$500 NRA Life memberships

[Spike Jones 5 2002]

Who's life time????
This is not the first time they offered a life time membership.
Then declared the membership needs to be renewed.

 

[warthog]

I just wanted to say the rep situation has now taken care of.

 

[medcoxo]

Will have to give the GOA a look see. Still may do the NRA thing to get some 'swag'... I still love my NRA hat. It always gets me 'looks' whenever I am out and about wearing it.

 

[JettaKnight]

Who's life time????
This is not the first time they offered a life time membership.
Then declared the membership needs to be renewed.

I've never been asked to renew my membership. However, I just got a letter requesting I become an endowment member and I think I'll act on it since the lifetime membership has been devalued and granted to the hoi palloi.

 

[JettaKnight]

Donations to Section 501(c)(4) Organizations

The GOA is straight political which is what I want and support. The NRA also tends to be hunter orients as well as willing to compromise. I don't nat support the NRA and yes, they have the name recognition due to being more adept at advertising (and paying for it) to make more money. The NRA excels at raising TAXABLE donations and selling branded and marked for because of it merchandise so you can show all your friends you are doing something. GOA has a few shirts and hats and a sticker or two but spending money on junk takes away from the cause so they don't spend a lot on it either. The donations to the GA are therefore TAX DEDUCIBLE.

They are both 501(c)(4) organizations, designated as non-profits by the IRS.

As for contributions being deductible, Nope. Perhaps your confusing their non profit status with that of a charity. Swag has nothing to do with it; political influence does.

Exemption Requirements - 501(c)(3) Organizations

Donations to Section 501(c)(4) Organizations


The way I see it, the NRA has the clout to get things done. The GOA's no compromise attitude could keep them from gaining any audience with legislators. Besides, ask any political candidate who doesn't toe the line with the NRA as to their effectiveness. The NRA and LaPierre know that you have to spend money to make money. I find no fault in that.

 

[JettaKnight]

I joined NRA this year and and was supposed to get a NRA duffle bag. A couple months after joining they sent out a card with instructions that said if I wanted the bag I needed to send the card in. I checked the box on the application form when I joined in the first place. If I hadn't read the info that was sent to me and just threw it away with the rest of the crap they send me I would had gotten jipped out of my duffle bag.

It was a cheap bag anyways.

 

[warthog]

Check your facts again, the NRA isn't a non-profit organization though the NRA-ILA is which is what confuses folks.
GOA contributions and those given to NRA-ILA are deductible, to the BRA alone though they are not.

I don't deny they have "cloit" though who the clout lays with seems more to be with the membership than the legislature. The media also seems to extoll the wonders of the NRA but they also have name recognition that even antis understand so they are far easier to demonize in the news due to this fact. The GOA hasn't been around long in comparison and it also hasn't had the impact as long either but they are catching up.

We have to give other organizations a larger slice of our lobby money since the NRA tends to be a hunter oriented lobby group who only seems to get involved when pressured and by then it is also too late to really chabge things n=in Capitol Hill.

As for the bag, it was probably more the pricipal than the quality at issue. The fact it turns out to be a cheap thing only accentuates the NRA's lack of caring.

 

[JettaKnight]

typos fixed.

Check your facts again, the NRA isn't a non-profit organization though the NRA-ILA is which is what confuses folks.

I took my facts from here:
National Rifle Association - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
https://www.nra.org/rof/give.aspx
Do you have any citation stating they are a for-profit organization?

GOA contributions and those given to NRA-ILA are deductible, to the NRA alone though they are not.

No. No. And no. Donations to political lobbies are never tax deductible. You should figure this out before being audited. This is the same reason why churches can't come out and say, "vote for Squiggy!" without putting their status in jeopardy.

I don't deny they have "cloit" though who the clout lays with seems more to be with the membership than the legislature. The media also seems to extoll the wonders of the NRA but they also have name recognition that even antis understand so they are far easier to demonize in the news due to this fact. The GOA hasn't been around long in comparison and it also hasn't had the impact as long either but they are catching up.

We have to give other organizations a larger slice of our lobby money since the NRA tends to be a hunter oriented lobby group who only seems to get involved when pressured and by then it is also too late to really change things on Capitol Hill.

As for the bag, it was probably more the principle than the quality at issue. The fact it turns out to be a cheap thing only accentuates the NRA's lack of caring.

OK... we'll just happily disagree with each other on this. The fact that you think the NRA is "hunter oriented" shows you biases. I'll agree they support hunters well, but they also push heavily for CC, OC and normal capacity magazines. Certain you can agree that Heller v. DC was not about hunting, yet the NRA was influential in that.

You say that the NRA "only seems to get involved when pressured", but how do you think it should be? Who should set the agenda the executives in the emerald tower in Waples, VA or membership? I'd argue that the NRA does a good job of both being out in front on issues and taking up battles that are important to members.

Understand I'm not against the GOA, but I am pro NRA. It's a big enough fight for all of us.

 

[JettaKnight]

Currently a NRA Life Member. Offer to step up to Endowment is $250.

A standard membership is $25 annually, right?

So if they can get you to become a life member, then upgrade every eight years, then they come out ahead.

 

[1Hoosier]

Is this $500 life membership for real? Same benefits as the annual memberships? Any catch?

 

[Mgderf]

Is this $500 life membership for real? Same benefits as the annual memberships? Any catch?

Very much real, and yes, same full membership benefits of an annual membership.
No catch.

 

[Expat]

Is this $500 life membership for real? Same benefits as the annual memberships? Any catch?

Welcome to INGO.

 

[87iroc]

Is this $500 life membership for real? Same benefits as the annual memberships? Any catch?

They lower the cost regularly...its just a standard lifetime membership.

Welcome to the forum!

 

[JettaKnight]

Is this $500 life membership for real? Same benefits as the annual memberships? Any catch?

The catch is you get a cool "Life Member" ribbon at the Annual Meeting. They stop asking for renewals, but start asking for you to be an endowment member. At the sale price of $250, I caved in to this request; this keeps me one step ahead of the hoi polloi.

 

[Mgderf]

The catch is you get a cool "Life Member" ribbon at the Annual Meeting. They stop asking for renewals, but start asking for you to be an endowment member. At the sale price of $250, I caved in to this request; this keeps me one step ahead of the hoi polloi.

You're still just a few steps behind some of us...
I upped to Endowment several years back, then to Patron, then Benefactor.

I just wish the Benefactor member wear wasn't white.
I can't keep white clean.

 

[seekhim1st]

I tried to PM you but since I am new to the site it will not allow me to PM until I have reached 50 posts. I am looking for a sponsor for NRA Lifetime membership if you could do that for me. My email is eduadm63@gmail.com. Not sure if I can receive PMs either at this time. Thanks