Thanks to one and all who took the survey. If you haven't yet, you still can. I will update the results as they come in. Click here to take the survey.
Of course, this is not a scientific survey. I don't propose it to be the opinions of anyone other than the people who happened to fill it out.
Sample answers for many of the questions are at the bottom of the page. You can read them when you get to them, or click on the samples link to navigate back and forth between the questions and sample answers.
Here are the results so far (including all surveys received by Jan. 23, 2001):
1. Are you male or female?
Male: 55%
Female: 45%
2. Are you an Odd Fellow, Rebekah or both?
Rebekah only: 45%
Both: 40%
Odd Fellow only: 15%
3. List any other branches of the order you belong to?
All branches were represented well.
4. Which branch do you like best?
Odd Fellows: 39%
All: 32%
Rebekah: 29%
5. Approximately how long have you been a member?
Totals ranged from 1 to 54 years.
Average was 21.8 years
Females ranged from 4 years to 53 years.
Average was 27.4 years
Males ranged from 1 year to 54 years.
Average was 17.9 years
6. Where are you a member?
Answers came from MI, WV, MA, MS, CA, NY, NH, Texas, Delaware, LA, AK, Canada, The UK, and Finland.
7. Are you an active member, non-active or in-between?
Almost all respondents are active with 20% describing themselves as very active. The one non-active was sad about it because the nearest lodge was 175 miles away!
8. What is the highest office that you've held?
This ranged from Inside Gaurdian to current and past Grand Matriarchs, Grand Patriarchs, Grand Masters etc.
10. Do you agree or disagree with the decision to allow females to Join the Odd Fellows?
Total:
42% Disagree
42% Agree
8% Mixed Feelings
3% Unsure
5% Not an issue
12. Do you think the Order isn't as good as it used to be, is getting better all the time, or is as good as it has been?
Getting better: 30%
(25% of the males, 35% of the females)
Good as ever: 21%
(19% of the males, 24% of the females)
Sample answer for how did you find out about the Order?
A couple of dear friends.
My Father was an Odd Fellow. My Mother has been a Rebekah for
over fifty years.
My Fiancee.
My great grandfather, grandfather, and father were all members
of the Odd Fellows and my mother is a Rebekah.
The Rebekah's sponsored the Girl Scout Troup I belonged to.
I am a 4th generation member and all 3 of our children and
their wives are members.
Family have been members for 200 years.
Mother in law.
A little old lady.
A friend at a wedding reception, he had on an IOOF tie tac.
From a Past Master of my Masonic Lodge. He is a Past Noble
Grand of the OddFellows Lodge also.
Mother-in-law is Rebekah President
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Sample answer for agree/disagree with women being Odd Fellows?
Disagree, the men don't do anything by the book.
Agree, I suspose we have to get with the times.
Disagree. I am becoming more liberal in my thinking, and I
know that we have to make a lot of changes to modernize our order, but
I'm not quite ready for this.
Agree, I feel that being a new millennium, that the order needed
the change and some new opinions on things.
I agree to a point... I want to be one, but not at the
expense of a current male lodge member.
Unsure. I have the feeling the females will end up as
Secretary/Treasurer or Musician and not be able to preside.
Disagree. That order was established for men. I have no
idea what goes on in their meetings but I feel there are things that are
meant only for men.
Disagree. I prefer separate male orientated and female
orientated lodges first. Then mixed lodges for those who prefer them.
I agree that it is a good idea to allow females to join the
OddFellows, to help some of the smaller lodges to keep going, and also
to give some couples the opportunity to belong to a great fraternity,
and attend the meetings together, however, I cannot ever see myself
becoming a member of the OddFellows.
I dont agree or disagree. I feel it schould be up to the
lodge if they want females to join. But I do feel it won't save odd
fellowship it will only increase membership because of rebekahs joining.
I personally disagree. I feel that men need to have their
own club where the atmosphere can be slightly more relaxed. To go one
step further, I think the Rebekahs should be just for the women although
I believe joint meetings periodicaly would be just fine.
