Do I have to be gainfully employed and own some assets to belong to any fraternal organization or can I be down on my luck and looking for work? What is the general financial situation of the majority of members of Masons or Rotary, etc.
You don’t need any assets beyond the annual $35 dues to join the Moose Lodge. I’ve know several Moose members that are either unemployed or under employed, and carry their assets in the their pockets. It is a good investment for the finacially challenged, as they can take advantage of cheap (or free) dinners from the kitchen at a Moose Family Center.
The social networking aspects could also prove helpful toward finding suitable employment should they be so inclined.
(not being snarky here, I was unemployed for several months…and while I’m glad to be back at work, I quite enjoyed the time off.)
I have been a member of Kiwanis International (or its subsidiaries) in some form or fashion on and off for over ten years now. AFAIK, there are no solvency requirements for membership other than the annual dues. Obviously, you’d need to be able to pay those, but I know in some situations a Kiwanis club will pay the first year’s dues (or a portion of them) for new members that were formerly members of a Kiwanis Sponsored Youth organization like Key Club or CKI.
As to your second question, the answer can be quite tricky. With thousands of members all around the world, it would be quite difficult to guess the average financial situation of even the majority of Kiwanians - most of whom live in the United States.
I belong to unusual club in that the majority of our members are age 35 or younger. The entire rest of our division, and most of the district (Texas + Oklahoma) seems to be populated by men aged 65 or older who are either owners of sole proprietorships or retired.
Everyone I have met in Kiwanis seems to be at least middle class, with the occasional well-to-do banker or entrepeneur thrown in for good measure.