Advice for the newly elected NRA board Members

"You can't shrink yourself to prosperity"

On Monday in Atlanta, hopefully, you will vote out of office the last vestiges of the Cabal leadership that drove the NRA to this low point. That will be a great accomplishment following the dissolution of the Special Litigation Committee (SLC) and removing the Brewer law firm and their ludicrous billings. This stops some of the major sources of membership shrinkage, but that is not enough to get membership growing again.

Members are disengaged, and membership continues to decline. As I understand, this is the lowest engagement of voting members ever in this election. Engagement is the key to growth.

Now your work begins. The NRA has a membership problem that is magnified by an “inside-out” culture. Former head of general operations, Joe Debergalis, told me in response to a question about reaching out to communities that are not part of the NRA that people “will come to the NRA when they are ready.” This “We built it, they will come” mindset is proven again and again to lead to failure. Another example is Ronnie Barret standing up at the January 2025 board meeting, stating that “President Barr asked him to lead the Restructuring committee and to make sure that he justifies keeping things as they currently are.”

This focuses on the past rather than the future. Shrinking organizations focus on the past, growing organizations focus on the future.

The NRA has a “Go To Market” problem. The brand is tarnished. The value proposition of membership is stale. Magazines and Chinese promotional items are not enough. The recent membership drive with a price of $18.71 to highlight the founding year is merely price competition. Commodities compete on price. Growing organizations compete on Value. Value comes from focusing on the Now and the Future.

The NRA Board needs to lead a comprehensive rethinking of the value proposition to members. The only way members will engage, former members return, and new members join is if there is a clear “What's in it for me as a member?" value that will get clubs, associations, and members to join.

There are millions of new gun owners. They do not see any value in joining the NRA as there is no clear value for them for now and in the future. They join

That requires a shift in culture from the current “inside-out” approach to an “outside-in” approach. Reach out to the new gun owners from all communities. The rising number of gun owners in Black, Hispanic, Asian, Liberal, LGBT, and other communities needs real engagement, not superficial photo ops. Engage with members, ask them what they need from the NRA, ask them what they would wish the NRA to do for them, and ask them what they would do if they were the head of the NRA to bring value to members. You need to do this with individuals, not focus groups (focus groups tend to engage in groupthink and stifle individual contributions, same for consulting firms that tell you what they think you want to hear).

People will tell you what they want. You need to listen, then plan, then act.

The old ways and culture must change, and you, as board members, were elected to lead that change. We are counting on you.