05/21/2026
The Moose is NOT a public bar.
The Moose is NOT a commercial business.
The Moose is a PRIVATE, NOT-FOR-PROFIT FRATERNAL MEMBERSHIP ORGANIZATION built on values, service, fellowship, and mutual aid within our communities we live.
For more than 100 years, our organization has thrived because good people came together for something GREATER than themselves.
Our purpose is intentional.
We exist to bring together kind, thoughtful, caring, social human beings who believe in helping others, supporting one another, volunteering, and building meaningful friendships through fraternity. That is what makes the Moose special. That is what gives value to membership.
As a tax-exempt fraternal membership organization, we operate under a unique structure intentionally protected by IRS guidelines and our General Laws. Those rules are not “suggestions.” They preserve who we are and protect the integrity of our lodges.
One of the most misunderstood concepts is the role of the QUALIFIED GUEST.
A qualified guest is exactly that — a guest of a MEMBER. Typically a family member, friend, neighbor, or coworker invited to experience the lodge through someone they trust.
And with that invitation comes responsibility.
The sponsoring member is fully responsible for their guest during their visit, including entertaining them and paying for anything the lodge provides.
Qualified guests do NOT spend money in the lodge because the lodge exists to serve MEMBERSHIP — not the general public.
This distinction matters.
It is what separates us from becoming just another public bar or commercial operation.
A qualified guest may only visit twice before deciding whether they want to become a member themselves.
If they apply, the APPLICATION Committee reviews the application, conducts background checks, and then the application is brought to the membership for a vote. This process is intentional because membership means something.
Membership has VALUE.
When members truly understand this structure:
✅ The lodge gets stronger
✅ Fellowship improves
✅ Volunteerism increases
✅ Respect grows
✅ Financial support improves
✅ The culture becomes healthier
✅ The mission thrives
When members do NOT understand it, lodges begin losing their identity and slowly drift away from the very principles that made them successful for generations.
That is why leadership matters.
Leaders must educate.
Leaders must orientate.
Leaders must train.
Leaders must explain WHY these rules exist.
Our social quarters staff should be able to intelligently explain our mission, our structure, our membership process, and the importance of qualified guests.
Because this organization is powerful.
We are one of the only fraternal organizations in the world that directly operates two incredible missions:
Mooseheart — caring for children in unique and challenging life situations.
Moosehaven — providing seniors with a beautiful, first-class retirement community.
Those missions exist because MEMBERS support the Moose.
That is why membership matters.
That is why our rules matter.
That is why our culture matters.
Never devalue your membership.
Never devalue your lodge.
Never forget that what makes the Moose extraordinary is its PEOPLE.
The future of the Moose depends on education, orientation, leadership, and preserving the values that made this fraternity flourish for over a century.
Do the Moose better.
Protect the culture.
Honor the membership.
Lead with purpose.