Agree... While I value the long standing traditions, and
rituals, our beloved Order needs to modernize without sacrificing its
basic values in order to increase membership and be relevant in today's
society.
DISAGREE!!!
Disagree. Nothing against the Ladies, but it came about in
the wrong manner. If it had been a decision proposed by the membership
I would have agreed with it. Bering forced to accept a change from the
outside is just unpleasant.
Agree in principle but feel it was handled too quickly. If
there is an active Odd Fellow and Rebekah Lodge in the same community I
see no reason for females to join Odd Fellow Lodges. There also is an
inequity since a male cannot join the Rebekahs without first being an
Odd Fellow.
Agree,
I see this as an opportunity to keep the mission of Odd fellowship
going. This can be accomplished without regard to one's gender.
I would agree, if females want to. Just wish there were more
of a discussion prior to the decision being made. Guess that says
something about the line of communications.
Whether this was a good or bad decision, is not relevant; I
always make bad or good decisions work for the good of my lodge and
Oddfellowship. I still managed to bring 11 women in my lodge in the
first month of this year.
I don't want to be an Odd Fellow, but if it will help keep
the Odd Fellows afloat, I'll join. I would not join just to be with
those men!
Yes I agree, I have always felt I was an Odd FEllow from the
first time I took the initation degree. I have always lived F L & T my
entire membership.
Disagree...in my opinion we would be weakening both the Odd
Fellows and the Rebekaha.
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Sample answer for how well do you think your lodge does at giving to the community?
Could do better and has plans to do so.
Belonging to three Lodges, I can give three different
answers.
Very well. We have been very involved in the community and are futher developing more ways to give to our community as well as our Grand Lodge and Rebekah Assembly.
Fair to poor. We need younger members who will get out and do
things in the community.
Although our membership seems to be declining, and the members
are getting older, I think that the order is as good as it always has
been.
We all could do a lot better
Good right now but we are getting better.
Super!!!
The Order is as good as it used to be. It is the members who make
the Order or break the Order.
Great. We work hard at it.
Great! Could a lodge be more involved. We belong to the
Historical Society, Chamber of Commerce, have a Scholarship Fund, attend
our City Council meetings, hold an information booth in our city's
events (festivals, etc), donate to nearly every Odd Fellow request that
crosses our Secretary's desk, sponsor a local youth sports team, and
more.
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Sample answer for Do you think the Order isn't as good as it used to be, is getting better all the time, or is as good as it has been?
It is doing well, maybe even better than ever but, many changes
are still to come to make it really great.
I think we need to redouble our efforts to get members - I know
of many Odd Fellow and Rebekahs who have family members who have never
joined or felt the need too - why??
Needs to progress.
The order is falling down rapidly. Several lodges don't do
things correctly and they don't care.
We are the best kept secret around.
I think it's getting better all the time...it has to in order to
survive.
I think on the whole the Order is getting better. I think all members
need to realize that with time comes change and as long as it is indeed
for the good of the Order that changes should be embraced not sneered
at.
The Order is a good as it ever was, it is just that people today
are not interested in the things we stand for.
I think that our diversity in membership, as to race, color and
religion is a major plus that few fraternities promote.
The Order is as good as ever. It has changed due to the age of
its members, and the declining membership.
Definitely not as good as it used to be.
I don't think it is as good as it was.
There is no overall goal setting and no common vision. Recently there are a
number of requests for information to develop an information/education
manual. This should be something done by SGL and be given to all new
members as a benefit to belonging. If our members are informed they
will be our greatest salespeople.
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Sample answer for What do you think the order does best?
Taking care of each other, donating to worthy causes, supporting
youth, EATING, and being a family.
Taking care of the elderly through our Homes for the Aged,
raising money for our charities, encouraging friendship.
The lodges don't do too much good at anything anymore. If you try
they get upset and don't want to come back anymore. Our home boards and
camp boards don't work together the way they should.
