NRA telemarketing
 

Just wonder how many of you get offended by their tactics to sollict funds. I hate all forms of telemarketing. I know we need the NRA but they seem to be pushing against their own.

RE: NRA telemarketing
 

Their incessant pleas for "more money" are extremely irritating . [:@]
Nearly as much as their inability to understand that most of their members are regular folks who don't always have an extra $20 every time they overspend or have some new cause celeb . If they spent half the money on recruiting new members that they spend on begging they wouldn't need to beg . Strength flows best from numbers , not average contributions .

RE: NRA telemarketing
 

The constant pestering for donations is the thing that drove a friend out of the NRA, and will probably keep me from renewing my membership. It seems that you don't join the NRA to protect gun-owner rights so much as you pay to be put on a telemarketing, mailing, and e-mail list to get continuously soliceted for more money.

And God forbid that you should ask for details when the get you on the phone. They're just not set up to deviate from their scare-tactics scripts. I've had a few instances where I've told them that I was going to research the legislation in question first. One instance in particular, background checks for purchases at gun shows, I disagreed with the NRA stance. That really throws them for a loop, they just keep asking for a donation until you hang up on them.

Then you've got the constant mailers requesting money. I really don't care if Wayne La Pierre wrote a book, but I hope that the NRA is getting all the money from it, not just some if it, otherwise why did they promote it to me about half a dozen times.

I'd prefer that they dropped the scare tactics and rhetoric and focused on an intelligent research and debate. Take the assult weapons ban as an example. Rather than treat that as the first step in taking away all our guns, why not challenge it on its effectiveness. They've banned the things for 10 years. Has there been any real change in crime levels? Were they even used in that many crimes to begin with? (outside of the Steven Segal movies that is). Too bad we don't see that kind of information and approach in the mailers.

Sorry, I've started to rant a bit. [:@]

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I was an NRA member as a very young man but one high pressure phone call cooked my goose with them. Really turned me off. The tactics can be likened to some of the things that the anti's use against hunters/shooters. Never intend to be a member again and this happened 20 or so years ago.

RE: NRA telemarketing
 

That is why people aren't rejoining. It is one thing to get the junk mail but the phone calls are to much.[:@]

RE: NRA telemarketing
 

Agreed, I held off on joining for a long time because of their obnoxious tactics. I agree with them that the second amendment needs defending, but they constantly sell this idea that your $20 is all that can prevent immediate confiscation of all firearms.

Their latest little tactic has me seriously questioning whether I should renew my membership. They sent out this hunting video unsolicited, with some mumbo jumbo about keep it if you want, pay for it if you can, send it back if you want. Bottom line is they sent it unsolicited and I don't have to pay for it. But now they're billing me for it! So, with my renewal fee due, if I send the renewal fee, first thing they're going to do is subtract the video fee, then tell me I owe another $9 for my membership renewal. The only way out of this I see is to say to heck with it and let my membership lapse. I tried calling them about this issue, but gave up after sitting on hold for 45 minutes.

RE: NRA telemarketing
 

These tatics are the reason that I'm not a NRA member.

I rarely have telemarketers call me. For about a year I told them "Put me on your do not call list". It seems to work except for the politicians. They are exempt from the "do not call" laws.

RE: NRA telemarketing
 

Anyone heard of or joined the "new" foundation called "Friends of the NRA"?[&:] Seems the money will go to enhance youth hunting, etc.....
They had a meeting here for a district "State" group.. Out of 30 invited guests, only 3 showed???[&:] They have a website, but I am still suspicious!

RE: NRA telemarketing
 

I hate telemarketing as much as the next guy, but not joining, or quitting the NRA because of telemarketing, is as poor as an excuse as you can have!
The NRA is the best thing gun owners, and Second Amendment supporters have going for them!
If not for the NRA, guns would already be outlawed in America! There are other things that you can do besides quitting! Get on the "do not call list," ask them not to call you, hang up the phone, or just say "you can't afford a contribution right now, thank you," and then hang up!
I have been a NRA member for many years, and I have only been called about two or three times, at most during those years! It costs the NRA a lot of money to keep up the fight for our guns! Rhe anti's are a smaller group than us gun owners, but they are mostly rich, elite, hollyweirds! Many of these wacko's give thousands, if not millions to the anti-gun groups! These are the people the NRA is fighting against everyday! If you can contribute, great! If you can't, then don't! No problem!
I get way more calls for credit cards, than from the NRA!
There IS a very real threat to our Second Amendment right to bear arms, and the NRA is by far the best voice the gun owner has these days!
Please don't cut off your nose to spite your face!

