Latest / Minnesota Masonic Histories and Mysteries / Episode 41. John Schwietz, MMC CEO

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Episode 41. John Schwietz, MMC CEO · Minnesota Masonic Histories and Mysteries

• 0:20
  Hi again, everyone.
• 0:21
  Welcome back to Minnesota Masonic Histories and Mysteries.
• 0:24
  My name is Reid Endersby.
• 0:25
  I am the Director of Membership Engagement for the Grand Lodge of Minnesota.
• 0:30
  Appreciate all of the positive feedback we have received on this podcast so far with a variety of guests and topics and subject matter.
• 0:39
  Throwing a curveball to our listeners this week as I thought it might be a nice idea to interview who sometimes, and more often than not, is my co host.
• 0:49
  As a guest, we have joined, joining us today, John Schweitz, CEO of Minnesota Masonic Charities.
• 0:54
  Hello.
• 0:55
  Well, hello.
• 0:56
  And you realize that, uh, this is going to have to go the other direction at some point.
• 1:01
  I'm going to have to interview you as well.
• 1:04
  Okay.
• 1:04
  Okay.
• 1:05
  Challenge accepted.
• 1:05
  Does that seem fair?
• 1:06
  Okay.
• 1:06
  I, I think that would be fun.
• 1:09
  And as I was looking at our guest list, we have some exciting names on the roster coming up.
• 1:15
  And, uh, with you now being.
• 1:18
  In the CEO position for a number of months.
• 1:20
  Perhaps this was, this will bring us back to less exciting.
• 1:24
  Is that sort of the idea?
• 1:26
  It was this, well, maybe this will balance it out.
• 1:27
  No, no, don't say, don't think like that.
• 1:30
  No, but you have been on the job now as CEO since January.
• 1:35
  Yes.
• 1:36
  Okay.
• 1:36
  How's it been so far?
• 1:38
  It's been great.
• 1:39
  Um, you know, obviously I've been around for a long time.
• 1:42
  I've been.
• 1:43
  Associated in one way or another with Masonic Charities for almost 20 years now, so I'm pretty familiar with the lay of the land But you know it's been a lot of fun.
• 1:53
  I continue to get great support from our former CEO Eric Neatenbeak and Working with our board.
• 1:59
  I couldn't be more pleased with the people that we have on our board.
• 2:03
  They've been great mentors to me over the years and You know the old saying whispering wise counsel.
• 2:09
  There are quite a few of them that are more than willing to whisper wise counsel And I appreciate it Well, that is a plus and you truly are blessed with a great group of people the board and some of the volunteers But let's do this in the normal order that we do these interviews.
• 2:25
  Tell us a little more about you Personally, where did you grow up?
• 2:28
  Where'd you go to school?
• 2:30
  Sure.
• 2:30
  I grew up on the east side of st.
• 2:32
  Paul.
• 2:33
  I Went to Hill Murray High School I'm probably the only one that, uh, that went there that, uh, that doesn't know how to skate backwards.
• 2:42
  I'm great at skating forward, I just was never good at stopping, so that was a problem.
• 2:47
  I went to, uh, the College of St.
• 2:50
  Thomas, however I was of the first graduating class of, University of St.
• 2:55
  Thomas, UST.
• 2:56
  Yeah.
• 2:56
  Yeah.
• 2:56
  Yeah.
• 2:57
  My wife graduated in May of 1990 and I graduated in December of 1990.
• 3:04
  Her diploma says College of, mine is the University.
• 3:08
  I decided to stay an extra semester.
• 3:10
  Cause I was really good at school.
• 3:12
  A good man.
• 3:14
  Some of us did the five year plan also.
• 3:16
  And then I went to William Mitchell for law school.
• 3:20
  Excellent.
• 3:20
  So you obviously met your lovely wife in school.
• 3:24
  Met her the first day of college.
• 3:25
  No way.
• 3:26
  Yep.
• 3:27
  Yep.
• 3:27
  I was sitting behind her at a, uh, at an orientation.
• 3:31
  And I said, uh, I think I would like to meet this person.
• 3:34
  She caught me looking at her, uh, schedule over her shoulder.
• 3:37
  we started dating 38 years ago.
• 3:41
  First day of college.
• 3:42
  First day of college.
• 3:43
  Yeah.
• 3:43
  That is something I did not know.
• 3:46
  Did you have any exciting jobs during the college?
• 3:50
  Oh, did I?
• 3:51
  I had, I had fun jobs.
• 3:53
  So I started out my first job.
• 3:55
  I, uh, pumped gas, a full service gas station, at what I believe to be the coldest winter in Minnesota history.
• 4:02
  It probably wasn't, but God, it felt cold.
• 4:05
  And then I, uh, got a job working as a dietary aid at a, nursing home.
• 4:11
  So I have a, an affinity, a, a love for working with, seniors.
• 4:16
  And I went from there, I became a, a nursing assistant and I worked at St.
• 4:20
  Joe's Hospital as a nursing assistant while I was in college.
• 4:24
  And my last job while I was in college was I was a tour guide at the Stroh's Brewery.
• 4:30
  Where I, put on about 40 pounds drinking beer and eating brats after every tour, so that was a bit of a problem.
• 4:39
  Dream job, but let me back up for a second.
