MENTORING
PROGRAMS
Turning Bystanders
into Members
Mentoring is the Process
of Transforming
a bystander
into a MEMBER.
Bystanders vs. Members
• A “bystander” can be characterized
as a Scottish Rite dues card-carrying
person who has little or only casual
interest in the ongoing activities of
Scottish Rite and who is not
motivated by the goals and
aspirations of Scottish Rite.
Bystanders vs. Members
• A “MEMBER” is a motivated
individual who is dedicated to
Scottish Rite as characterized by his
attendance and involvement in a
significant way in one or more
Scottish Rite activities.
Does Your Valley Need
Bystanders
or
MEMBERS?
How Do You Transform
a Bystander into
a MEMBER?
Transforming Bystanders
• You must start before the candidate
is initiated.
• Prior to initiation, invite the
candidate and spouse to be the
Valley’s guest at a dinner prior to the
monthly meeting.
Transforming Bystanders
• Issue a written invitation and include
time, place, and general description
of event
• After the dinner and while the Valley
has its business meeting, invite the
candidate and spouse to a separate
meeting room and give an overview
of Scottish Rite, including
opportunities for involvement.
Transforming Bystanders
• Invite questions from the candidate
and spouse.
• Provide candidate with a copy of A
Bridge To Light and close with
specific times, etc., about upcoming
Reunion.
Make Your Mentoring
Committee One of the Most
Important in Your Valley.
Creating a Mentoring Committee
• Select a committee of three to five
motivated and organized Valley
Members with a strong leader as
Chairman.
• Purpose of Committee is to recruit a
pool of “mentors” who can and will
mentor new members
Creating a Mentoring Committee
• Duties of the committee include:
– obtaining names of candidates and
assigning mentors from the same
general geographic area
– communicating to mentors, in writing,
their responsibilities as outlined in
more detail below
Creating a Mentoring Committee
– following up to make sure that every
candidate has a mentor assigned no
later than the first day of the Reunion
– facilitating direct contact between
each mentor and his mentoree
sometime during the Reunion (meet
and greet function)
Creating a Mentoring Committee
– making sure the mentors have
complete contact information for each
mentoree including phone number
(home, work, mobile) and email
address.
Creating a Mentoring Committee
• Duties of the mentor include:
– mentor has two fundamental
responsibilities:
1. contact the new member each month
and have him attend the monthly Valley
or club meeting for one year
2. no more than 60 days after the Reunion,
the mentor is to serve as a facilitator to
help the member become actively
involved in a Scottish Rite activity
Creating a Mentoring Committee
• Determine the new member’s
interest: ritual, floor work, make-
up, costumes, stage crew, hospitality
crew, Masonic education, greeter,
registration, Foundation,
philanthropic activities, etc. Then
facilitate by making necessary
introductions.
Creating a Mentoring Committee
• If a new member regularly attends
Valley or Club meetings and has an
active role in a Scottish Rite activity,
you have transformed a non-
productive bystander into a hard-
working, motivated, and productive
Scottish Rite member.
Creating a Mentoring Committee
• The excited Scottish Rite member
will not only be productive but his
excitement will be contagious and he
will be proud to invite Masons to join
Scottish Rite.
From Where Do
Mentors Come?
From Where Do Mentors Come?
• Mentors are developed not born.
• Honor men and KSA members are
fertile recruiting grounds.
From Where Do Mentors Come?
• The Mentoring Committee should
meet with all new mentors and
provide specific guidance and
expectations, including written
guidelines, for the new mentors.
Other Uses for Mentors
• Assign mentors to non-active Scottish
Rite “bystanders”
• Hold a dinner and/or social and
specially invite non-active
“bystanders”
• Never let a Scottish Rite
“bystander” go NPD without a
personal contact.
(Gut Check Time)
Gut Check Time
• Compare the number of initiates in
the past two years to the number of
those initiates who are now active.
• Imagine a leaky water pipe that loses
80% or more of its water before
arriving at its destination—that is
what is happening in our Valleys now.
Gut Check Time
• WARNING: If you faithfully
implement a Mentoring Program,
within five years, you will have to
worry about bigger places to meet,
more degrees to confer, and more
activities to benefit Masons and the
community.
MAKING GOOD MEN BETTER
HAS NEVER BEEN
SO IMPORTANT!
MENTORING
PROGRAMS
Turning Bystanders
into Members