Promote the virtues of the degrees among it's members, I think
most members, male and female, try to live up to the teachings of the
degrees.
Rose Bowl Float, Arthritis, UN Pilgrimage, Visual Research, our
Home and Camp.
Reach out to the needy in each community - donate funds for many
different causes - locally and world wide - and most of all sit back and
let someone else do the work.
Visiting and caring for the sick and shut ins.
The U.N. trip I believe is one of the most worthwhile.
Promoting the principles of mutual support & responsibility, and
preserving and passing on to future generations the historic teachings
of Oddfellowship.
Provides a way to meet great people, and provides money to good
causes.
Set an example of the true value of a fraternal orders's value
through it's unselfish dedication to helping the various unserved needs
of the community as opposed to being a primary tool for networking and
establishing business contacts.
Promotes a true meaning of F,L&T within. The members that I know
and have dealt with all appear to be REAL in their pursuit of good.
In times of serious illness or a death in one's family, the
members are the best help that anyone could have...Without the Order, I would not have traveled to so many wonderful places (I've missed only one SGL/IARA Session since 1986).
Teaches Respect.
Operation of retirement homes, and in California operation of
Children's Home.
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Sample answer for What do you think the order does worst?
Letting the public know who and what we are.
Not making new members feel welcome. Constantly saying we used to
do this or we used to do that.
Not much support or encouragement. Individual Lodges have been
left pretty much to themselves.
Carelessness about our work, not enough enthusiasm.
Recognition of the "Odd Fellows and Rebekahs". I don't mean
looking for a pat on the back, but name recognition such as the Masons,
Lions, etc.
Promote itself and its accomplishments.
We don't have as much coverage as we could have about our good
deeds.
Too much gossip and backstabbing in this order. Need to listen to
new ideas by younger members and quit being so critical of what they
suggest.
We take in new members and don't explain to them what we do and
how we do it.
Hiding our good works.
The Order is not very good at presenting its teachings in a
comprehensible way for the current generation. Ritual is a very
powerful tool for uniting people in a common purpose but we must seek
every opportunity and method of presenting and promoting our teachings
and not simply cloak them in our historic ritual (good as it is).
Change with the times. We are becoming a seniors group that never
changes.
Sample answer for Do you have any ideas to bring in new members?
Our Lodges have found that after having fund raising social events
open to non-members has been very effective. Once someone has attended
one of our functions, seen the hard work and devotion as well as the end
results they often want to become a part of our Order.
Ask! Don't assume that you next door neighbor would not be
interested. Ask someone from work, church, how about that friendly
person in your favorite store.
Open meetings and social events with public attendance.
Have dinners. Have scholarships for youth.
You don't get new members unless YOU ask.
I've got most of my family in. If each member in the state
brought just one family member in it would be a great increase.
I think the best way to get new members is to ask our friends,
acquaintances, fellow workers and family members to join. Although you
may get a lot of people saying "no", the next person you ask just could
say "yes".
Be positive, brag a little, publicize more.
Ask, ask, and keep on asking. There are people out there who need
our Order, we just need to find them.
Loosen up a little, stick to our morals but change with the times.
If the Lodge and its events and functions are welcoming and meetings are enjoyable people come back again and bring their friends. If not, they don't. You only get one chance to make a first impression. At every meeting or event you should ask yourself "If I was attending for the first time, would I want to
come back again?"
If I had good ideas on how to get and HOLD new members I could be rich,
as I could patent it.
Try to develop some benefits to
belonging that are current (discounted internet, discounts on computers,
travel deals, personal development courses, etc.).
Hold information booths at local festivals, etc. (the goal is not to get new members but to let your communities know who you are); sponsor a local youth sports team; there's so much a lodge can do to attract new members.
Have a membership chairman and an active membership committee.
Choose up sides...ask each member to invite one of their friends to
become a member. Do not ask them to sign up a new member, just to ask.
This contest would last 60 days. At the conclusion of the contest have
a Chicken and Beans dinner. The team that brought in the most members to
eat chicken and the losers to eat beans.