• 4:41
  Did you have an interest?
• 4:43
  How did you end up as a dietary aid or in the medical?
• 4:46
  So, I've always had an interest in working with people.
• 4:49
  Took my very first biology exam.
• 4:51
  I think I was a biology major when I started at St.
• 4:54
  Thomas.
• 4:55
  that didn't go well.
• 4:56
  after about six weeks and after my first exam, I went to the biology professor and said, Dr.
• 5:02
  Scherer, I, I'm not sure this is for me.
• 5:04
  And he said, I'm not sure it is either.
• 5:07
  And he says, why are you a biology major?
• 5:09
  And my response was, well, I thought if I'm pre med, that would, you know, that would be good for part of my story.
• 5:18
  And he said, you sound like a marketing major.
• 5:20
  So I'm not kidding.
• 5:22
  I became a marketing major that afternoon.
• 5:25
  And that's, I graduated with a degree in marketing.
• 5:27
  Mm hmm.
• 5:29
  But I've always, but I always wanted to work with people.
• 5:32
  So I worked at the nursing home and then I worked at the hospital.
• 5:35
  My mother was, uh, an employee of the, was a nurse at the hospital.
• 5:38
  So, okay.
• 5:40
  Yeah, it was a great gig.
• 5:41
  How did mom and dad feel about you working at the Stroh's Brewery?
• 5:45
  I'm not a drinker anymore because of the Stroh's Brewery.
• 5:49
  So I got all my drinking out of the way at a young age.
• 5:52
  So that worked out.
• 5:53
  But no, it was a, it was actually a very fun job.
• 5:55
  It gave me an opportunity to do a lot of public speaking, uh, made me comfortable with it.
• 6:00
  I learned a lot about how beer is made, um, because I probably gave that tour.
• 6:06
  Couple thousand times.
• 6:10
  So then you, uh, you got married shortly after college?
• 6:14
  Uh, I got married in 96.
• 6:15
  I've been married for almost 28 years.
• 6:18
  And kids?
• 6:20
  Uh, we have three children.
• 6:21
  Uh, my oldest is a, uh, a CPA with PWC.
• 6:25
  It's a lot of letters.
• 6:26
  Um, also a graduate of St.
• 6:28
  Thomas baseball player.
• 6:30
  Uh, another son who is also a graduate of St.
• 6:33
  Thomas is going to be starting at PwC, working on his CPA.
• 6:38
  He, uh, also was on the baseball team.
• 6:40
  He, he was the, the bullpen catcher, team manager, and then he became the scouting coordinator.
• 6:46
  So, he got real involved with the baseball program as it became a division one program.
• 6:51
  And then my daughter.
• 6:53
  Is a student at Madison Health Sciences, much smarter than the boys, much smarter than me and just got her EMT certification so she can get her hours in for, uh, Uh, applying for medical school or PA school, whatever she decides to do.
• 7:09
  So, yeah, I got three.
• 7:10
  I've been blessed with a lovely family.
• 7:12
  Three brain children that have just outdone you on.
• 7:15
  Yeah.
• 7:15
  I mean, isn't that always the goal is you want to have kids that do better than you and.
• 7:19
  Absolutely.
• 7:19
  And I know you're a sports guy.
• 7:21
  The kids have all participated in sports in some capacity over the years.
• 7:26
  So my daughter is a gymnast.
• 7:28
  Oh yeah.
• 7:29
  Is a gymnast or was a gymnast and she actually, uh, you know, competed in meets that Suni Lee Really?
• 7:35
  was in.
• 7:35
  Wow.
• 7:36
  Suni was better.
• 7:37
  Well, yes.
• 7:38
  All the more exciting watching the Olympics this summer.
• 7:40
  Very much so.
• 7:41
  Yeah.
• 7:41
  So, being a sports guy, and let's go with a SportsCenter comparison.
• 7:45
  Tell us, for the listeners, three of your life's highlight reel moments.
• 7:51
  Interesting question.
• 7:52
  Um, I would say that, uh, one of my defining moments in my life, you know, and I'm going to avoid the, you know, having kids and getting married and all that stuff should be obvious there.
• 8:05
  They're obvious, I was, working, for the boy scouts probably 30 some years ago found that I was really good at fundraising I was invited by the CEO of the Boy Scouts to have lunch with him.
• 8:20
  They were losing their major gifts director to a little organization called the Minnesota Masonic Home, a gentleman by the name of Rich Meyer, who I think is a member of Lake Harriet Lodge.
• 8:29
  I don't think he's an active member, but I know he was a member of Lake Harriet Lodge.
• 8:32
  Anyways, Rich left the Boy Scouts to come to the Masonic Home.
• 8:36
  And, uh, Ron Filippo was his name.
• 8:38
  Ron asked, uh, me to launch and he said, Hey, we're looking for a new major gifts director.
• 8:44
  We'd like to hire a lawyer.
• 8:46
  Would you be interested?
• 8:47
  And I said, Well, I'm, I'm not a lawyer.
• 8:50
  He said, well, what if we made you a lawyer and my response was you're just gonna like wave a what magic wand right your lawyer And he said no, we will pay for your law school Come on, if you give us a commitment, so sort of like a my version of a military commitment.
• 9:06
  I Went to school they paid for my school.
