Thank you for volunteering to be Calendar Champion for the Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon. The purpose of this initiative is to facilitate Brothers knowing what is going on in their District and other Districts. This would not be possible without the dedicated work of the Calendar Champions. We would also hope that Lodge event organizers would use these Google Calendars to coordinate events so that they do not overlap with nearby Districts.

Best Practices

Lodges

It is best to ask the Lodge Secretaries to send all Notices and Announcements to the Calendar Champion so the Trestleboard calendars can be updated with the most accurate information. Adding the Calendar Champion to the Lodge mailing list should not be a difficult task.

Events

All events will be added and edited using the Google Calendar interface. The Champion will log into Google using their email that has access to their district’s calendar. They will then be able to add and edit all events for that District. Events should be formatted on the calendar in a standard format so they are consistent between the Districts. Here are a few guidelines to follow when editing or creating an event.

What events should be on the calendar?

At a minimum, all regular communications, installations and official visits for the District’s Craft Lodges should be on the calendar. It is up to the District Deputy Grand Master whether or not other events should be added. It is suggested that all special events should be added so that the Lodges within the District can coordinate dates.

Event contents

Calendar

Be carerful to select the calendar to which the event will be post. At the bottom of the event popup is the name of the calendar. It will probably be your calendar. Click on it and select the District pertaining to the event.

Title

The event title is very important as it is what appears on the grid format of the Google Calendar. The information that goes into it is critical. The format should be as follows:

(Lodge) (event) (special guests)

For example, if the title for a regular communication at Haida Lodge that is also a District Deputy Grand Master official visit would be as follows:

Haida #166 Communication DDGM OV

The objective is to get all important information into as short a title as possible. It is not necessary to note DDGM attendance at installations.

Time

Always add at least a start time so Brothers will know when to attend. This is the time that the event will display in the calendar. If there is a festive board before the communication, please use that as the start time and brethren may miss the earlier activity.

Description

The description should not be too long as it will appear in the List format of the calendar. Put enough information in there so that Brother will know what is happening. If more information is desired you can create a document, preferably a PDF, and attach it to the event.

Be careful about the wording of events. Do not use the term “cocktails” as it may cause issues with the BCLCB. Use phrases like “Festive Board” and “meet and greet”.

Attachments

Attach any documents you feel are permanent to the event. This can include notices, posters, agendas, etc. Try to keep the documents small. You will be required to upload the document to your Google Drive before they can be attached.

Privacy

All Grand Lodge calendars are publicly available. Be very careful when putting in the description or adding attachments that anyone named has authorized their name to be publicly posted.

If you have any questions or concerns please contact us through the contact form