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Sample answer for Do you have any ideas on why it's so hard to get new members?
People do not have the time to give, or the time that they do
have they are not willing to give it up.
We don't tell them what we really stand for.
No one has heard of us unless they have family in the order.
When new members have joined, unfortunately they are not always treated quite the same as long time members.
We do not do enough bragging. I personally post notices on our
bulletin board at work about all our good works.
No one knows who we are or what we stand for. Frequently we are
compared to the Masons.
They can stay home and turn on the tv and get instant entertainment.
The reason they do not return after initiation, is our meeting are
boring to people who have not belonged for a period of time.
Viscious cycle, can not get members into an inactive Lodge. Can
not have an active Lodge untill we get new members.
People are too busy doing other things
Because we are not KNOWN.
We do not ask enough people. The Law of Averages would suggest, if
you ask enough people eventually someone will accept.
We stay to ourselves too much. We need to be out in the
community. MORE!!!!
Need to continue the dress code...
Many people read all the nonsense about the SGL represntatives favorite
songs, colors, poems(one only please of each item and make them stand
for something).
because we sometimes don't involve them as we should.....run
them away before they even really have chance to see what we are all
about.
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Sample answer for "What do you get from being a member of the order?"
The satisfaction of helping those less fortunate, involvement with
the community and the company of many new friends.
I get the opportunity to perform community volunteerism with a
group of individuals and we can make a difference.
A time I can call my own with some wonderful friends. And with the
finest of beliefs. Friendship, Love, and Truth what more could you want.
Many things over the years. I have friends that I met over forty
years ago, and new friends that I met last Saturday.
A feeling of belonging to a large extended family, that will be
there for you no matter what happens.
Friendship in abundance. Respect for different generations.
The thrill of seeing a smile on an older person's
face when you visit them.
I enjoy the fellowship. You only get out what you put in.
I was born and raised as an only child, and until I joined the
Order, I never knew what it was like to have brothers and sisters. I now
have a great many brothers and sisters, some who are very close, and
others that I have yet to meet, but I love everyone of them and look
forward to seeing them as often as possible.
I enjoy the socializing with the other members.
Wow - I can't hardly begin - I have gotten so much it is
unbelieveable!!
Many friends, social contacts, lots of hard work that needs to be
done, and a very good moral character.
Friendship amongst men I would not otherwise have known.
I know the joy that Odd fellowship can bring in
the hour of need because I have felt that.
I have made many friends in the Rebekahs from all over the USA, I
have found happiness, love and a sense of real worth.
The satisfaction in organizing and arranging some high class
functions for my local lodge. Friendships.
The ability to associate with some of the finest people on earth.
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Sample answer for If you could change one thing about your lodge, what would it be?
Less stress between older and younger members.
I would have at least one informal meeting a month where only
the most important business would be brought up and the evening would be
spent in friendship and fellowship.
We would follow the ritual more closely so that those of us that
are slower to learn could evenutually learn the ritual without reading
it. I would like to see the Sovernign Grand Lodge reconize the
webmasters. This really seems to be a new position within the order.
Grouchy members and those who think they know everything.
Many of the members of my home Lodge, are satisfied with the
status quo. We have done it this way for a hundred years, so why change
now?
Try to recoup some of those members who are no longer coming and
find a reason why.
Get more active members.
People need to be more respectful and reseptive of others
feelings and move out of the 50's.
Less negative thoughts and more positive actions.
That we could afford to own our own hall/temple again.
STOP WORRING ABOUT TOMORROW AND WORK ON TODAY.
Some of the older members that are stuck in their ways. In both
the mens and womens lodge's.
I would like all the members to be more pro-active in
cultivating friendship.
Donate more of our money to more community activities
Less business and more social when we meet. In today's business
world another business meeting is not something to be enjoyed.
I would like to make them more enthusiastic. We have some young
members anb they should be allowed to take major roles in planning.
Put a big WECOME sign out.
Have practice sessions (outside meetings) for drill team and
ceremonies.
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