• 9:08
  In fact Chuck Dietz who is a longtime supporter of the Masonic Charities Organization was on the board of the Boy Scouts at the time and, uh, I think he played a role in making that happen for me.
• 9:21
  So that was very cool.
• 9:22
  How challenging was it to, this wasn't just any degree, this is a law degree in certification to be doing that as part or full time as you could while working?
• 9:33
  what was interesting is, my intention all along was to study nonprofit to study, estate planning, plan giving, those type of things.
• 9:44
  So when most of the students were taking classes that they didn't know where their, their career was going, I knew that my career was going to go in a certain way, so I took classes that reflected that.
• 9:55
  I can tell you that law school's, it's work, but it is a lot of fun.
• 10:01
  I did enjoy taking classes like moot court and, pretending like I was, on stage and it really was actually fun.
• 10:09
  Another defining moment, however, was when, um, I was hired by the Masonic Cancer Center Fund via Chuck Dietz.
• 10:16
  Really?
• 10:17
  There he is again.
• 10:17
  Yep.
• 10:18
  But he, uh, after I got done with my commitment for the Boy Scouts, I created a little, consulting company, and the Masons were one of my customers, and turns out that they were my favorite customers.
• 10:30
  So favorite that I shuttered my consulting business and have now become a full time employee of Minnesota Masonic Charities.
• 10:39
  But I'll never forget the moment that really tipped me over is when I went to my grandpa's, Harry Melander was a member of.
• 10:46
  Hazel Park Lodge on the east side of St.
• 10:48
  Paul, my grandpa had for years had always talked about, you know, at some point, I'd like to introduce you to my friend Hiram, and I had no idea what he was talking about.
• 10:58
  We did know that Grandpa Harry, every Tuesday, every Tuesday, would go to his lodge meeting.
• 11:06
  And that was the day that we could go to grandma's house and we could have spicy food.
• 11:10
  And many people have heard me talk about this, but spicy food means we could have ketchup or maybe pizza.
• 11:16
  Yeah.
• 11:17
  My grandfather, the Swede never ate pizza in his whole life.
• 11:20
  He could not understand why anybody would want to do that because the spice rack for our listeners that are not in the Midwest, they may not realize the salt and pepper, salt, pepper, ketchup, maybe ketchup is a little, that's a little, that's a little out there.
• 11:33
  Yeah.
• 11:33
  But what I discovered is that, uh, we went to Grandpa's, uh, when he got his 50 year pin, and what we discovered was, uh, that Lodge met only every other Tuesday, or the second and fourth Tuesday of the month.
• 11:46
  Well, Grandpa, where were you the rest of the time?
• 11:47
  And he goes, well, I was still at Lodge.
• 11:49
  I was putzing.
• 11:50
  He always talked about putzing.
• 11:52
  He was a union carpenter, and, uh, You know, as a defining moment, I was, you know, amazed that one of Grandpa's best friends was a guy by the name of Solly Robbins.
• 12:04
  No kidding.
• 12:04
  Solly Robbins from Robbins Kaplan Miller and Cerisi was a Masonic brother of, uh, Grandpa Harry and, you know, one of his dearest friends.
• 12:13
  So here you got this high powered attorney and a union carpenter.
• 12:17
  And to me that said a lot about what this organization is all about.
• 12:21
  It's like it doesn't matter what you do, it's about the person you are.
• 12:25
  Exactly, about what's in your heart and what you want to do.
• 12:28
  Meeting on the level.
• 12:29
  Meeting on the level, giving back in the community.
• 12:31
  Doesn't matter what your title, your education, whatever that may be.
• 12:34
  So, he went to his 50 year, Certificate and pin presentation.
• 12:38
  Yep.
• 12:39
  How much longer was it after that, before you joined St.
• 12:42
  John's Lodge?
• 12:42
  Uh, it wasn't long.
• 12:43
  I was raised at McAllister Lodge.
• 12:45
  That's right.
• 12:45
  Yep.
• 12:46
  most Worshipful brother Don Seaverson, uh, raised me.
• 12:49
  I went through the degrees with, uh, Steve Johnson.
• 12:53
  Our, uh, past Grand Master, who was past Grand Master, uh, only served as Grand Master for about a week.
• 12:59
  Um, and then Wally McCarthy's son, Wally McCarthy of, car fame, his son, went through the degrees with us.
• 13:05
  And our mentor was, Colonel Roger Letting, the chief of the state patrol, retired chief of the state patrol, but still a dear, dear friend of mine.
• 13:14
  At the time, I'm sure you would make sense.
• 13:17
  You didn't perhaps appreciate that level of that cast of characters literally and figuratively that were a part of that.
• 13:22
  I have no idea what, what, what that was all about, but have.
• 13:26
  Discovered for starters that it was really quite an honor to be raised by a past grand master and to be mentored by you know, this guy who You know was the the the chairman of the board of the masonic cancer center fund for many years and just you know Continues to be a a very significant supporter of the work that we do tell us Three words you would use to describe yourself Uh, let's oh jesus Three words that describe, I'm, uh, you know, I'm a family guy, I'm loyal, I'm, I feel like I'm kind, loyal, uh, yeah.
• 14:10
  I would agree.
• 14:11
  I wrote down in my.
• 14:12
  I try to be kind.
• 14:13
  You do, yeah.
