Dear Dedicated Members for Change,
The first DMC Newsletter was written and published in 2010 - some 15 years ago. At the time of that first publication, we announced that Dedicated Members for Change had just three goals: Membership, membership, and membership.
In those past 15 years, we have published well over 700 DMC Newsletters. And we have hundreds of Odd Fellows on our email lists from throughout the United States and Canada, as well as several European jurisdictions and the Philippines. I know that the advice and guidance we have provided through the DMC Newsletter has assisted quite a few Lodges in growing (and retaining) their memberships. And that's really the focus of our efforts. When we started the DMC Newsletter, we were aware of the following facts: IOOF in the 19th Century spread like a wildfire across this continent - with Lodges popping up in every state and province. There was a time when the membership of IOOF in the United States exceeded one million, and we became (for a relatively short time) the largest fraternal order in the United States. There were hundreds of Lodges in some jurisdiction, and some Lodges boasted 400 or more members. Grand Lodge Sessions were bustling events with thousands in attendance. Odd Fellows, Patriarchs, and Chevaliers - resplendent in regalia, fezzes, and uniforms - marched in large parades in cities and towns across the continent.
But then, in the 20th Century, we saw a sharp diminution in our membership rolls. All across North America, Lodge membership dropped and Lodges consolidated or simply disappeared. Many communities still have the old Lodge Halls standing, often in the center of towns, but Odd Fellows no longer meet in many of the buildings. They remain as historical footnotes - in wood and brick - in those towns.
In our DMC Newsletters we have tried to shine the light of truth on the abrupt decline of Odd Fellowship numbers, and - more importantly - we have tried to offer proven suggestions on how Lodges can change their trajectory in the direction of growth. Primarily, we have suggested that Lodge members leave the four walls of their Lodges to reach out into their communities with active community involvement, and that Lodges organize fun social events for members. These sorts of endeavors make for a fuller fraternal experience, keep members engaged, and allow more interaction with potential applicants for membership.
So, the intentions of Dedicated Members for Change have been honorable. But from the beginning, even to this day, there are some Odd Fellows who seem to believe that DMC has some ulterior motive. We don't. DMC is not in the blame game. We are not in the criticism game. DMC exists to offer a 21st Century view on an 18th Century Order, and to suggest ways that Lodges can be relevant to the new generations that we need in our fraternity to survive and flourish in the coming decades. Change is inevitable, and is the key to our survival as an organization. The history of Odd Fellowship is replete with change. We are not the same fraternal order that we were in the 1700's, nor even in the early 1800's when IOOF first came to North America. Evolution and change must continue to attract the men and women who were born in the 1980's, 1990's, and 2000's. If we don't evolve, our Lodges will become places where grandfathers and grandmothers gather. There is nothing wrong with folks in their 70's and 80's, of course, but unless the Lodge brings in members in their 60's, 50's and 40's, the Lodge will not long survive.
F - L - T
Dave Rosenberg
Past Grand Master
Jurisdiction of California
