or do everything required in office, how does it work if you are disabled?

See the answers to Q5 and Q9. Nominations for Office may change at any time, e.g., with a person elected one year deciding not to go forward the following year. Disability should not exclude anyone from any office and I would think if there is something that a person with a disability cannot do, then a nominee could be given permission to carry out that particular item?

14. What would happen to Ladies’ Circles if the Lodge were to close? In the past, it would have meant the Circle closing and members joining Home Circle – either individually or as a Branch? Will this still be the case?

Within One Moose, as all Ladies, including those who may join the Ladies’ Circle, are all members of the Lodge, they could continue as both a Lodge and a Ladies’ Circle

15. What will happen to existing Home Circle Members?

Existing members of the Home Circle will remain members of Moose. The same membership fees will apply as to any other member as per the new Dues Structure which will come into being April 1st this year!