• 14:15
  You try.
• 14:15
  You like to, you know, kind of bust other's chops at times, but that's part of the fun.
• 14:19
  it's funny.
• 14:19
  To me, that is.
• 14:21
  That is a way of showing, you know, that's one of my love languages.
• 14:25
  Like I always give you the business about how you dress.
• 14:28
  And to me that I do it, and I'm sure you understand this, that I do it as a way to compliment you without complimenting you because I ain't going to compliment.
• 14:37
  But I'm going to say things that you, you know, deep down inside, I'm kind of jealous, you know, your trim and you look good in a suit and, you know, we're happy for you, but you know, this morning when we were eating these donuts, I think you were eating a side salad, a kale salad with a sunflower seeds, but not at that hour of our meal anyway, but I was probably thinking about it well, and I wrote down ahead of time in my notes.
• 15:00
  How would I describe you?
• 15:01
  Passionate, irreverent, funny, and maybe the last two really go together, but.
• 15:07
  Uh, you are the work vibe that we have and that the team has is a lot of fun and a lot of laughs.
• 15:15
  And, but the passion, it really rolls into the time and commitment you've put into the role of Minnesota Masonic Charities, the growing of this organization into what it is today.
• 15:28
  And alongside all of the people you worked with and worked for, and now you're carrying that torch.
• 15:33
  But for anybody that may not be familiar with.
• 15:37
  The donation initially to the university.
• 15:40
  Can you give a relatively short recap of how all of these pieces came together?
• 15:44
  How far do you want me to go back?
• 15:47
  Uh, maybe the, so the hospital first in the 1950s launched.
• 15:52
  Sure, as I understand it, back in the mid 50s, the craft decided, along with Order of the Eastern Star, that they wanted to do something that would serve the community in a meaningful way.
• 16:04
  And they wanted to do something that was a state, that had statewide impact.
• 16:08
  So they went to the University of Minnesota with the idea that the University of Minnesota had a statewide, uh, reach and asked, how can we help you help the community?
• 16:18
  And at the time, cancer was, a scourge.
• 16:22
  It was, uh, becoming more and more prevalent.
• 16:25
  And they asked if we could raise half of the money to build a, uh, an 80 bed hospital at the University of Minnesota, which at the time was going to cost about a million dollars.
• 16:39
  Think about that, an 80 bed hospital for a million dollars.
• 16:42
  Wow.
• 16:43
  So the Masons, they put together this committee of a hundred, and they went out and they raised not just the half a million, but they raised, a full million, and an additional 50, 000 in a very short amount of time.
• 16:56
  And essentially underwrote the cost of that entire, original hospital.
• 17:00
  And over the years, we've continued to support the Masonic Cancer Center.
• 17:03
  As many people know, we're the largest donor to the University of Minnesota in its history, which is something that we as Masons ought to be very proud of.
• 17:11
  so often people talk about, how do you do all these gifts?
• 17:15
  How do you make, you know, those, uh, the amount of the money that we're giving away is just extraordinary.
• 17:20
  And frankly, it's because of the generosity of lots and lots of Brother Masons and members of the Eastern Star through the years.
• 17:30
  There haven't been any huge gifts made to Minnesota Masonic Charities.
• 17:34
  Can I just speak to the economics of charities for a second?
• 17:37
  We just completed our, uh, strategic planning session.
• 17:40
  And one of the things that I mentioned or I talked about was the fact that over the past 20 years of Minnesota Masonic Charities, we have donated well over a hundred million dollars to, uh, a variety of different organizations.
• 17:55
  You know, we made a 65 million pledge to the University of Minnesota Masonic Cancer Center, 25 million to the Masonic Children's Hospital.
• 18:02
  We just started a pledge of 35 million to the Masonic Institute for the Developing Brain.
• 18:08
  Fifteen million dollars in scholarships.
• 18:11
  Ten million dollars in matching grants.
• 18:13
  we've put, ten, fifteen million dollars into the Masonic home.
• 18:17
  We've spent all that money, and, we have substantially more money right now than we did twenty years ago when we started Minnesota Masonic Charities.
• 18:26
  So there are people that have concerns about how much money that we're spending, but, you The combination of brothers and sisters continuing to support us and good investment management has allowed us to do all of these meaningful things in the community.
• 18:40
  And one of my mentors is a guy by the name of George Mars, uh, you might know him from Mars and Power.
• 18:46
  And I asked him about, uh, a giving philosophy for a foundation for an organization like ours.
• 18:52
  And he said, a large endowment fund doesn't inspire anybody.
• 18:58
  And it doesn't serve any purpose other than ego.
• 19:02
  And as a result of that, I think that it's important for us to, you know, we need to maintain a certain level within our endowment fund, but having a great big fund, like some of organizations that we quote unquote compete with, isn't solving any problems in the community.
• 19:17
  the way you solve problems is by partnering with organizations that are in the business of solving problems.
• 19:23
  Okay.
• 19:23
  And I think that we're blessed as an organization to be connected to organizations that are solving meaningful problems, cancer, children's health issues, the clinic that we have up in Duluth, helping young people find their voice.
• 19:37
  I mean, I could not be more proud.
• 19:40
  Um, you know, the, the privilege to serve this organization is very, I understand it.
