Royal Arcanum News and Events

 

Apr 20, 2021 Newsletter #16

Hi Member, We have an exciting new member benefit today along with updates from your Executive Committee. New Member Benefit: Free Video Chat service! Executive Committee Meeting Summary SAT Preparation Fee Reimbursements Updated form for IFS Requests Roy's corner    New Member Benefit: Free Video Chatting! We are happy to announce a new free member benefit: Royal Arcanum Video Chat service! We have already offered to sponsor council meetings through our teleconference and Zoom services, which are business-level services that have been purchased. But this is different: this is a free video chat offered to every member of the Royal Arcanum! Any of our members can use this service to have a video call with up to 16 people at no cost to you. The service is easy to use. No special app is needed, only your web browser. It works with any kind of smart phone, tablet, or computer that has a camera, microphone, and speaker. The first time you use it, it will ask you to give your permission to use your camera and microphone, and then you're ready to use it. You can either start a chat immediately, or plan one for the future, using a link you can copy and send to those you want to have a chat with. We are proud to be continually adding new benefits for our members. Benefits such as the Royal Perks program and this video chat service are just an example of the benefits of being a member. Don't forget to brag to your friends and family about these benefits in addition to the terrific protection and investment products we have. Steps to use the video chat service 1. Use the video chat web link below Use your phone, tablet, or computer browser to go to the Royal Arcanum Video Chat page. 2. Select Chat Now or Chat Later You can immediately start a chat by selecting the CHAT NOW button. If you instead select CHAT LATER, a link that you can use later for a video chat will be copied to your clipboard. 3. Grant access to your camera and microphone As you join the chat room, you will be asked to allow access your camera and microphone. 4. Send the chat link The link to your video chat will be copied to your clipboard to send as a text or email to those you want to join you in the video chat. Paste it and send it to them and in just a few minutes, you'll be chatting! That's all there is to it. Happy chatting!    Executive Committee Meeting Summary The Executive Committee met by teleconference on March 23 & 24. Highlights of the meeting have been sent to officers and council secretaries. Here is a quick summary of those highlights: Our investment portfolio recorded a modest increase from last September through this past February Discussions on the current and future impact of the pandemic on our society Charitable work has continued despite the pandemic We had a financially difficult year overall due to the pandemic impact, a Massachusetts Department of Insurance change in considering the stock portion of our portfolio, and low yields available in the bond market Operations increased both first year and recurring premiums in 2020 The Pre-Need product was eliminated The pandemic delayed income expected from the Medical Supplement initiative The Executive Committee is exploring the ways of reducing costs and increasing revenue A new program to create a Donald E. Ferry Spirit of Service Memorial Award is being developed to honor the service that Donald shared with us for three decades The Grand Council of Ohio has been reactivated with new officers being elected and installed   SAT Prep Fee Reimbursements College-bound members, don't forget that the Royal Arcanum will reimburse you up to $50 for members who submit a request to the Home Office along with a receipt for any SAT prep course that's completed. Speaking of college ... the scholarship winners will be announced next month! We'll let you know when we receive the notice.    Updated IFS Form The International Fraternal Service Program request form has updated by the IFS Committee to make it a bit clearer to use. Key changes are:   The form and the attachments can be emailed in for faster response time. The top of the form now shows not only the mailing address, but the email address as well. Sometimes, proof of a donation is hard to get, and few banks provide canceled checks without a fee. The IFS Committee can accept a copy of your bank statement showing the check to the donation was cashed, ideally with a copy of the check when it was written. That has been added as a "proof of donation" in step 7 of the form. The previous form had a line for the subordinate council officer, but the IFS Program is available to Grand Councils, too. The form now asks for the council officer name and the title of the council officer, so that it is clearer who is submitting the form. There is now a box asking for the name and address to send a response. The address is important, as a reimbursement is always mailed. There is also a place to put in a response email address, where questions about the request can be sent, or where the acceptance of the request can be received quicker than using the mail. The new form is available on the Royal Arcanum web site.    Roy's Eager to Try the New Video Chat Service  Roy would like everyone to be comfortable using the new free Royal Arcanum video chat service. If you're looking to try it with someone, just send us a quick note and we'll get Roy ready to chat with you so we're ready to use it for our next video gathering.