Like others here, I get requests for money pretty regularly from both NRA and Gun Owners of America (GOA). Always a crisis. I ignore them. GOA is pretty straightforward and just asks for money. NRA constantly tries to entice me with (likely) foreign made junk (knives, bags, binoculars, etc.).
I funneled a lot of money to the NRA 8-10 years ago, working my way up to “Benefactor” member.
- Life Member
- Endowment Member ($1,000 as of a prior offering)
- Patron Member ($1,500 as of a prior offering)
- Benefactor Member (the highest, often an upgrade from Patron for an additional fee)
Long after I did all that, I continually received invitations to join the various membership levels, although I’d completed them all. It was as if no one at the NRA tracked anything. That seems to have finally stopped after the recent leadership changes - I even got a donation solicitation encouraging me as a “Benefactor” to donate more money.
Every once in a while I even did the $250 a year “Golden Eagles” membership as well, thinking all along I was helping with the goal of advancing 2A rights. Then I learned I was pretty much buying fancy suits for the previous director and paying for luxuries for him and other members. Quite disappointed to say the least.
It seems here recently they (NRA) are making a concerted effort to get back on track, so

, and I do think a lot of the NRA leadership scammers are gone.
I still wonder about fundraising when they ask me for money with one hand and want to give me stuff with the other - I’m sure they get that junk cheap, but I’m also sure it’s not free. I also bristle about the amount of snail mail solicitations I receive from both agencies. If they have the membership numbers they claim, they are spending a fortune on postage in the hopes of getting a few dollars in donations back - not to mention, I’m guessing most members have e-mail addresses.
If I ever felt the need to donate to a 2A promoting organization, it would be GOA - at least until I see the NRA start being directly involved in positive 2A changes in National legislation.