# How much do you pay?



## Blake Bowden (May 14, 2012)

My Lodge's Degree fees (currently) are between $50-$75, depending on which one. Our yearly dues are $50/year, which is the bare minimum my Grand Lodge (GLOTX) allows. Now I've always heard that Prince Hall Brethren pay a significantly higher amount. Is this true?


----------



## Brent Heilman (May 14, 2012)

I have always heard that myself and I am curious too. My Lodge dues are $60/year and the degree fee is $145 for all the degrees.


----------



## Pscyclepath (May 14, 2012)

We're "mainstream," not PHA, but for reference, our fees are $30 for the criminal background check, $120 for the three blue lodge degrees, and once raised, $60/year for annual dues.


----------



## Colby K (May 14, 2012)

Degrees are 200 euro each and dues are $50. Each degree a good portion of the fee goes to the "grande oriente d'italia"  here in Sicily.


----------



## JJones (May 14, 2012)

We pay $75 per year now for dues.

We charge $90 for each degree and $30 for a background check with new petitioners.


----------



## Plustax (May 14, 2012)

Excuse my ignorance brother, but what is "mainstream"?  BTW our dues are $80 per year.  Degrees are 125, 125 & 120  .... includes investigation. 


Pscyclepath said:


> We're "mainstream," not PHA, but for reference, our fees are $30 for the criminal background check, $120 for the three blue lodge degrees, and once raised, $60/year for annual dues.


----------



## Bill Lins (May 15, 2012)

"Mainstream" refers to the Grand Lodge of Texas, A.F. & A.M., (or, in Bro. psyclepath's case, Arkansas) as opposed to Prince Hall Affiliated and other Grand Lodges.

Our dues (Wharton #621) are $75/year, and our degree fees are (EA) $55, (FC) $75, & (MM) $125.


----------



## Blake Bowden (May 15, 2012)

If I get my way, we'll charge $100 per degree which is unheard of in my area.


----------



## Benton (May 15, 2012)

$65/year. I don't remember what the degrees are offhand, but they're all under $100. Too low if you ask me.


----------



## Bro Jaime Solis (May 17, 2012)

150 for degrees and 30/ mth for local lodge dues which includes the 60/yr for GL Relief


----------



## towerbuilder7 (May 17, 2012)

Right now, my Lodge is at $175, which includes the $60 for Grand Lodge Relief.   Next year, we are hearing that Relief is being increased to $80, so that would bring dues to approx. $195-200, if Brothers vote to increase them to ensure adequate monies are still being left for Lodge business .   Petitioners to our Lodge are currently charged $250, which includes the $175 for their first year's dues.    With the increase, their fee may or may not go up; that hasn't been discussed and voted on by the Lodge yet...........


----------



## K.S. (May 20, 2012)

Our degree fees are $225 or $250-I don't recall off hand (it's been awhile) and our dues are $130 a year. Not too bad, if one participates in lodge. But I can see brothers complaining about it if they just mail in a payment and never attend. --Come on back to lodge, doors are always open to you brothers!


----------



## filmgeekben (May 20, 2012)

Here in IL I paid $200 for the degrees and then dues are $50. But there is plenty of speculation that we may need to increase dues. I would support such a motion.


----------



## VHN5150 (May 20, 2012)

My experience thus far has been $83 per degree and the same for annual dues...plus the $30 for background check. 
I have seen some a lot higher. I wonder why it fluctuates...


----------



## RedTemplar (May 20, 2012)

My lodge's total initiation fees are $200. Yearly dues are $53.


----------



## SeeKer.mm (May 20, 2012)

40 per degree here...I think the annual dues are 140.00  or something close to that.


----------



## sands67 (May 22, 2012)

Brethren I am almost embarrassed when I say that our dues are 50 per year. We do not charge for each degree.


----------



## robert leachman (May 24, 2012)

Not sure what my lodge charges as I'm not as active as I'd like to be.

Some of thaws degree fees seem rather high to me.  If we are wanting to appeal to young men, a high degree fee might just cause them to not turn in that petition as they cannot afford it!


----------



## Benton (May 25, 2012)

robert leachman said:


> Not sure what my lodge charges as I'm not as active as I'd like to be.
> 
> Some of thaws degree fees seem rather high to me.  If we are wanting to appeal to young men, a high degree fee might just cause them to not turn in that petition as they cannot afford it!


 
Contrarily, there's also a lot of talk about perceived value. If I'm only paying $40.00 for a degree, my perceived value is a lot lower than if I'm paying $100.00.

It's actually similar to universities. I heard a recent interview on NPR about this. Many private universities have a much higher sticker price than the average person pays. That's why tuition might be $56,000.00 for all expenses on paper, but often times fewer than 20% of students pay that full price, and the majority pay less than $25,000.00. It's all about perceived value, and they've found that having that higher sticker price attracts better students who perceive the education at their institution to be better than one at a lower price point, regardless of whether or not there's any trying to that.

The same thing can be said for a store that, right above their list price, has the 'MSRP' value listed. Why list it? No one charges that high of a price. They list it because of perceived value/savings.

So there's actually a pretty strong case to be made for raising dues purely for the sake of perceived value, as strange as that may seem. Human nature is weird sometimes.


----------



## Cigarzan (May 25, 2012)

sands67 said:


> Brethren I am almost embarrassed when I say that our dues are 50 per year. We do not charge for each degree.



And that's in _Canadian_ dollars!


----------



## sands67 (May 25, 2012)

Well the Canadian dollar is pretty much on par these days. I have suggested increasing it but fears of loosing membership follows in every conversation.


----------



## SeeKer.mm (May 26, 2012)

Wow, I was just looking at the website for the new Traditional Observance Lodge here in CT.... 1,000 one time fee and then 300 a year! :scared:


----------



## JJones (May 26, 2012)

Bet you wouldn't miss a meeting if you paid that much.


----------



## SeeKer.mm (May 26, 2012)

JJones said:


> Bet you wouldn't miss a meeting if you paid that much.



Certainly not!  That and they only have six stated meeting a year.  Seems kind of pricey to me but hey, if the money is used for the right purpose, and a brother can afford it, who am I to judge?  I can agree with the argument of perceived value, and I can also agree with the need to keep things affordable enough.  A place for everyone I guess.


----------



## JJones (May 26, 2012)

$300 bucks a year sounds like a lot but if you do the math it comes down to just $25 bucks a month.  I know people that spend more money than that each month just for cable.  I'd argue that it's affordable enough for most people.

I say this knowing that I sure couldn't afford it right now...but I don't have cable either.


----------



## SeeKer.mm (May 26, 2012)

Ha ha good point...I think its the 1,000 one time payment that I would have most trouble with though...


----------



## dhouseholder (May 27, 2012)

Our dues are $150/yr. Degrees are $100 a pop. I think we have some of the highest dues in the Houston area.


----------

