This month's issue of the R&R Newsletter has an exciting new addition! We bring you a special report from Ralph Peterson, the Chairman of the Vice Presidents' Network*, about the progress we've made so far in the area of membership retention and challenges we still face in recruiting new members. Dear Sons of Norway Leaders, As an elected officer of your [...]
In last month's R&R, we discussed the various ways your lodge can help improve retention rates for members. While retention should be a constant goal, recruiting new members is different. For many lodges, it happens in waves with the late fall and spring being the busiest times of the year for recruiting. Converesly, summer is generally a low period. Some lodges [...]
Is your lodge looking for a way to spice up the Cultural Skills or Sports Medal programs? Consider following Edmonds' (#2-130 in Edmonds, WA) example. The lodge has challenged other nearby lodges to a competition to see who could collect the most medals. What resulted was an increased participation in the Cultural Skills and Sports Medal programs and a whole lot [...]
With the 2013 Recruitment Challenge well under way, April is a perfect time to discuss some of the ways your lodge can improve the new member experience, which in turn, boosts retention. It may not be as flashy as recruitment, but a lodge's ability to retain its members is the real key to growth. Remember, happy members are far more likely [...]
Many lodges raise money for worthy causes in their communities, but how many do so with something so simple as a rubber duck bath toy? One lodge in Norway, Dalbuen 8-22, has been having an annual “rubber duck drop” for the past 8 years to raise money for worthwhile causes in their community. The lodge, which is located in Hauge I [...]
As a fraternal organization, Sons of Norway holds volunteerism as a core value. In fact, our lodges give back to their communities with over 400,000 hours of volunteer service each year. With all these hours of service many lodges have great volunteer stories. If you recall from previous R&R Newsletters, throughout 2012 we will be highlighting lodges that have had positive [...]
The New Year is right around the corner. Now is the time for your lodge to plan its programs for 2013. Don’t forget about the terrific resources from the Sons of Norway Foundation. Grants help your lodge enhance upcoming events or programs. January 15th marks the deadline for the Local Lodge Partnership grant. This matching funds grant, which can provide up [...]
Did you know that people who belong to a Sons of Norway lodge are typically among the most active members of their communities? In fact, our lodges participate in tens of thousands of service projects in their communities each year. Our members spend hundreds of thousands of hours volunteering with their lodges. Knowing that, the Sons of Norway Fraternal Department is [...]
As part of Sons of Norway's celebration of community service, this month's Spotlight on Volunteerism highlights one lodge's fundraising efforts this past January. Snorre 6-061 in Hayward, California partnered with a local high school to hold a dinner in order to raise money for scholarships and to promote Norwegian culture in the community. At just under 100 members, the Snorre lodge [...]
This summer Tordenskjold 2-005 in Spokane, WA paid tribute to U.S. veterans by raising money for the Honor Flight Program. In all, members of the lodge spent nearly 200 hours preparing and serving breakfasts to raise money for the program, which flies veterans to their respective monuments in Washington, D.C. The fundraiser is one of Tordenskjold's most publicized events. Using community [...]
