I agree that the NRA is our only realistic hope, and for that reason we need to keep the heat on them to perform at a high level. If the organization is falling short, it is certainly not the fault of the members, who put in a huge amount of unpaid volunteer time and energy. The NRA must not be above criticism; far from it, the membership should be looking over their shoulders, cracking the whip, and constantly demanding that they do better.
If the NRA has 3 million members at an average membership price of $30.00 (figuring in the reduced-price memberships), that adds up to $90,000,000.00 (!) per year from memberships alone. Ninety million dollars a year is big money where I come from. PLUS what the Friends of the NRA raise, PLUS what NRA raises by banging on the membership for additional contributions during the year, PLUS what they get from 1% participants like Dillon and Midway, PLUS the interest/investment income from any endowment they may have or just from the float on current account balances, PLUS any earnings from caps, mugs, clothing, and other licensed products.
What this all adds up to, I don't know; but it could easily be $100 million per year. With those enormous resources, I think NRA should be doing more and doing better. The new member recruitment effort is inexcusably weak, IMO, and looking down the road there is nothing more important than that.