Fund Raising Unusual amongst charities the West Lancashire Freemasons' Charity does not raise funds from the general public but from Freemasons themselves. Consequently whilst this page may be of interest to non-Masons it is really intended to keep Masons aware of the current initiatives to raise money for good causes.

A powerful way of adding to the value of donations you make, which won't cost you a penny, is to take advantage of Gift Aid. This will add a further 25% to the value of donations you make.
The charity operates two schemes using envelopes for maximising the benefit of plate collections during lodge and Royal Arch chapter meetings referred to as the Blue Envelope Scheme and the Yellow Envelope Scheme.
To use the Blue Envelope Scheme, envelopes in sets of twelve are obtained from the charity office for each lodge/chapter member along with a return form and explanatory documents. This scheme cannot be used by visitors.
The alternative scheme requires the use of yellow envelopes on which a Gift Aid declaration is made at the time of use . The advantage of this scheme is that it can be used by visitors and is easier to administer.
In all cases the lodge/chapter charity steward should obtain the envelopes and manage the process. Full instructions, which are easy to follow, are provided for both schemes. Members place their donations into the envelopes, seal them and place them in the collection plate. On completion of the collection, the treasurer will open the envelopes take the cash out and write on the envelopes how much was in them.
The treasurer will then hand the empty envelopes to the charity steward who will record the amounts collected on the supplied forms and keep the envelopes. This is carried out at each meeting throughout the Lodge Masonic year, at the end of which the record sheet will show the total amount donated in the lodge/chapter.
The completed record sheet, with all the used envelopes, and a cheque for the total amount donated is then sent to the charity. The charity office will then claim the Gift Aid from HMRC, which will be credited to the lodge/chapter, and issue new envelopes. If a lodge donates say £400 through a Gift Aid envelope scheme, the charity will be able to claim an extra £100 back from HMRC. A useful amount for very little effort.
We are happy to advise on the use of either of these schemes, please just telephone 0151 482 4750 on any Wednesday and ask for the Gift Aid department. You are very welcome to call to discuss things with us on Wednesdays by prior arrangement.

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Grants to non-Masonic causes

Don't forget that our charity is one of the largest benefactors of good causes in the community. If you really want to make sure that funds raised by Masonic lodges are applied to the maximum effect you couldn't do better than giving it to the West Lancashire Freemasons' Charity. We receive many applications for assistance from charitable organisations which are in genuine need of financial assistance and we are aware that many charitable organisations are already well provided for. All applications we receive are very carefully considered to make sure that the funds are needed and that a grant will make a meaningful difference. This may not always be possible at individual lodge level.