Elks try to buck loss in numbers

ST. LOUIS — A sea of Exalted Rulers poured out in every direction around Thomas Ryan, filling the cavernous ballroom at America's Center in St. Louis.

It was a Monday, Day Two of the Elks national convention, and leaders from nearly every one of the country's 2,147 Elk Lodges sat finishing their lunch as Ryan stood up from table No. 104 in the middle of the room.

Ryan, a 38-year member of the Elks, had come to deliver an urgent message.

"You are here because we have got to increase membership. Good membership," bellowed Ryan, a top Elks official and former coach.

In front of him, two giant projection screens flashed a slide showing the Elks' downward trend. Membership stood at just a little more than 1 million. It was perilously close to what Ryan called "that line in the sand" when the group's charitable works and scholarships would suffer.

"We've got a problem," Ryan told the Exalted Rulers. "We lost another 20,000-plus members this year."

It is a plea being made at the annual meetings this year of every major fraternal organization — from the Elks to the Moose, Shriners, Masons and Eagles. Groups that once dominated the social landscape with their charities and secret rituals are struggling to stop more than two decades of declining membership rolls.

The Elks have lost 35 percent of their members since 1980, when they peaked at 1.6 million. There are about half as many Shriners and Masons today as 25 years ago. The Loyal Order of the Moose has 935,000 members, a third fewer than there were in 1980. And some of the smaller groups, such as Odd Fellows and Red Men, have all but faded from view.

"It's a problem with all of the fraternal organizations around the country," said Roger True, who as Grand Exalted Ruler holds the Elks' highest elected office.

But these clubs, many of them dating back to the 1880s, are not resigned to just dwindling away. After a couple of years of being distracted by financial problems caused by a roiling economy, they are now focused on finding new members and keeping old ones.

They are doing this by repositioning themselves to appeal to a new generation. Some are trying to raise the profile of their good works. Others are trying to offer more benefits, like hotel and car rental savings, even prescription drug discounts.

The greatest effort is on attracting families. That means moving away from the smoky, alcohol-drenched stereotype of a typical lodge. It also means adding amenities: swimming pools, game rooms and family dinners.

"We need to have family activities," said Ronald Ross, director general of Moose International. "A lodge needs to be not only a place for someone to get away to have a drink or two, but a place where families can go and spend time together."

The Moose have led the way. The group, emphasizing its appeal as "The Family Fraternity," pushes the idea of family-centered lodges. It is even trying to drop the term "lodge." A lodge can get certified as a family center by offering enough family activities. So far, 700 of the Moose's 1,950 lodges are now officially "Moose Family Centers."

The Moose also have eliminated the use of head gear and robes in their ceremonies, while adding things such as condo timeshares and insurance discounts.

At the Moose's 115th annual meeting held in Chicago in May, Ross announced that with the group's finances now under control, it was time to focus on membership.

Ross' message was echoed at the Elk convention in a speech Monday by Amos McCallum, the incoming Grand Exalted Ruler. McCallum challenged each lodge to end the year with one more member. But that is going to be tough for a group that lost an average of nine members per lodge last year.

The Elks are determined to grow because they are proud of their charity work. At one time, the group was the leading private provider of college scholarships. Others have since surpassed them, but they still donate about $3.5 million annually toward tuitions. Elks also sponsor 850 Boy Scout troops, run mobile dental clinics for disabled children, fund cancer research, support drug education and run children's sports programs.

Ryan knows it'll be tough for the Elks to turn around. Little things nag at him — like the photos of Elk activities that are posted around the convention. The snapshots don't project the image Ryan wants — the image he believes the group needs to survive.

"I don't want them sitting at a bar. I don't want them eating dinner," he said, sounding exasperated. "I want them out helping a youth group."