As a longtime menber and life member of the NRA, i do feel the need to support them financially to help support our cause. It seems though, that once you give, you are attacked nearly monthly with requests for contributions.....I had even replied to them in one of their "requests" without the inclusion of $$$$, that one big donation once a year, or twice at tops, would be a large "donation" in its own right........The costs to send out those letters is a large sum, and if they reduced the quantity, they would actually be receiving more money. With no apparent correction, i have recently, stopped sending anything......the mail has now stopped !! Is anyone having a problem with this or am i overreacting???
The NRA-ILA and your wallet......
- Thread starter SOSARMS
- Start date
Bullshooter
New member
Monthly?
It's literally a continuous bombardment of snail mail and e-mail! Sorta like after I graduated from college, the alumni association sends me solicitations every month - and I graduated twenty five years ago!
I "opted out" of their mailings but I'm also willing to bet that I still get it,
It's literally a continuous bombardment of snail mail and e-mail! Sorta like after I graduated from college, the alumni association sends me solicitations every month - and I graduated twenty five years ago!
I "opted out" of their mailings but I'm also willing to bet that I still get it,
TheBluesMan
Moderator Emeritus
That's wrong. Those mailings bring in enough to pay for themselves and then some.
If you want to stop receiving the pleas for money, just contact NRA and ask. They'll be happy to remove you from the list. I am now only receiving mailings from them about four times a year.
-Dave
Dave:
I'm sure as a whole you are correct!! But, i also will add that all those that are sent out without the required contribution returned, that is a negative cash flow, as they DO cost to print and mail out ....I will take your suggestion, however, and see if i can't contact NRA by different means and get it limited to just a couple per year....
I'm sure as a whole you are correct!! But, i also will add that all those that are sent out without the required contribution returned, that is a negative cash flow, as they DO cost to print and mail out ....I will take your suggestion, however, and see if i can't contact NRA by different means and get it limited to just a couple per year....
Q: How can I reduce the amount of mail I receive from the NRA?
A: Simply email us at membership@nrahq.org or dial 800-NRA-3888 and request to be placed on the "Do Not Promote" list. This will significantly reduce the amount of mail you receive without affecting important mailings, magazine service, or your membership renewal.
_____________________________________________________________
Rememeber, the NRA-ILA and the NRA-PVF are NOT allowed, by law, to use our dues for political purposes. That's why they have to do the fundraising.
John
A: Simply email us at membership@nrahq.org or dial 800-NRA-3888 and request to be placed on the "Do Not Promote" list. This will significantly reduce the amount of mail you receive without affecting important mailings, magazine service, or your membership renewal.
_____________________________________________________________
Rememeber, the NRA-ILA and the NRA-PVF are NOT allowed, by law, to use our dues for political purposes. That's why they have to do the fundraising.
John
Mike Irwin
Staff
"The costs to send out those letters is a large sum, and if they reduced the quantity, they would actually be receiving more money."
I've dealt with this, and related, issues before.
I worked for a number of years in the direct mail industry with a major financial institution (Navy Federal Credit Union), and was for a number of years before that associate editor of American Rifleman magazine.
Direct mail is used as a fund raising vehicle for one reason and one reason alone -- it is, by far, the single most effective fund raising technique there is. Nothing else comes even remotely close.
No organization would continue to send out direct mail solicitations if they failed to bring in funds.
Often, a DMS brings in funds that FAR exceed total production costs, while the break even point, the point at which soliciatations have paid for the production costs, can often be met by a response rate as little as 0.25 percent. That means that even if 99.75% of the people on the mailing list throw the solicitation in the garbage, the solicitation is still not a failure.
For organizations such as NRA, ones that have a solid, cohesive message on a subject, response rates can easily exceed 10%, especially if there is a particular, pressing issue (such as an election). Average donation levels also tend to be much higher for organizations such as NRA, which can push that break even response rate even lower.
Simply put, to those who are unfamiliar with the concepts behind direct mail marketing, it may look as if NRA is wasting huge quantities of money.
Trust me, folks, they're not. They're bringing in a lot of money, even if you only participate once or twice a year.
I've dealt with this, and related, issues before.
I worked for a number of years in the direct mail industry with a major financial institution (Navy Federal Credit Union), and was for a number of years before that associate editor of American Rifleman magazine.
Direct mail is used as a fund raising vehicle for one reason and one reason alone -- it is, by far, the single most effective fund raising technique there is. Nothing else comes even remotely close.
No organization would continue to send out direct mail solicitations if they failed to bring in funds.
Often, a DMS brings in funds that FAR exceed total production costs, while the break even point, the point at which soliciatations have paid for the production costs, can often be met by a response rate as little as 0.25 percent. That means that even if 99.75% of the people on the mailing list throw the solicitation in the garbage, the solicitation is still not a failure.
