Government RelationsThe undertaking of your Government Relations Committee is necessary to maintain our status as a nonprofit, tax-exempt. charitable organization.
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Roles and structure of
Government Relations The structure of the committee is as follows. Lodge Chairperson: Establishes relationships with local legislators and provides them charitable statistics concerning various Elks activities. District Chairperson: Tracks legislative activity of the local government and encourages involvement of the Lodges in their districts. State Chairperson: Shares information they receive with their district and Lodge chairs and with their Grand Lodge Area Members. Grand Lodge Committee Members: This group has eight members, one for each of the designated Grand Lodge Areas throughout the country. |
Main functions of the Government Relations Committee.
1. Charitable reporting. Ensure the charitable work being done by our Members, Local Lodges, and State Associations is reported as part of the Grand Lodge Annual Report. 2. Monitor legislation. Report any proposed legislation or governmental action that might in any way affect our Order. 3. Advocate for or against legislation when necessary to protect our organization. Work to change existing laws when necessary for the benefit of the Order. 4. Promote programs between Lodges and their elected officials. Develop interactions with federal, state, and local officials and agencies. 5. Educate Members on public accommodations and other laws. Educate our State Associations and Lodges about existing laws that affect their day-to-day operations and how to comply with these laws and regulations. 6. Assist Lodges with IRS audits. What to do in case of an IRS audit? 7. Social networking/media. Assist Lodges to protect themselves when using social networking and all types of media. |
Lodge Secretaries have access to shareable forms to track hours, mileage,
and activities listed for Members to fill out when they volunteer for an event.
The Lodge Chairperson should let the Members know there is a volunteer sheet,
and explain to them the importance of logging their volunteer hours.
We do this to keep our 501(c)(8) tax exempt classification status.
Make sure to log information of non-Members who also volunteer.
and activities listed for Members to fill out when they volunteer for an event.
The Lodge Chairperson should let the Members know there is a volunteer sheet,
and explain to them the importance of logging their volunteer hours.
We do this to keep our 501(c)(8) tax exempt classification status.
Make sure to log information of non-Members who also volunteer.