• 19:46
  I've had some correspondence with listeners of this podcast who are not Masons and who have asked for clarification on some of the things we, I try not to get too insider terminology, but it's worth, I think it bears repeating again, that part of what we stand for in our organization and as Freemasons is to give back in a meaningful way in the community and not in a, Hey, look at us, aren't we special sort of thing, but it is in our philosophy, our value teachings that We are committed to providing some sort of relief, comfort, healing in our community, whether locally or on a more grand scale.
• 20:26
  And at the end of it all, not to just pat ourselves on the back, but to be able to say we've made a tangible difference in owning that kindness base in the world.
• 20:37
  Providing it in what we do in pursuit of these, these donations towards a cure for cancer or to your point of childhood health, the Institute for the Developing Brain when you mentioned helping kids find their voice with the speech and language disorder clinic where they are helping serve the community of kids that are literally learning how to speak and communicate and make such strides on that.
• 21:03
  And it's really special to be a part of as.
• 21:07
  So I like the idea of you inherently being brother maysons.
• 21:09
  And really having a front row seat to that but for someone even say a brother out there that may be unclear of the opportunity to give or contribute or be a part of this.
• 21:26
  Minnesota Masonic Charities is the main charity of the Grand Lodge of Minnesota and of what we do in our number one focal point.
• 21:35
  Absolutely.
• 21:36
  And once again, I'll go back to my, Grandpa Harry.
• 21:40
  after I, I realized who Hiram was.
• 21:42
  Yes.
• 21:43
  I said, what is it about the Masons that, compel you to be such an, avid, member of the fraternity, and he said, well, first and foremost, our hospital.
• 21:54
  And he said, it's just like that.
• 21:55
  He goes, we've got that Masonic cancer center at the university of Minnesota.
• 22:00
  And he said, I made a pledge back in 1955 of 3 a month for three years.
• 22:07
  And in his mind, he owns a share of that hospital.
• 22:12
  And every person that's come through there has He has played a tiny role, very tiny, but he has played a role in every single person that has been treated there.
• 22:23
  I often say that, not only are we in the business of curing cancer, we're in the business of supporting really smart people who help cure cancer.
• 22:33
  the way I like to describe it is, at Masonic Charities, we do, Uh, big time philanthropy, macro philanthropy, but we also do micro philanthropy.
• 22:42
  And macro philanthropy is the stuff that we do at the University of Minnesota.
• 22:45
  And it's very pure philanthropy, because we never really know the people that we're helping.
• 22:51
  And to me, that's kind of the purest form of philanthropy.
• 22:54
  You partner with an organization, give them the money that they need to do the work that they do, and you get out of their way.
• 23:00
  Um, and you never really know the people that you're, that you're taking care of.
• 23:05
  But the micro philanthropy is the kind of stuff that we do here at the Masonic Home.
• 23:09
  We really get to know the people that we care for.
• 23:12
  And they get to know us.
• 23:13
  And it's very personal.
• 23:15
  And it's the same thing at our, clinic up in Duluth, the MMCCCD, the Minnesota Masonic Clinic for Childhood Communication Disorders.
• 23:23
  we have helped 3, 000 children find their voice.
• 23:27
  By doing that, we're helping their families.
• 23:29
  Can you imagine how frustrating it would be to not be able to speak or to communicate with people?
• 23:34
  And we get to know those kids and they get to know us.
• 23:37
  And it's very personal.
• 23:39
  The scholarships program, very personal.
• 23:42
  So what's unique about our organization, is not only do we have the privilege of playing an important role in the lives of people being treated at the Masonic Cancer Center, the Masonic Children's Hospital, the MIDB, all these different places, but we also, and I think most importantly, we have the opportunity to make a meaningful impact on the lives of seniors in their later years of life.
• 24:06
  And it's really, it's a beautiful thing.
• 24:09
  It really is.
• 24:11
  The full life spectrum from childhood and, and caring for seniors and in between with that.
• 24:18
  It is very difficult to fathom being a parent.
• 24:21
  And as a child is growing and developing and making that realization that there is a real issue with communication.
• 24:28
  And, uh, I, that's just a, something is very, very difficult to fathom.
• 24:33
  But you, you hit a point that really made my, a light bulb go off for me.
• 24:38
  I believe that the.
• 24:39
  The 3, that small donation way back in the day, it's, I've had a couple of conversations with some Brother Masons along the way that have said, well, I'm not some big high roller.
• 24:49
  I, I can't contribute, but any contribution to this is to Minnesota Masonic Charities and all of the things you've illustrated and showcased is put to good use and very much appreciated.
• 25:03
  Well, and we don't have high rollers.
• 25:06
  We really don't.
• 25:07
  I mean, the largest gifts that we have ever received have been, estate gifts from retired school teachers.
• 25:16
  we don't beat people over the head for gifts during their lifetime.
• 25:23
  we understand the stresses of an economy that we're living through right now.
• 25:27
  people ask, how can I make a meaningful impact, when I'm not a person that makes a lot of money I'm an estate planning attorney, um, and as a, as an estate planning lawyer, I realize that most people pass away with a lot more money in their estate than they ever imagined that they would.
• 25:48
  And we ask one time a year for people to make a gift.
• 25:53
  And you want to guess what percentage of the Masonic fraternity give?