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I have been a menber of the NRA for 9 years. But the calls get to be rediculous. They try to make it sound like it is my duty to give more money. I always turn them down. I will continue to be a member, but they are only going to get my yearly dues. The only people i give money to on a regular basis is the disabled veterans. They always send stationary and calanders. I try to send them $20 when i can. I probably would send a little extra to the NRA if they were not so pushy.

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What CalNewbie said says it all,some real jerks call
from there!:)

RE: NRA telemarketing
 

I agree that we need an organization to help defend our gun rights, but am tired of years of seemingly constant bombardment of solicitations. They are so aggresive in their tactics to raise money that they are running people away from them. My last renewal was an agreement that I would sign up for two more years if they promised not to call again asking for money. Just last night I threw away my third letter/renewal form telling me my subscription is about to expire. I hate to be like that, but enough is enough.

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Agree with you JagManMan. Are we to hate the police,fireman,sheriff dept. because we get calls to donate their " organizations "?? I get a few calls but I'm polite and just say no thanks, end of problem. NRA is FAR to important to blow off to inconvenience of a few phone calls. LIFE member and proud of it.

RE: NRA telemarketing
 

I very much agree with JagMagMan, Without the NRA we would be in the same boat as Britain, Canada, and Australia. I have been a member since the mid 70's. I give them one contribution each year( as large as I can afford at the time)and If they call, I explain and politely hang up. There are policies that the NRA has that I don't agree with,including the way that they go about soliciting money, but folks they are all we have!!

RE: NRA telemarketing
 

I recieved the hunting video, still have it and have not sent any money for it. Here is why. This video has the NRA saying over and over that they support hunters, and I'm sure they do. Here in Maine we have a anti hunting referendum on the ballot this fall. The US Humane society, Friends of Animal and a few local groups have managed to put a question on the ballot that would essentially make bear hunting in Maine illegal. In our efforts to defeat this we have been asking for support from all across the country, and have had some good succes in doing so. As donations come in we add the name of the person, or organization that has donated to the cause to our coalition list. Noticable absent from the list is the NRA. I recently was called by the NRA asking for money. I told of the situation in Maine and that I would not give them one more penny until they steped up to help us defeat this referendum. I have donated for most of life to the NRA, now I need thier help, guess what, no dice. Instead of making a donation they told me they would urge individual members to donate, so the NRA name will not appear on the coalition list, what a shame. I called my NRA rep about this and he told me they would urge individual members to donate. I do a lot of work for Ducks Unlimited, this came up in the conversation, yes DU is on the coalition list, The NRA rep then got in my face about conservation organizations not defending the second amendment. I had to educate him to the fact that DU puts more guns on the street through it's banquetts than anyone else in this country, DU is the largest gun retailer in the US. I could hear his Jaw hit the table, he backed right off and was real nice. The bottom line, The NRA will not, and has not as of today, contributed to defeateding this anti hunt referendum in Maine. But they continue to call me for more money. Sorry I tell them, all my donations this year go to the referendum, maybe next year, yea, call me then.

RE: NRA telemarketing
 

And when we loose our right to bear arms, any arms wether it be rifle, pistol, or shotgun, you guys that can't deal with a phone call or two will be crying like babies that lost their bottle. Shees, if it weren't for the NRA, we would be without most of the above already. I anti's are working, and working hard at taking away all guns. period. They started by going after "assualt" weapons, and they are now trying to include semi-auto shotguns in that same list. Some politicians have out right said that the goal is to take away "ALL" guns! You guys that can't handle a phone call every now and then need to toughin up, and join, or rejoin, before it's too late!

