Newsletter from the Grand Secretary
Hollis G. Dixon, Grand Secretary
September 2007
SECRETARIES WORKSHOPS: Most lodges will be starting up again in September and for that reason we are now planning to schedule additional Secretaries Workshops for the fall season.
The first workshop has been scheduled to be held on Saturday, September 15, 2007 at Mosaic Lodge No. 52 in Dover-Foxcroft, Maine. We will start at 8:00 a. m. with coffee and donuts, followed by the workshop at 9:00 a. m. The workshops usually last about three hours. Secretaries that attend these workshops will be certified to access the Grand Lodge Database via the Internet. They will be able to maintain their records directly on the Grand Lodge server. Wor. Tom Heath will present a Power Point program to take you through the entire database program. There have been many improvements to this program over the past two years. We are sending out invitations for this first workshop to Secretaries in the Fifth, Sixth, Twelfth and Twenty-fourth Districts. However, any Secretary is welcomed to attend. New Secretaries will receive a Handbook for Secretaries and a lot of valuable information to get them started.
GRAND LODGE CHECKS: On occasion, the Staff at Grand Lodge find it necessary to issue a check to a lodge that has overpaid its Per Capita Tax or charges for Lodge supplies. Quite often we also find that the check is not cashed for several months. This causes problems with our bookkeeping system and can lead to a lot of work in contacting the lodge to have them comply.
For that reason, the Grand Treasurer will be having all issued checks stamped with the following words: VOID – if not cashed within Sixty (60) Days of issue date. Please make sure that your Treasurer is aware of this matter.
NEW I.R.S. REGULATIONS: In the past, a Non-Profit Corporation was not required to file a 990 Form with the I.R.S. unless their annual income was greater than $ 25,000. Recently, however, the I.R.S. Regulations have changed and Non-Profit Corporations with less than $ 25,000 annual income will be required to file [Electronically] a 990 N Form with the I.R.S. within four and one half months of the end of their business year.
All of our Lodge Secretaries and Treasurers should have received written notice and instructions from the Grand Treasurer concerning this matter. This is a very important issue because any corporation that fails to file their 990 N forms for three consecutive years will lose their Tax Exempt status.
We have revised our Annual Return forms to include confirmation that your lodge has filed its 990 N form, as required. Likewise, we have revised the Treasurer’s Report that is submitted to Grand Lodge following the Lodge’s Annual Meeting. These changes are made because it is imperative that all lodges comply with the new I.R.S. requirement.
PHOTOGRAPHS OF GRAND LODGE OFFICERS: Following the Installation of Elected and Appointed Grand Lodge Officers at the 188th Annual Session of Grand Lodge, color photographs were taken of each group. If you wish to order a photograph please notify the Office of the Grand Secretary. Prices:
5” X 7” Print is $ 12.00 8” X 10” Print is $ 15.00
Please send us your name and address with a check made payable to the Grand Lodge of Maine.
Mail to: Office of the Grand Secretary, P. O. Box 15058, Portland ME 04112-5058
Fraternally,
Hollis G. Dixon
Grand Secretary
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