• 25:57
  I don't even want to venture a guess, I don't know.
• 25:59
  Three and a half, four percent of the membership support Minnesota Masonic Charities, which is great.
• 26:06
  Our goal is to get, small incremental increases in the way that we connect with the membership.
• 26:14
  we have built our foundation on planned gifts.
• 26:19
  We're not asking you to, uh, to, to give till it hurts, Philanthropy is about giving till it feels real good.
• 26:26
  And some of that feeling real good might be just you making a commitment that says, I can't afford to do it right now, I don't know if I'm gonna outlive my money.
• 26:34
  But you know what, when I pass away in my will, I'll leave 10 percent to the Masonic Children's Hospital through Minnesota Masonic Charities.
• 26:44
  There is an interesting study that was done by the University of Indiana School of Philanthropy.
• 26:49
  It's the only school of philanthropy in the country.
• 26:52
  And the study proved that if you have a planned gift in your estate, you will live an average of 3.
• 27:02
  1 years longer than someone that doesn't.
• 27:04
  And that's legit.
• 27:06
  So if you're looking for an extra 3.
• 27:08
  1 years, I know a guy that can help you with that.
• 27:11
  That's a really fascinating statistic.
• 27:13
  It is a real statistic.
• 27:15
  I mean, part of that has to do with the, the economics of, people that, that are physically well.
• 27:23
  are the people that have estates that are managed.
• 27:26
  You know, there's a lot of people that die without a will, which is a whole nother story.
• 27:30
  Have a will people have a will, let the objects of your affection understand and know where the will is, because it can be a real challenge if you pass without having a will.
• 27:42
  Oh, that's, and that's something that comes up so often and personally helping care for, or making, helping, Octogenarian parents making decisions on where to go next and then.
• 27:54
  Of course comes up with wills, but a will is not an old person's game.
• 27:58
  The sooner someone does that, the better it in terms of just, uh, some, some good perspective that both you and I have seen of people who don't and think, why didn't you have a will?
• 28:09
  Well, I didn't think I'd need it.
• 28:11
  Well, it's like insurance.
• 28:12
  You, you, you want to have it.
• 28:14
  Yes.
• 28:14
  The broader spectrum of giving and how all of this works, and it's a real reminder for me and hopefully for our listeners, too, that the need for funding for things like cancer research and speech disorders and children's health, developing brain and also the Masonic Institute of the developing brain.
• 28:37
  I heard a Amazing statistic.
• 28:39
  They saw, was it 18, 000 cases of patients in the first year?
• 28:44
  Yep.
• 28:44
  It's one of its kind institute in the entire world.
• 28:49
  Um, can I speak a little bit about something that we're looking into, uh, for the future?
• 28:54
  Please.
• 28:55
  Uh, we were presented an opportunity, and I love how they describe these as opportunities, to support, uh, something at the University of Minnesota called their Institute on Healthy Aging.
• 29:06
  I don't know if you've been to a Lodge meeting lately, but, aging might be an issue that's consistent with the demographics of our membership.
• 29:15
  We've got an aging membership.
• 29:17
  That counts you and I in that.
• 29:19
  Absolutely.
• 29:20
  Absolutely.
• 29:21
  We both got some gray streaks in our hair.
• 29:24
  But part of healthy aging is connecting with people.
• 29:29
  And I think that part of healthy aging.
• 29:32
  really takes place in a Masonic Lodge.
• 29:34
  I think that the, the, the relationships and, you know, you and I often talk about the statistics about how many people have zero close friends.
• 29:42
  Yes.
• 29:43
  You know, you join a Masonic Lodge and you're surrounded by friends, and they're only friends that can get better and better.
• 29:51
  And The University of Minnesota Institute for Healthy Aging, has come to us and asked us for our support.
• 29:58
  And my response was, well, what's in it for us?
• 30:01
  we want to be more than just philanthropic partners.
• 30:04
  We would love for the people that you work with to get to know the Masons a little better.
• 30:09
  And one way to do that is to come to Some Masonic functions and tell us about the work that's being done at the Institute for Healthy Aging.
• 30:18
  Um, we have, happen to operate a 214 bed nursing home.
• 30:22
  Wouldn't it be great to use this as an incubator for some of the ideas that are being kicked around at the Institute for Healthy Aging.
• 30:29
  And, they seem very receptive to the idea of partnering with us.
• 30:34
  We are the largest donor.
• 30:37
  We, as Masons, Masonic Charities, is the largest donor to the University of Minnesota in its history.
• 30:42
  No kidding.
• 30:43
  Yep.
• 30:43
  We are the number one largest donor in the entire history of the University of Minnesota.
• 30:49
  And I can tell you that that's been done without very many, if any, real high rollers.
• 30:56
  We are the beneficiaries right now of the brothers and sisters that came before us.
• 31:01
  That had the foresight, that had the, just the trust in the brothers that came after them.
• 31:08
  Brothers and sisters that came after them.
• 31:11
  And I just hope that we provide the brothers and sisters that come after us the same privilege.
• 31:17
  Because it's pretty neat.
• 31:20
  And I mean, to me that's the best way to describe it.
• 31:21
  It's pretty neat to be able to say, I had something to do with it.
• 31:25
  Oh, you're being treated at the Masonic Children's Hospital?