RE: NRA telemarketing
 

And another thing, for you guys that recieved a video that you didn't ask for, but yet you refuse to return it, or pay for it, why not just get a membership to one of your "anit-gun" groups and send your money to them, because essentially, since you're costing the NRA money, you're helping the anti-gun groups!
And, without guns, there won't be much need to fight for any bear season, or deer season, or goose season! Of course, there will be hunting seasons, black powder and archery only[:o]
Guys, tell me what is so hard about telling a telemarketer, "excuse me, but at this time I am short on funds, so please call me back some other time". Plus, it is an election year, have we not forgot that. And who has been helping gun manufactures for the last several years fight in all of the lawsuits against them?
A gun owner that is not a member of the NRA is just about a "sin"!
Very good point, but the very low percentage of crimes that did include assulat weapons made the head lines. Now, if they start looking at the percentage of crimes that include handguns, much higher, so that will be the next gun that they choose to retract from society! Besides, it is much easier for the anti-gunners to show pictures of these "bad" assualt weapons and scare the general public into beleiveing that they are the weapons of choose for criminals, so it was easier to get the "uneducated" public to go along with the "assault Ban"!
I guess the NRA has decided that all the facts about guns not killing people, but people killing people, have decided it's time to "scare" the general hunting public into seeing that we will loose our guns unless something is done, with hopes that they will listen, but I guess not everyone wants to believe that our guns and the 2nd amendment can't be takin away! Wake up people!

RE: NRA telemarketing
 

Jumpin back in here... Except for a loose srew or two like Howler, seems to me like there is a message here for the NRA. Why would I want to blindly fall in line with people who abuse me with these phone calls to get me to join up? The " no call " service is not the answer! Why do I want to be a part of an organization that uses these tactics? Whether I'm getting these calls or not, they should realize that these calls are not the way to get the average Joe to give them his support.

RE: NRA telemarketing
 

Oh, you poor, poor person, being abused about as bad as those prisoners in Iraq![:'(] Alright then, just tell me how the NRA should go about gettting all hunters, gun owners to see the point? Please tell me, oh wise one!!

RE: NRA telemarketing
 

Telemarketing is just a fact of life these days! Get over it! Again, it is a very poor excuse not to support the NRA!
For you hunters out there (of which I am one,) hunting is NOT a constitutional right! The right to bear arms, the Second Amendment, IS our constitutional right! It is under severe attack by anti-gun groups and bleeding heart, anti-HUNTING groups too!
Someone said that when all guns are banned, hunting will be with muzzleloaders and bows only. That is a false hope too! When guns are banned, ALL hunting will be just that much easier for them to stop too!
Also, don't be naive enough to believe that the anti's only want to ban "assault weapons!" When they get enough votes to ban the dreaded assault guns, they will move on to another type of gun, until all guns are banned!
The reason they are going after the so-called "assault weapons," (what is an assault weapon anyway? You can be "assaulted" with a baseball bat!) is that these guns, look scary. They are also going after large target 50 caliber guns too! Their reason of thinking is that, not as many people have these types of weapons, and it will be easier to get the general public, and even naive gunowners to COMPROMISE, and have these guns banned! Then they will go after the next type of gun, until they are all banned!
It costs the NRA millions to fight the anti gunners. The cost of an NRA magazine eats up most of the cost of an NRA membership! They need donations to continue the fight. Telemarketing is one of the ways to get that needed money! I don't like it, you don't like it, and I'm sure the NRA leadership would use a better form of fundraising, if there was one! Telemarketing obviously works! Everyone is using it!
Find a better excuse than telemarketing, for NOT being an NRA member!
Heres one for you, "I'm not an NRA member, because I'm free-loading off of the other 4 million gun owners that are fighting to protect my Second Amendment rights" Or, " I don't care that my rights are under attack, as long as my guns are not on the ban list!"

RE: NRA telemarketing
 

There are numerous ways to raise money for a cause. In my area DU has banquets, raffles, B-B-Q's, promotions, and other fund raising events. I have never seen a NRA fund raiser here of any kind. Maybe a little restructuring and having local chapters (like DU) to host local events would be a friendlier way, and get to meet the local people and hear their thoughts and ideas. I'm not bashing the NRA as a whole, just they way go about soliciting funds. Even a parent gets tired of their teenager asking for money constantly. Which is what allowances are for. I'll give you X number of dollars for X amount of time. Don't ask for any more money until that time. The NRA just keep badgering.

RE: NRA telemarketing
 

Deerslayer and rwilson have raised some good points. Some here are equating our frustration with the NRA's fundraising methods with a lack of support of the NRA's mission. I think that's mis-stating our message. To state it more clearly, while I support gun-owner's rights, its unfortunate that the our primary advocate (the NRA) has chosen methods of fund-raising that serve to turn us off to the many good things that the organization accomplishes.

A sensitive topic like the 2nd amendment sometimes generates passionate responses that while well intentioned, stretch credibility. No one is equating telemarketing with torture. But I think we can be free to express disgust with both.

