Introduction (Richard)

Pro Grand Master, Gentlemen.  Thank you for allowing me to address you today.  I will not delay you for long but I do have an important message to put across to you.

Although this is the third time that I have been invited in to Grand Lodge it is the first occasion that I have not been the support act for the President of the NMSF.  Those of you that know him will realise that his immense personality has been enough to ensure your avid attention.  However, after a five year apprenticeship I now stand before you without the benefit of top cover and, slightly confusingly, not in my capacity as CEO of the NMSF.  Although still enjoying this role I am today wearing another hat, that of the Chairman of a small working party established to review the potential for increasing the amount of legacy income received by the four central masonic charities.  As you can see, some things may change but others remain the same, I am still after your money!

I am joined this morning by Mike Wheal who not only has the unenviable task of trying to get me to stick to the script but is also the recently appointed manager of the joint legacy appeal.

As I have said we don't intend to keep you too long today, but we do have a large supply of Legacy Pledge forms available, so if you see anyone near you starting to look a little pale, please let us know and we'll get a form over to him quickly!

The Central Masonic Charities (Richard)

Hopefully you do not need me to detail the work of the four central craft charities.  You are already aware that between them the Freemasons Grand Charity, the Royal Masonic Trust for Girls and Boys, the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution and the New Masonic Samaritan Fund provide support to the full masonic family, from cradle to grave, across the length and breadth of the English Constitution.  Support is available to those in financial distress, and to those who additionally are in medical need, are elderly, are young or are simply young at heart.  Support is also available beyond the immediate confines of Freemasonry with grants being made to fund medical research, international emergency relief, support for adult and children’s hospices to name but a few.

Last year alone the four charities allocated £23m in charitable support to their many beneficiaries.  All of this was only possible through the continuing generosity of Freemasons from far and wide.   With a clear eye on the future the Presidents of the four charities tasked me to review the potential for increasing income from legacies.

With professional advice and support from two of the UK's foremost companies in legacy and fundraising campaigns an initial feasibility study, followed by market research with a cross-section of Freemasons and their families was carried out.

The study confirmed that current income levels from legacies remain considerably below what might be expected from an organisation with as many members as the United Grand Lodge of England.  The research also showed overwhelmingly that Freemasons, their wives and widows would strongly support an appeal designed to improve their understanding of the intricacies and importance of making a Will, and would look favourably at the possibility of leaving a gift to one of the Masonic Charities.

The final report suggested that a joint legacy appeal would offer the most cost-effective way forward.  Although one of the professional firms offered to run this campaign on our behalf the Charity Presidents unanimously agreed that an in-house campaign would provide a better return on our investment.  It was therefore decided to appoint a Legacy Manager to design and deliver the Appeal. Following a national advertising campaign WBro Mike Wheal, a West Kent Mason, was appointed to that post in July this year.

The Appeal (Mike)

Unlike most other fund-raising initiatives, the Legacy Appeal will cover all the constituent parts of Grand Lodge at (more or less) the same time, and will have no finite ending.

Similarly, the primary objective of the Legacy Appeal is long-term and unending. As I'm sure you will have realised by now, it is to increase income from legacies for all four of the Charities. Just like this objective, the success of the Appeal in this respect can only be gauged in the longer term.

However, there is another important objective against which success can be judged in the shorter term:

We aim to improve the awareness amongst Freemasons of the services and facilities offered by the four Charities. This is not only to encourage support of the Charities, but also to ensure that Freemasons and their families are aware of the help that is available.

The Appeal will ultimately cover the whole of England and Wales. It is also intended to include Districts overseas, but the approach has not yet been finalised.

Before outlining what the Appeal is, and what we intend to do, let me tell you some things that it is not and some things that we will not do.

The Appeal is not a replacement for Festivals - it is a long-term, unending project. Neither is it intended as a rival to Provincial/MGL initiatives. We recognise that charity really does begin at home, and that Mother Lodges and Provinces are therefore likely to be higher in the pecking order than the Charities.

I will not have a large, central staff working on the Appeal. I will be a "one-man band". I will liaise closely with those existing staff within the Charities who currently deal with legacy matters.

We will not be making "cold call", direct approaches to individuals. We would like to work through existing Provincial structures. We are hoping to recruit volunteers as Legacy Information Officers in order to keep the Appeal fresh in people's minds after I have moved on to other areas, and to act as a conduit for legacy information as the Appeal develops. We will discuss with each Province how best to do this.

The Appeal will consist of two phases: a Pilot and a National Rollout, with the former scheduled to start early in 2007 and the latter towards the end of 2007. It is anticipated that it could take up to two years or more to complete the National Rollout.

Initially, I would like to deliver Legacy presentations locally. Hopefully this will lead to the recruitment of enough volunteers to ensure that delivery of the message can be maintained and extended, in a face-to-face process, in all areas across the country.
 
In each Province or Metropolitan Group, I would like to conduct two types of meeting: Awareness Presentations and Legacy Workshops. Each will be repeated as many times as is necessary. Awareness Presentations could be scheduled as part of a suitable Provincial/Group event, not as a stand-alone presentation.  Awareness Presentations are intended to inform the members of the Craft and other interested parties about the Appeal, and to inspire individuals to become involved as volunteer Legacy Information Officers.  

Individuals will retain the option to choose if they wish to support a specific Charity within their Will. Additionally they will have the extra options of supporting all four Charities equally or allowing their legacy to be allocated according to the needs of the Charities at the time.

It is also hoped that the publicity associated with this Appeal will serve to improve understanding of the tax benefits of leaving a charitable bequest.  Charitable bequests are exempt from inheritance tax with benefits available to both the Charity and the estate of the deceased.

We have already started the process of inviting selected Provinces and MGL Groups take part in the Pilot phase and will announce the details as soon as we can. We will also keep everyone informed of the Appeal's progress through the usual channels.

Summary (Richard)

I am delighted to announce that the Grand Master has given his full support to this Appeal and has graciously accepted the role of Appeal Patron.  Further details of the Appeal will be publicised in the next edition of MQ, due for circulation in January.  Some of you will be invited to join in the pilot scheme as we test and adjust our style, techniques and materials.  Others will find an increasing amount of material and information available from Mike Wheal or via the individual Charities.

Our purpose this morning has been to introduce the Appeal to you and hopefully to stimulate interest.   If we have succeeded Mike and I will be available afterwards to offer advice on how to support the Charities and to reduce your liability for inheritance tax.

If you need any further incentive to consider supporting the Appeal I would remind you that in England and Wales, the average age at death for people who have not made a Will is currently 68; for those who have made a Will, the average is 78 and for those who included a gift to charity in their Will, the average age is 80!

Thank you for your time and attention today. Mike and I look forward to meeting you again as we take the Appeal around the Provinces.