• 31:28
  the contribution that I made is helping in a very small way.
• 31:33
  To every little kid and every family that, that, that goes through the doors of that beautiful institution.
• 31:39
  Well, it really illustrates the reality of leaving the world in a better place than we found it.
• 31:46
  You bet.
• 31:47
  And that really is the core of the motivation as Masons to give back in a meaningful way in the community.
• 31:55
  And what a privilege for Minnesota Masons to say.
• 31:59
  We've got a piece of that, a part of that in part of the greater number of, of the gifts and all the hands involved.
• 32:08
  It's just, it's really, when you hear you illustrate it and articulate it like that is mind blowing.
• 32:14
  So we're seeing a really strong collaboration between the grand lodge in Minnesota and Minnesota Masonic charities working together in looking at the longterm future, as you mentioned earlier, that what our forefathers put that trust in the next generation.
• 32:32
  And we're striving to do the same.
• 32:35
  What is your vision now from the CEO chair for.
• 32:40
  the fraternity's future and charities and how do you see all of these moving parts continue to work harmoniously Into the years ahead.
• 32:48
  Well, I can tell you that the lifeblood of masonic philanthropy is masonic membership And I think that it's important for minnesota masonic charities to have a more meaningful role in helping the grand lodge of minnesota attract members, and I think that as much as the lifeblood of Masonic philanthropy is Masonic membership, I think that Masonic philanthropy can have an impact on Masonic membership.
• 33:15
  I think that people join Lodge for probably one of three reasons.
• 33:20
  They're looking for brotherly love, they want to participate in community relief, or they're looking for the esoteric part, the truth.
• 33:27
  Brotherly love, relief, and truth.
• 33:29
  And I think that in that, three legged stool, charity is one of those really important legs.
• 33:35
  People want to make a meaningful impact on their community.
• 33:39
  And I think part of the story, as we're going out and we're, Looking to, uh, to secure membership when we're looking to attract the kind of people that are going to make a meaningful difference in the fraternity, but But through the fraternity and their community, charity is a huge part of that.
• 33:55
  So my, part of my vision is to continue to work much closer with people like you, Reed.
• 34:00
  I would love to get Marcus Mueller, who is our fundraising executive in the northern part of the state, more engaged in the membership piece of things.
• 34:07
  Because, he understands that the more people we can tell our story to, the The more likely we're going to be able to sustain the fundraising successes that we've had.
• 34:19
  And to me, it's kind of a hand in glove sort of a thing.
• 34:21
  the fraternity is great at doing fraternal things.
• 34:25
  Masonic Charities, I think, over the past 20 years has proven to be pretty good at the charitable stuff.
• 34:30
  So, I think that there's an opportunity for some shared services.
• 34:34
  And I think you're going to be seeing some more of that as time goes on.
• 34:38
  Well, you bring up a good point that from my vantage point in my role with membership, that I would say over 90 percent of someone inquiring about learning more about Freemasonry and the fraternity, their number one ask above everything else is the opportunity to have meaningful community engagements to give back.
• 35:01
  Even in a small way to help contribute to the relief of someone or something in need out there.
• 35:08
  And that being the number one ask, we are truly blessed in Minnesota to, to be able to partner with charities in that golden opportunity to do so in a number of different ways, obviously a donation of some kind, but other times spent towards.
• 35:27
  all of these ventures that we have with the university and throughout the state for that matter, it really is something not to overlook at the lodge level where community engagement should never be just glossed over as, Oh, well, we'll get to that whenever.
• 35:42
  Cause it is really a huge, one of the most first and foremost pieces or legs of that three legged stool.
• 35:51
  of all the things that Minnesota Masonic Charities does, I often say this, that to me one of the most important things that we do is our matching grant program.
• 36:00
  Because through the matching grant program, the work of Minnesota Masonic Charities gets to be reflected in the interests of the brothers and sisters throughout the state of Minnesota.
• 36:12
  So if there is a lodge in northern Minnesota that has a particular interest in a charitable endeavor, we're not going to know about that down here.
• 36:20
  But it gives us an opportunity through the matching grant program to attach our brand to that brand.
• 36:27
  And that helps us as we, develop the story of Minnesota Masonic Charities.
• 36:33
  And I just don't think that that can be, can be understated.
• 36:36
  Um, is it understated or overstated?
• 36:40
  I've, I've always struggled with that.
• 36:41
  Overstated.
• 36:42
  It can't be overstated?
• 36:43
  Yes.
• 36:44
  So let's go with that.
• 36:45
  Okay.
• 36:45
  Can't be overstated.
• 36:47
  What website would you suggest someone listening and wanting to know more about matching grants or some of the other Scholarship opportunities.
• 36:56
  Yeah, that'd be MNMasoniccharities.
• 36:59
  org.
• 36:59
  MNMasoniccharities.
• 36:59
  org.
• 37:00
  MNMasoniccharities.
• 37:00
  org.
• 37:01
  Questions can be directed to, well, anyone on that.
• 37:04
  Absolutely.
• 37:05
  And if people want to talk to me directly, they can call me.
• 37:10
  Let me give you my cell phone number, and I'm serious about this.
• 37:13
  Really?
• 37:13
  Thank you.
• 37:13
  325 325 3251.