Think of it this way: NRA - wrong of right. When right, to be kept right. When wrong, to be put right. And to be put right the NRA needs to clearly hear the message that their fundraising methods are driving members away. Organizations that grow to the NRA's size sometimes become "monsters" that need more and more money to sustain themselves. Sometimes the core mission suffers because they're spending so much time and effort "feeding the organization".

--All but the really bored should stop here. The rest is my tirade about fundraising calls in general, not just the NRA's calls--

Fundraising efforts, telemarketing, direct mail, etc. are often referred to as "campaigns" and measured by their success rates. The people who work these things are professionals and know before going into it that their success rate will be X percent. They know that they're going to have to call or mail X number of people to get Y amount of dollars. And from that donation amount, they pay the telemarketers, printers, post office, etc.

Its not uncommon for an organization to get less than half of the money donated in a campaign. Donate a car worth $4,000 and the charity might only get $500. Better for you to sell the car and donate all the proceeds yourself. The clearance rates are worse for telemarketing because the expenses are high, but the success rates can justify it. People find it hard to say no "in person". Its much easier to throw away the mailer. They stretch for reasons not to contribute, and the telemarketers have scripts to answer some of those excuses. That's why they can be so difficult when you move the discussion away from their script. Doubtless there are some who don't give a rats a$$ about the cause they're calling for. Its their job, that's all, and they aren't in a position to do any more than parrot back their scripts.

My message to all solicitations is a firm no. No mailer ever gets returned. No phone call is ever successful. In no way do I want to encourage that infrastructure. I earmark my charitable donations and send them unsolicited as the year progresses. This way they get all of the money, instead of just part. You can't support every cause, even the truely noble ones.

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In response to Calnewbie: very well put...there has to be a better way.

In response to Howler: you must have gotten into the wrong thread here..

Who said anything about torturing prisoners in Iraq?

People like you only provide ammunition to the anti's because you

make us all come across as wild-eyed fools.

Crawl back under your rock.

RE: NRA telemarketing
 

Good points on your several posts, rwilson. Great post there, calnewbie.

I support the NRA mission, but I detest their tactics. Rwilson, you have inspired me to write a long letter to the NRA, expressing my sentiments on this topic.

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Everyone who hunts should belong to the NRA. Just do what I do; I pay my yearly dues, send them an extra $25 at election time, and tear up everything else they send me. We need them, they need us. Just because they send a solicitation does not mean you have to feel obligated. I give what I can, everything else goes in the "round file".

RE: NRA telemarketing
 

Well, I just got dug out from under my "rock" and here's something for you guys to chew on. And tell me, after reading it, that you can't find a way to put up with a few phone calls asking for support for "our" cause!
"Senator John Kerry co-sponsors-along with the likes of Ted Kennedy, Dianne Feinstein, and Charles Schumer--S.1431, a bill that would: 1) ban all semi-auto shotguns; 2) ban all centerfire and rimfire semi-auto rifles that use detachable magazines; and 3) ban a lot of other guns newly determined to be "assualt weapons." Also, "Similar bans on all semi-auto shotguns, and/or pump action and semi-auto action rifles that use detachable magazines, such as the Rem. models 7600 and 7400, were introduced during the 2003-2004 legislative sessions in GA, LA, OH, and Penn. and were proposed for other states on the model "assault weapon" ban legislation put together by the Calif.-based anit-gun Legal Community Against Violence"
Now, does that hit home to any of ya? Can you see that this is an election year and the anti-gun crowd isn't going to stop at simply taking away, what they call, assualt weapons! It's a wake-up call. It is now time, despite a few "frustrating, ill timed, phone calls", to join in and back the NRA! Or will ya just sit back until your gun is on the list to be taken away?

RE: NRA telemarketing
 

I deleted this post. Didn't want to stir the pot.

Deerslayer

RE: NRA telemarketing
 

Good! The pot your stirring is an anti-gunners feast!
Telemarketing/fund raising is NOT a good reason for gun owners not to support the NRA!

RE: NRA telemarketing
 

Good post livbucks, I agree!

Join, pay what you can or nothing if you can't...and quit bellyaching. The NRA is the only thing we have going for us...and I believe anyone that hunts should support them. You don't have to agree with everything they do, or be happy about their tactics...just make sure that you are a member. If not, don't complain when we lose our rights, and don't be so naive to say "it can't happen".