Posted on 09/24/2006 9:39:16 AM PDT by kerryusama04
9/24/2006
Dear NRA,
I am writing to make some suggestions to marketing of the NRA. Since I upgraded to life member, the mailers I receive from the various NRA organizations has tripled. I have to confess that I don’t even open them anymore. These mailers, some on rather expensive bonded paper and weighing enough to require more postage than normal, get tossed out with the junk mail.
I purchased a membership for my brother-in-law a few years back because I felt he would receive the America’s First Freedom publication well and thus we would gain a member. Before he received his first magazine, he was also hit with a blitzkrieg of NRA mailers. My sister was really turned off by all the solicitations and it is a battle to get them to renew each year. My gift of an NRA membership was meant to draw my family closer, and it has, for about 50 weeks out of the year.
I dare say that you guys spend more money sending out mailers than a $35 dollar membership, less magazine subscription, produces in revenue.
I am requesting that you take me off of your mailing list and, instead, send all material electronically to my email address (below). I am also suggesting that, much like a credit card company, you give the option to the entire membership of how much, how often, and in what format we want our mailers and alerts. I am assuming that many members are like me and would rather receive the information electronically, thus saving the NRA a lot of money in postage and printing.
I am also recommending that you entertain changing strategies in the marketing. I think we all agree that the goal is to increase membership. To do this, I suggest a radio advertising campaign featuring Wayne LaPierre. The conservative talk radio icons like Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity have already assembled incredibly large audiences of likely members. If purchasing radio air time on these large market shows is cost prohibitive, I suggest that you guys purchase the air time from local conservative radio shows in various targeted markets. Here in the Kansas City area, Jerry Agar is a pro-gun radio host on 980 KMBZ who might even be inclined to have Mr. LaPierre on his show as a guest. I assume that other cities in red states have similar hosts, as they would likely have similar demographics. Bill O’Reilly came out decidedly pro-gun in the wake of the post-Katrina fiasco. I recently attended an NRA election meeting where we got to view a new movie you guys made highlighting the gun confiscations in and around New Orleans after the hurricane. It is just a hunch, but I think if you could find a way for Bill O’Reilly to see that movie, he may even be amenable to highlighting it on a segment of his television show.
The moral of the story here is that we need to get the word about what the NRA is and what it does out to a much larger number of folks than current efforts are reaching. The NRA is the largest and most powerful single lobbying group for a reason, and I understand that once a winning strategy produces such great results, one would be reluctant to change it, but times have changed, and we must adapt to continue growing.
When I got my NRA life membership, I got an email from a service rep thanking me. I replied to that email and told him my only request is that I don't get a high volume of mail from the NRA.
Other than my monthly magazine, I've only received voter information. They've respected my request.
I get more crap from the SAF and GOA individually than I've ever gotten from the NRA.
Is the NRA going to stop their fundraiser mailing? No. Never. Why? Because it pays off. I've read that every dollar spent on fundraising results in $10 in donations. They need money and it's a way to get money. As a concerned gun owner and 2nd Amendment activist, I hope they continue their fund raising.
However, I know too many people who stopped their NRA membership because of the mailings. The NRA needs to make the no fundraising mailer a little more well known to its membership.
I dont't want them to stop fund raising, either,but rather to put more effort into getting new members.
The problem with such statistics is that they fail to consider whether a person who sends in $10 in response to one solicitation may reduce future domations as a result. If a solicitation causes someone to send in $10 now that they would have sent in later, the $10 will be credited as being a "result" of that solicitation, even though it really won't be.
I've been a Life Member for years, and this is my main beef with the NRA.
Meant to add that I didn't know about the non-solicitation option. I'll give them a call. I get 3 to four mailers a month from them.
Please, I beg you, if you want to see the NRA not become another RINO political machine stop voting this one back on the board year after year.
Grover Norquist, NRA Board member, Founder of the Islamic Institute, friend of Jack Abramoff.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/849698/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/849446/posts?page=
Post#9 Norquist's Islamic Institute, the Wall Street Journal continued, has received money from "a network of Islamic organizations in Virginia under investigation by federal authorities for suspected ties to terrorism." Meanwhile, Norquist has been a vocal attacker of key provisions of the Bush administration's anti-terrorism legislation proposals, and has led an effort to discredit and undermine Attorney General John Ashcroft.
Insight magazine is reporting that Al-Arian and Norquist have worked together, and that Norquist has gone on record saying he is "proud" to have accepted an award in July 2001 from Al-Arian's National Coalition to Protect Political Freedom (NCPPF), which is described as a legal and political support group for international terrorist organizations.
According to the federal grand jury indictment, Al-Arian and his confederates tried to penetrate the mainstream political system to influence U.S. government counterterrorism policy. The Wall Street Journal states, "the indictment alludes to efforts by the defendants to gain political clout, alleging that they sought 'to obtain support from influential individuals in the United States under the guise of promoting and protecting Arab rights."
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1686119/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1587633/posts
The Right Plays The Race Card by| Michelle Malkin
I went to do this, but my internet crapped out. Here is the link Because I choose to live in the sticks, my internet sucks.
That would have been a positive response. He didn't. He's not the only one who complains about the mailings No, I'm not. I'm the only one with the stones to bring up the wasteful spending but it's usually a disgruntled so-called "member" who uses it as an excuse to do nothing.
Sorry, I don't have the patience for these people. Then quit replying to this thread We're still in the ballot and soap box political fight. I seriously doubt any gun owner who complains of a letter once in awhile I asked the wife, try 3 a week would be able to watch my back if the real bad stuff happens. you are not a nice man
I'm putting this in prospective perspective. I heard of one guy who didn't want to join the NRA again because they never shipped his crappy plastic "bullet" keychain. You get the keychain AFTER you join
If 74 million gun owners have this type of crybaby attitude, I don't want them in the NRA. I wouldn't want them to destroy my votes for the Board of Directors.
This is out of hand, dude. You're still attacking me thinking I am complaining about receiving letters. You obviously haven't read what I originally posted nor my repsonses to your continuous tirade. I think I have stumbled on why you don't get nearly as many mailers as I do.
I am active. I open my wallet, campaign, write letters, et. al. My zip code is completely represented by the NRA preferred candidate from State Representative all the way up to President Bush. I am a veteran and have TWO CCW licenses. I have guns all over my house and in both cars. I even converted an anti-gun lib to being pro-gun using AFF magazines.
And I am tired of having to post my pro-gun resume on every 2A or gun thread on this forum.
It is the same on every thread. If a guy doesn't own a 1911 or espouses some cartridge other than the 45, he's a troll. If a guy breathes a word about the NRA maybe doing something different or better, he's either grumbling or a troll. Our community isn't growing being we are a-holes. People are scared to go into a gun shop because they are afraid they will get quizzed on ballistics. A guy wants a concealable 9mm, and is deluged with "what you need is _____". It is readily apparent that the majority of NRA members and gun owners want their community to stay small. I think you guys are enjoying playing "the victim". You don't want to be the majority. You want to be David slaying Goliath year after year after year. Not me. I want everyonve who owns a gun to be an NRA member. I want all 80 million signed up and voting. That is my goal.
The NRA is successful, but it is not as large or successful as it ought to be, IMO. Our membership is flat and I think it out to be growing. Call me crazy, call me a troll, call me whatever. But either add something positive to this thread or STFU.
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