Reminder of the new Founder’s Award requirements:
- 10% of your new or associate members (non-insurance members) must each meet individually with a field agent for a financial review throughout the fraternal year
- Goal numbers will be set at minimum of 5 and maximum of 15 (if council roster on July 1, 2026 is <50 or >150.)
Challenges…and solutions:
- “We have a large council and many of our members either don’t need insurance or don’t want to meet with the field agent.”
- Answer: By meeting with the field agent, you accomplish a lot of things in a small amount of time (30-45 minutes.) You help the council with its Founder’s Award goal, you hear about the many member benefits that are available to Knights that aren’t necessarily insurance related, you get a complimentary financial review and if you are new to the Knights, you get to hear the history and story of the Order and our mission. This is a win-win for everyone involved.
- “Why do the Grand Knights have to submit Form 11077? That seems like an extra, unnecessary step.”
- Answer: By having the Grand Knight receive names from the Field Agent, they ensure correct and proper submission to Supreme for credit for their council’s Founder’s Award goal. This creates ownership and stake for the Grand Knight to keep track and keep up to date with getting these names submitted. Completing Form 11077 is simple and easy. Field Agents have a lot of names and councils to keep organized, and while they are great at their jobs, councils should take responsibility for their own tally.
If you do not know who your field agent is, contact your district deputy, or the ADC of Fraternal Benefits, Chris Simon, at [email protected].
Evidence of Success Example#1: District 23
Field Agent Mark Sambor in District 23 has committed to sending all the Grand Knights in the district a monthly report of meetings he has held with members of each council.
Takeaway: Grand Knights, Field Agents, and District Deputies should work together to coordinate similar transfers of information. District Deputies will get regular reports of Founder’s Award status for each of their respective councils, while the Field Agents are doing the “leg work” of meeting with individual members. Grand Knights, then, report those meetings and keep a log for the council to ensure all submissions happen and count towards their goal.