Please show your new member card when ordering - Bar service is for members 21+ only.

Membership

Eligibility

To be eligible for San Luis Obispo Elks Lodge #322 membership in the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, you must be a citizen of the United States over the age of 21 who believes in God.

San Luis Obispo Elks Membership Sign-up Steps:

  1. If you know a current Elks member contact them and have them take you by the lodge to experience the social quarters or to an event to experience the fun.
  2. If you don’t know a member contact the lodge secretary at [email protected] to schedule an in-person interview.
  3. You must be sponsored by a member of the Elks Lodge. You also need two other Elks who will be your co-sponsors. The Elk who proposes you for membership can help guide you through the application process.
  4. Download and print this Membership Application or find an application form in the Office during between 10:00- 5:00 PM Tuesday – Friday, or stop by the bar anytime the lodge is open.
  5. Return the completed application to the front office during business hours or to the bartender along with our $50 application fee.

Some information regarding the process of your application:

On the tenth of each month following turning in your application, our new candidates applications are sent to our investigating committee. There, a soft background check will be performed, and your references will be interviewed. Questions such as “how long have you known the candidate?”, “do you know him/her/them to be a good and upright citizen?”, and “do you anticipate that they will be actively involved in volunteering at the lodge?” will be asked.

Should investigation come back favorable, the candidates name and occupation and the name of the sponsor will be put on one of our balloting boxes during the lodge meeting held on the first Tuesday of the month. Members have the opportunity to in essence vote favorably or unfavorably for each proposed candidate. This is done according to our Statutes. Should the results of the balloting be favorable, you will receive an email from our office staff the following day (the first Wednesday of the month), outlining the details of Orientation and Initiation.

Orientation and Initiation are held on the third Tuesdays of the month. A complimentary dinner for you (and your spouse) will be served. Your proposer is encouraged to attend this evening with you, but it is not required. During dinner, officers of the lodge will introduce themselves and tell you all about the Elks programs and charities, as well as some of the events unique to our lodge.

 After orientation, the initiates will be escorted into the initiation meeting to participate in the initiation ceremony. Any spouses that are not initiates will have to exit the building as Statutes state that only members or initiates can be in the building during lodge meetings. Once the initiation ceremony is complete, initiates will get to participate in their first lodge meeting, including voting on motions brought to the floor that night.

The whole night will last about 4-4.5 hours. You must attend the entire evening to qualify for membership. At the conclusion of the lodge meeting, you will receive your membership card…and that’s it!

When you receive the email from us the day after the balloting meeting, please be sure to RSVP as soon as possible. We know that life happens and you may not be able to make the orientation/initiation night. Should you not be able to make it, we can bump you to the following month. Our membership system gives us 3 months to get you through initiation. So attending orientation and initiation on that first or second month after you apply is key. Should you have any unforeseen issues with attending, please let us know as soon as possible.

2 thoughts on “Membership

    1. Our Lodge By-Laws only allow for 10 life memberships. Because of our limited number, the membership has historically been fairly choosy about who it is granted to. If you feel you are a qualified candidate (via Statutes and/or via volunteerism), you should submit an email to the Exalted Ruler for consideration. [email protected] Thank you.

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Volunteer Opportunities

We need volunteers! We are a large Lodge, nearly 2,400 strong. When you become an Elk, it is suggested you offer 12 volunteer hours each year to any of the many events and causes where we give service. What you may not know is that these hours are reported to the National Elks, and with our volunteer hours our Lodge is acknowledged and awarded opportunities to apply for a variety of grants and scholarships. The monies that are awarded stay in our community!

Sign-Up to Volunteer

Want to be an Elk?

Find Out How

Elks #322 Banquets and Events
222 Elks Ln
San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
(805) 543-0322 x 1 for the Office
(805) 543-0322 x 8 for the Bar

Office Hours: Closed Mondays, Tuesday-Friday 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Pool: Opens at 11 a.m. daily
Bar: Opens at 11 a.m. daily
Lunch: Monday-Friday, 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
Poolside Grill: Saturday-Sunday, 11:30 p.m.-2:30 p.m.

Lodge meetings are held on the first and third Tuesdays at 7 p.m.

San Luis Obispo is located between Los Angeles and San Francisco on the Central Coast of California. Founded in 1772 by Spanish Fr. Junípero Serra, San Luis Obispo is one of California’s oldest communities. The city, locally referred to as San Luis or SLO is the county seat of San Luis Obispo County and is adjacent to California Polytechnic State University. Elks Lodge #322 has been part of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and San Luis Obispo community since 1895. We offer a full bar, lunch and dinner, RV camping with hookup options, game room, locker room, and swimming pools. We are a family friendly lodge.

Elks Lodge #322
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