The lodge executive committee (LEC) is the heart and soul of every lodge. While practices may vary between lodges, as seen in the Handbook for Officers and Advisers, everything you will find below is the keystone to a successful LEC meeting and structure. This toolkit provides templates, and examples, of minutes, agendas, and other resources to enable the success of your LEC.

Every lodge has events, communications, and inductions that without the LEC would not be possible. While there may be varying officer and committee chair roles across the nation, there is one important thing that applies across the board. The LEC is responsible for delivering the program that we love and cherish. Without the group of key members that make up the LEC, which can range from lodge officers to committee chairs to chapter officers, the lodge would cease to function. This resource will serve as a strong starting and growing point for everyone, but remember, the most important thing is to adapt to your lodge’s individual needs and ideas.

Setting The Agenda

To have a productive LEC and meetings within it, it is essential to stay organized and have a plan going into every meeting held. There are several key items needed to host an LEC, these include, but are not limited to, a location, a time and date, and an agenda. 

Staging A Successful Meeting

To host a meeting there are a few things to consider before content.

• Where will the meeting be? Will it be at your council service center? A camp? Virtually?
• When will the meeting be?
• Consider travel time of members, meeting length, time of year, etc.

Many lodges find success sending up a reminder on a scheduling app like Google Calendar to ensure LEC members have the relevant information for the meeting to be successful.

Meeting Agendas

The agenda is an overview of the content to be discussed during the LEC.  Providing a printed agenda at LEC meetings is highly recommended.  While everyone has their preferences of agendas, every agenda should have the following:

Gathering The LEC

While setting the stage for success and preparing the topics of discussion, it is time to communicate with the members of the committee. Sending out proper communication is key, as it allows individuals to prepare and acknowledge the things that will be discussed. Two of the best practices for this, are sending proper emails before and after meetings, and having an established roster to reach out to and keep track of who makes up your committee.

LEC Reminder Emails

The quintessential communication for any LEC is the pre and post meeting emails to all members on the committee. The pre meeting email allows members to remember the meeting is happening, confirm they are attending, see the agenda, and everything in between making it crucial to send out at least seven days before the meeting. The post meeting email will hold your meeting minutes and have all things discussed that need to be shared both with those in attendance and not present. They often include the agenda, a sign-in form, and possibly a link to a virtual call if members are unable to attend in person. 

LEC Roster

The next crucial piece to an efficient LEC is having a well organized roster. This roster contains the name and contact information of everyone in a leadership position based on their committee or chapter. With a well organized roster, you can contact people easily, and tally voting at LECs by simply going down your list of committees and chapters. 

Sharing The Results

Following an LEC meeting it is essential for members to be kept informed of the happenings of the lodge. A great way to reinforce what was discussed and shared with those LEC members who could not be in attendance is a set of meeting minutes that clearly outline the things that happened and have all of the necessary information attached.

Meeting Minutes

Expecting every member of the LEC to attend every meeting is unrealistic, so having an efficient way of filling them in on what happened with the most accurate information is crucial. The way to do that is to take detailed meeting minutes that will be shared for all on the committee to see. When writing your minutes:

• Keep in mind the members of the LEC, and write them in a way that is understandable to all.
• A member should be able to read the minutes, and be caught up on what happened at the meeting in entirety which allows them to ask any questions and not be out of the loop.
• As always, different lodges have different needs so feel free to adapt these resources to best accommodate the lodge and its members.
• Make sure you distribute minutes in an easily accessible place.  Many lodges share LEC minutes by email, post them on their website, and share a physical copy at the next LEC meeting.

LEC Meeting Resources

LEC Agenda Template
Template for an LEC agenda.

LEC Agenda Example
Example of a fully filled-out LEC agenda.

LEC Minutes Template
Template for a set of LEC meeting minutes.

LEC Minutes Example
Example of a fully filled-out set of LEC meeting minutes.

LEC Roster Template
Template for a roster of LEC members, including space for contact information.

LEC Expectations Document
A one-page document for lodge chiefs to communicate expectations around attending and participating at LECs designed to be handed out to new LEC members.

LEC Reminder Email
A template for an email designed to remind LEC members of upcoming meetings.

LEC Phone Call Script
A template for a phone call script designed to remind LEC members of an upcoming meeting.

LEC Attendance Ideas
A list of suggestions for increasing attendance at LEC meetings.

LEC Calendar Template
A calendar template for LEC meetings to distribute to LEC members.