For organizations such as NRA, ones that have a solid, cohesive message on a subject, response rates can easily exceed 10%, especially if there is a particular, pressing issue (such as an election). Average donation levels also tend to be much higher for organizations such as NRA, which can push that break even response rate even lower.
Simply put, to those who are unfamiliar with the concepts behind direct mail marketing, it may look as if NRA is wasting huge quantities of money.
Trust me, folks, they're not. They're bringing in a lot of money, even if you only participate once or twice a year.
Mike Irwin
Staff
Yes, it is a lot of trashcan fodder, a lot of dead trees.
But it's also a lot of dead presidents for NRA to use in their activities.
The only time I got REALLY mad at NRA was about 2 years ago when they sent me a copy of Tales of the Gun on video tape. Video? Jesus, join the 21st century.
It got a lot more aggrieving when, several weeks after I tossed the damned thing in the garbage, I got a "bill" for the video because I didn't send it back.
OK, first, I'm under no obligation to send anything back if I have received it unsolicited. That's black-letter law in this country.
Second, I didn't see anything in the mailer that requested me to return the tape.
Third, the "bill," in my opinion, bordered damned close on deceptive practices, as it looked like a bill and read like a damned collection letter!
That's when I called up a couple of NRA officials whom I know from my days of working at the organization and blew my stack. To say that I was pissed was an understatement; I was really ready to take the entire thing to the Virginia Attorney General's office and file a formal complaint.
As far as I know, NRA has never pulled that particular stunt again.
But it's also a lot of dead presidents for NRA to use in their activities.
The only time I got REALLY mad at NRA was about 2 years ago when they sent me a copy of Tales of the Gun on video tape. Video? Jesus, join the 21st century.
It got a lot more aggrieving when, several weeks after I tossed the damned thing in the garbage, I got a "bill" for the video because I didn't send it back.
OK, first, I'm under no obligation to send anything back if I have received it unsolicited. That's black-letter law in this country.
Second, I didn't see anything in the mailer that requested me to return the tape.
Third, the "bill," in my opinion, bordered damned close on deceptive practices, as it looked like a bill and read like a damned collection letter!
That's when I called up a couple of NRA officials whom I know from my days of working at the organization and blew my stack. To say that I was pissed was an understatement; I was really ready to take the entire thing to the Virginia Attorney General's office and file a formal complaint.
As far as I know, NRA has never pulled that particular stunt again.
MidnightRambler
New member
I got one of those several months ago. The original letter with the dvd said I was under no obligation to buy it, and I could keep it as a gift. So when I kept it and did not send any money, they started sending me notices that I hadn't paid for it. I never did pay for it, as I did not request it.
Mike Irwin
Staff
At least they've switched to DVDs.
The original letter I got with the video was very cagey about whether or not I was expected to pay for it. I knew I didn't have to, but I felt that it was misleading.
The original letter I got with the video was very cagey about whether or not I was expected to pay for it. I knew I didn't have to, but I felt that it was misleading.
Bartholomew Roberts
Moderator
One other thing to remember is that your membership dues to the NRA are limited by the charter for things like building new ranges, safety instruction, printing the magazine - stuff that was the original purpose of the NRA.
These direct mail solicitations provide a significant chunk of the money used for things like lobbying, political action committees, and the NRA Civil Defense Fund.
The NRA certainly does its share of stupid things (like the video); but they do a lot of good as well.
These direct mail solicitations provide a significant chunk of the money used for things like lobbying, political action committees, and the NRA Civil Defense Fund.
The NRA certainly does its share of stupid things (like the video); but they do a lot of good as well.
Mike Irwin
Staff
"One other thing to remember is that your membership dues to the NRA are limited by the charter for things like building new ranges, safety instruction, printing the magazine..."
Not just the charter, but by Federal law as well. Membership dues cannot be used for political activities.
Not just the charter, but by Federal law as well. Membership dues cannot be used for political activities.
Huchahucha
New member
I joined the NRA last November, but if I'd known they were going to constantly bug me for money I probably wouldn't have. Now I just shred most the requests (except for the ones with the sweepstakes where you can win enough guns to arm a small nation 
).
Just curious, does anybody actually send those pre addressed post cards in to the government representatives that the NRA mails out? I usually throw mine away, but over the 4th of July I saw a story on the news about U.N. representatives at the small arms convention being bombarded by mail from NRA members. I might start mailing mine in just to be a nuisance.
).Just curious, does anybody actually send those pre addressed post cards in to the government representatives that the NRA mails out? I usually throw mine away, but over the 4th of July I saw a story on the news about U.N. representatives at the small arms convention being bombarded by mail from NRA members. I might start mailing mine in just to be a nuisance.