Elks vs. Masons: Comparing Two American Fraternal Orders

Two of America's most recognizable fraternal organizations share some surface-level similarities — secret rituals, charitable programs, a deep bench of famous members — but operate on fundamentally different premises, histories, and membership structures. This page compares the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks (BPOE) and the Freemasons across their origins, organizational logic, membership requirements, and civic focus to give a clear picture of where they overlap and where they part ways entirely.

Definition and scope

The Freemasons trace their institutional formation to the founding of the United Grand Lodge of England in 1717 — making them, by most formal reckoning, the older of the two organizations by more than 150 years. The BPOE was founded in New York City in 1868, growing out of a social club for theatrical performers and entertainers who needed a gathering place that stayed open after legal saloon-closing hours. That origin story, odd as it sounds, shaped everything: the Elks became a distinctly American, civic-minded, non-secretive organization from the start.

Freemasonry operates globally, with grand lodges in more than 160 countries according to the United Grand Lodge of England. The Elks, by contrast, are explicitly and constitutionally limited to the United States. The BPOE's governing rules require that lodges operate only on American soil — a distinction that matters when comparing the two organizations' scope and identity. For more on how the Elks define their national footprint, the history of the Elks and founding of the BPOE pages cover the origin story in detail.

How it works

The two organizations differ most sharply in their foundational structure and the role of ritual.

Freemasonry is organized around a degree system — the three "Blue Lodge" degrees of Entered Apprentice, Fellowcraft, and Master Mason form the core, with appendant bodies like the Scottish Rite extending that to 32 additional degrees. Advancement through those degrees is central to Masonic identity. The rituals are considered secret, and the esoteric content of each degree is a significant part of the membership experience.

The Elks take a different approach:

  1. Single threshold membership — there is no multi-degree ladder. Once a candidate is initiated, they are a full member with equal standing.
  2. Public transparency — the BPOE does not classify itself as a secret society. Its charitable work, scholarship programs, and lodge activities are openly publicized.
  3. Ritual as tradition, not advancement — Elks ceremonies, including the well-known 11 o'clock toast, are expressions of shared identity rather than gates to higher status.
  4. Belief requirement — both organizations require a belief in a supreme being, though neither specifies a denomination.
  5. American citizenship — the Elks require U.S. citizenship; Freemasonry has no citizenship requirement.

The lodge structure itself is comparable: both organizations operate through local lodges that affiliate with larger state or regional bodies and a national or grand governing structure. The Elks' national organization structure mirrors the Masonic pattern of local, state, and grand lodge tiers, but the Elks' Grand Lodge functions as a single unified American body rather than a federation of independent grand lodges as in Freemasonry.

Common scenarios

A prospective member weighing the two organizations typically encounters a few recurring situations that clarify the practical differences.

Time and commitment: Masonic progression — particularly for members who pursue the Scottish Rite or York Rite — can involve years of degree work and significant meeting attendance. Elks membership, by design, offers a lower entry barrier and no mandatory advancement track, which has historically made it more accessible to members who want community involvement without an elaborate initiation ladder.

Charitable versus philosophical focus: The Elks are heavily program-oriented. The Elks National Foundation distributed more than $3.29 million in scholarships in a single program year (BPOE National Foundation annual report figures), and the organization operates dedicated veterans programs, youth programs, and drug awareness initiatives. Freemasonry also funds hospitals and charitable work — the Shriners International hospitals system is a well-known affiliated effort — but the philosophical and ritual dimension of the fraternity is equally central to its identity in a way it simply is not for the Elks.

Women and membership: Both organizations have historically restricted full membership to men, though both have affiliated organizations for women and family members (the Order of the Eastern Star for Masons; the Emblem Club and other bodies for Elks families). The Elks women membership history page documents how that boundary has evolved within the BPOE specifically.

Decision boundaries

The clearest way to distinguish the two organizations is to ask what each one is for at its core.

Freemasonry is fundamentally a philosophical and initiatic fraternity — the charitable work is real and significant, but the organization's identity centers on moral instruction through ritual and allegory. The experience of moving through degrees, encountering symbolic content, and discussing its meaning with other members is the point.

The Elks are a civic and charitable fraternity. The Elks charitable giving overview reflects an organization whose primary public purpose is service — to veterans, to young people, and to local communities. The main reference point for understanding the Elks as an institution, including their place among comparable fraternal organizations, is the home page of this authority resource, which situates the BPOE within its full historical and civic context.

A member who wants philosophical depth, symbolic ritual, and a globally connected brotherhood will find Freemasonry better suited to those interests. A member who wants a locally rooted American civic organization with strong charitable programming and a lower structural overhead will find the Elks a more direct fit. Both have been doing their respective things for a very long time — the Masons longer, the Elks more loudly.

References

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