• 37:23
  I often talk about the fact that, obviously, The gift of your investment, the gift of your money, really helps things happen.
• 37:33
  But the gift of your influence, in many cases, can be even more valuable than any financial gift that you can make.
• 37:41
  But most importantly is the gift of your enthusiastic interest.
• 37:44
  And support.
• 37:45
  being a person that is supportive, just verbally of the work that's being done.
• 37:51
  And that's by, educating yourself.
• 37:52
  We send out the Pillars Magazine.
• 37:55
  We have the Ashlar, we have a, a variety of different things where you can learn more about the work of Minnesota Masonic Charities and talk about it.
• 38:02
  This is your charity.
• 38:05
  This is a Masonic charity and you as a Mason have some skin in that game.
• 38:11
  And whether it's financial skin in the game, frankly, just having the willingness to be enthusiastic about Masonic Charities is a gift.
• 38:20
  And.
• 38:20
  We appreciate it.
• 38:21
  You bring up a good point that the verbal support in general, maybe maybe now is not a time to be giving for someone.
• 38:28
  But knowing that our members are championing the cause of what we are committed to do with medical research, cure for cancer, all the things that we have illustrated today.
• 38:37
  By the way, we do have the annual gala, the Minnesota Masonic Charities Gala coming up always the fourth Saturday of every September, September 28th.
• 38:48
  That is open to September 28th.
• 38:49
  All masons, all outside guests.
• 38:51
  Anybody that wants to come until we sell out the place.
• 38:55
  And last year we sold out the place.
• 38:57
  We did and we, and, and looking forward to that in a few more weeks.
• 39:00
  I can't believe we're already the midpoint of, of August already.
• 39:04
  one of the things that I would hope that people would become acquainted with is our Pillar Society.
• 39:10
  Yes.
• 39:10
  I was at the West Metro Conference a few weeks back with you, and I asked, How many of you are aware of what the Pillar Society was?
• 39:17
  And it was crickets.
• 39:19
  I was shocked that, and that's on us, that's on us.
• 39:23
  We don't do a good enough job of explaining how the Pillars Society works.
• 39:27
  We have a Pillars Society exclusive event coming up in October, and off the top of my head I can't think of what the date is, but I'll put it in the show notes.
• 39:36
  to become a Pillar, all we ask is that you include Minnesota Masonic Charities in your will, in your trust, in your estate plan.
• 39:45
  In any capacity.
• 39:45
  In any capacity.
• 39:47
  Most people put a percentage, not a specific bequest, but we call that a general bequest.
• 39:52
  my objective when I work with people on their estate planning is what's meaningful to them.
• 39:59
  Obviously, I would love if Minnesota Masonic Charities or one of our organizations that we support is part of that.
• 40:06
  But this is about your legacy.
• 40:09
  And you know, as an estate planning lawyer, I have an obligation to, uh, to help direct people, uh, to do things that are meaningful to them, not meaningful to my organization or the organization that I work with.
• 40:23
  So think about it.
• 40:25
  And again, if you ever have any questions about your estate plan.
• 40:29
  You can call my cell phone number, 651 210 5240.
• 40:35
  You are a one stop shop of counsel and perspective.
• 40:38
  I got it all, man.
• 40:38
  You really do.
• 40:39
  I got it all.
• 40:39
  You've got it all.
• 40:40
  Yeah, I'll take you out to lunch.
• 40:41
  Excellent.
• 40:42
  Yeah.
• 40:42
  I would like that.
• 40:44
  Well, not you specifically.
• 40:45
  Oh, come on.
• 40:46
  Okay.
• 40:46
  All right, you're right.
• 40:46
  And as The hectic nature of life as it is sometimes we, we have operated with Grand Lodge and the fraternal side of the operations and charities kind of sometimes in two different lanes still committed to the same thing, but it really is all about bringing the two together for the future so that our members can support and be proud of all of the work that is being done and, and really enhance the experience for, for both sides.
• 41:15
  And it's been very enlightening to.
• 41:18
  Chat with you as a guest today and hear more about your perspective, the historical timeline, and what you would like to see in the future.
• 41:27
  As I always say, as I understand it, the Grand Lodge of Minnesota serves the craft.
• 41:33
  Minnesota Masonic Charities serves the craft, thereby serving the members of the fraternity.
• 41:40
  I'm grateful for the enthusiasm that so many brothers have had for the work of Minnesota Masonic Charities.
• 41:46
  When we appreciate all the efforts that you are putting forward and continuing that vision long into the future, long after we are, are gone in an infinite timeline of knowing that The gifts that we give today, the time, the support, and the commitment will be making a positive impact.
• 42:05
  And again, leaving the world in a better place, way down the line.
• 42:10
  John Schweitzer.
• 42:11
  I think we've beat them over the head enough with this.
• 42:13
  It's time to shut it down.
• 42:15
  Let's go There you go.
• 42:16
  Irreverent.
• 42:17
  Sorry, John Schweitzer, CEO of Minnesota Masonic Charities.
• 42:20
  Thanks for being my guest today and providing a little bit more.
• 42:23
  So, uh, if you want to get a little bit additional perspective on all of these things, thanks so much and next week you can be my guest.
• 42:30
  I look forward to that.
• 42:31
  All right.
• 42:31
  It's Minnesota Masonic Histories and Mysteries