Degrees and Symbols Brochure

Check out this great resource for recruiting and developing your membership!

DIY Resource

National Grange designed this long-overdue tri-fold brochure for local Grange use. It offers an effective summary of Grange heritage, ritual, and lessons.

The degrees “are short enactments, like plays, that allow members of the Grange to pass on to new candidates the values of the organization and lessons that can be learned – in the Grange’s case – through the natural world and work of agriculture.while emphasizing the core teachings of the Grange and the fact that ‘local Granges build resiliency and sustainability in their hometowns..'”

You can download a copy from the National Grange Section of the Program Books and Information Page then print as many as you need. (You might consider adding a small label with contact information for your local Grange. Contact the MSG Communications Department if you need help with that!) Additional options include having a local printer produce them or ordering from the National Grange Supply Store as part of an orientation pack.

If you’ve ever tried to remember the emblems, seasons, or symbols of the first four degrees, you need this brochure! And what a great thing to give new members who are about to celebrate the Four Degrees–or as a take-home “handout” after a degree day.

Visit the Program Books and Information Page–Scroll down to the National Grange Section for a complete list of brochures available for your use. That list includes:

And don’t forget, there’s a one page letter describing these brochures and tips for using them!

New Applicant “Pack”

Check out this great resource for recruiting and developing your membership!

DIY Resource

National Grange designed this as a new membership application and orientation/welcoming plan! It’s larger than the other brochures and with good reason! The membership application is very user-friendly and captures plenty of good information. It is “detachable” in a way that leaves the applicant with meeting information, important additional contacts a local mentor, a dues reminder, and some ways to stay informed!

You can download a copy from the National Grange Section of the Program Books and Information Page then print as many as you need. (You might consider adding a small label with contact information for your local Grange. Contact the MSG Communications Department if you need help with that!) Additional options include having a local printer produce them or ordering from the National Grange Supply Store as part of an orientation pack.

This brochure is a great way to process new members and to make them feel welcomed by providing basic information they’ll use. Ideally, an existing member would complete the application with the new member, making sure to include the orientation information–so much better than handing someone an application and telling him or her to fill it out! Applying for membership should be a warm and friendly experience just like being a member should!

And you just have to love the fact that the Grange Motto is right on the first panel.

Visit the Program Books and Information Page–Scroll down to the National Grange Section for a complete list of brochures available for your use. That list includes:

And don’t forget, there’s a one page letter describing these brochures and tips for using them!

Member Benefits Brochure

Check out this great resource for recruiting and developing your membership!

DIY Resource

National Grange designed this tri-fold brochure for local Grange use as a way to introduce members to the benefits that provide “added value for your dues dollars.” The general list of benefits includes

  • Travel and entertainment
  • Hearing services and devices
  • Financial planning and home protection
  • Shopping
  • Technology, shipping, and business services
  • Insurance
  • Prescription and medical care

While enjoying Grange membership, it’s easy to forget that there are some financial benefits as well!

You can download a copy from the National Grange Section of the Program Books and Information Page then print as many as you need. (You might consider adding a small label with contact information for your local Grange. Contact the MSG Communications Department if you need help with that!) Additional options include having a local printer produce them or ordering from the National Grange Supply Store as part of an orientation pack.

This brochure is a great reminder of the opportunity to get the most out of membership. New members should definitely receive a copy and it could be used to supplement an occasional lecturer’s program to briefly review current benefits offered by National Grange.

One panel suggests “Grange benefits help you secure what’s most valuable”–an interesting thought starter. What is most valuable and how can the Grange help protect it?

Visit the Program Books and Information Page–Scroll down to the National Grange Section for a complete list of brochures available for your use. That list includes:

And don’t forget, there’s a one page letter describing these brochures and tips for using them!

An Order Like No Other Brochure

Check out this great resource for recruiting and developing your membership!

DIY Resource

National Grange designed this great tri-fold brochure for local Grange use. It describes the overall structure of the Grange explains Grange Entities and how each works to ensure rural prosperity.

There’s also information about the National Grange Foundation and other opportunities for giving. Of all the brochures available, this one has the least amount of local focus but does establish the credibility of the Order and explains the various IRS designations.

You can download a copy from the National Grange Section of the Program Books and Information Page then print as many as you need. (You might consider adding a small label with contact information for your local Grange. Contact the MSG Communications Department if you need help with that!) Additional options include having a local printer produce them or ordering from the National Grange Supply Store as part of an orientation pack.

This brochure is a great way to introduce the Grange as an organization. Having copies available in a rack at your hall is great but you really want to get copies out to the community in a way that supports your role and recruiting efforts. Many people will find the national aspect of our Order reassuring as it suggests permanence and deeper resources.

Make sure people know “Granges improve quality of life and inspire others to work for the common good.”

Visit the Program Books and Information Page–Scroll down to the National Grange Section for a complete list of brochures available for your use. That list includes:

And don’t forget, there’s a one page letter describing these brochures and tips for using them!

Why Every Community Needs a Grange Today

The following article was written by Walter Boomsma in the spring of 2009 as part of a National Grange Essay Contest… and it won second place!

One of my greater pleasures in life is attempting to explain the origins and purpose of this organization called “the Grange” to excited third graders as part of our “Words for Thirds” program. I start by attempting to determine what they already know and I’ll always remember the young girl who waved her hand enthusiastically and announced “I was born there.”

It took a little thinking to realize she’d heard me say “LaGrange” – one of the small, rural communities here in Maine. Her answer was certainly amusing, but it was also insightful and telling. Like the organization she was learning about she was proud of her roots and heritage. She announced her connection and kinship to LaGrange just as enthusiastically as I announce my connection to the Grange.

That sense of connection attracts people to rural small-town America. But even small towns are experiencing a “social disconnect” as things like regional school systems and “social networking” using the Internet change the traditional model of community. We now have cell phones, PDAs and computers to stay “connected” with people – in many cases people we only rarely see and certainly can’t touch.

But beneath all the communicating, we still want

Continue reading “Why Every Community Needs a Grange Today”