NRA and AARP Policies in the State of Florida - Report Example

NRA and AARP policies in the of Florida No: NRA and AARP policies in the of Florida Introduction The NRA offers its members six times a year magazines namely American Rifleman, American Hunter or America’s First Freedom in replacement of one of the cited magazines. However, for children under the age of 15, the reader may have the choice of digital publication right under the umbrella of NRA Insights, which have a circulation figure around 25,000 copies. During the past few years, the two magazines are on the verge of decrease, which shows the figures of overall decline in circulation (Melzer, 2009). The AARP provides magazines when you become member of it. A relatively small number declines to receive the AARP Magazine and the AARP Bulletin as well. The publication of said magazines are mind boggling since each circulation comprises about 22.5 million copies, by all means the mentioned publications, are the two most widely circulated magazines in the United States of America. There may be a yawning gap between their claimed members and their true subscribers in view that one copy of each publication is sent per household, if we take into account married couples and parents who live with adult children can be members of the same organization (Lynch, 2011). NRA The applauding successes in gun control battle in the upper and lower bodies of the legal institutions present in the country; the apex body of NRA has demonstrated once again its dominant role as one of the key influential public businesses in the country. It is to think how NRA has become so powerful body to dominate the political scenario with regard to the issue of gun controls (Melzer, 2009). There is no doubt that legal gun holders join hands of NRA for the same reasons, as the people join other organizations like environmental organization to strengthen the cause in which, they believe. It is a matter of fact that large number of people have joined the NRA. The reason being, members are greatly benefits from their package of life style offered for their members (Melzer, 2009). The members have the discretion to get access of local clubs meant for hunting, shooting, protection lessons, kids and for family unit events, rifle insurance, free availability of NRA’s magazines, concessions, sports, and apparel shops coupled with fortuitous death and physical handicapped insurance. The NRA offers most widely published magazines of the world to their members. Due to number of discounts and other facilities available to the members of NRA, the members timely pay $35 as membership fee to become active gun owners (Melzer, 2009). The credit goes to NRA whose services and programs have made this institution a trusted name. On the basis of services and the mentioned programs, the NRA motivates its members for civic engagements. By using the local clubs and its activist centres, the NRA cautiously puts its members into intense engagements, as its helpers and advocates for the benefits of the organization. The member’s activities besides substantial opinionated spending make the NRA the most influential lobbyist in the United States of America (Davidson, 1998). It is also considered beneficial for the members and the moral fibre of organization’s monetary accomplishment. Apart from that, more than USD 100 (M) are those, which members reimburse in dues. The NRA conveys additional USD 30 (M) from its business activities to make it part of NRA’s discount, advertisement, magazines and product endorsements. Further, the NRA produces substantial amount from dues and received proceeds (Melzer, 2009). The services and the benefits that are offered by the NRA to its members consist of full joy. We may consider it the secret of the success of the organization and the deep and lasting relationship with the organization, a key to the success and the effective functional organization (Davidson, 1998). AARP AARP is a known institution, which has 40 million members having an annual budget that has crossed USD 1 billion. It is an undisputed king amongst the member organizations. By all means, it is a complete functional organization in terms of benefits and services. Among all other similar organization, AARP’s income foundation is derived from its group of members. The said organization is considered conglomerate in terms of its size, profit, royalty deals with potentials insurance, banks and last but not least, travel companies. In the year 2011, AARP generated more than USD 700 million in Toto to cover above half of AARP’s non-profitable budget (Lynch, 2011). The multiple services provided by the AARP in the shape of concessions, insurance, monetary services coupled with travelling deals that woo senior citizens to renew their sponsorship funding the major part of AARP’s operation accounts. The mentioned organization launches it products in a very effective manner through print and electronic media that customer cannot succumb to its marketing techniques. The company in question is so famous that the prominent businesses companies are eager to launch their products with the name of AARP, thus increasing their revenue to the desirable extent (Lynch, 2011). By all means, it is a vigorous, ‘independent revenue base’ that enables AARP to make outsized expenditures in the field of sponsorship and systematizing their different segments. In this arena in the year 2009, AARP used up approximately USD 100 million on conveying messages to ensure means of access of the Affordable Care Act on top preference basis. As a result of mass campaign, AARP was one of the largest lobbyists who are the strong advocates for passing the bill. In the passage of bill, more than 1.5 million members took active part to sign the petitions supporting the bill. To achieve the desired result, AARP scampered a torrent of campaign via electronic and print media with regard to healthcare in the nation’s principal interest through widely circulated magazines of the world (Lynch, 2011). The mentioned activities made AARP to face heavy disapproval for being too commerce oriented and for being profoundly dependent on its insurance gains. Despite all odds, the organization retains its status of a trusted organization amongst its customers irrespective of the young and the old, which of course one of the biggest activist forces in the country. There cannot be two questions about the most vigorous income engines that most public businesses are natural products in terms of their profits and services. The organization is dependent on generation of significant revenue to offer benefit and services to its members. Most public businesses go beyond their numbers by cashing profits and services aimed at to generate revenue every time when the services are employed. Monetizing of some profits and services is probably easier than others. Surely, no organization can be considered perfect in the art of monetization better than AARP (Lynch, 2011). The said organization generates billions of dollars by endorsing insurance and selling travel products, offering concessions, and showing advertisements in its admired most readable magazine even though the degree of AARP’s product licensing program seems not attractable for largely public businesses. Since, its copies are employed by different groups, thus they amassed a segment of consumers, consult comfortable deals for customers, and in return obtain a recommendation fee from the businesses offering the deals (Lynch, 2011). If we talk about historically about the profits and monetary services of insurance, they are related to the frequently employed customer services employed by many organizations who are responsible for the provision of insurances and loans, which has low interests and improved conditions for better growth of participant businesses in order to facilitate farmers, small business entities, professionals, and customers alike (Lynch, 2011). Evaluation NRA has nearly four million members while AARP has nearly forty million, so there is a drastic difference in their number of members. For NRA, people have to get the registration while for AARP, when the nationals turn fifty or near, they automatically get registered with AARP due to which, AARP is much larger than NRA. According to a survey, only one of every twenty gun owners keep the membership of NRA and NRA allows gun owners to keep weapons legally. As far as NRA’s reputation and role in policy making is concerned, the company keeps enough strength to make Congress pass a bill on the basis of its number of members (Godwin, Ainsworth & Godwin, 2012). Similarly, in the case of AARP, the company has a large number of members database in the field of health and Medicare, so it also keeps capability in effecting Congress and the government in forming legislations and bills. NRA participated in discussions for 2nd Amendment that dealt with gun control. Similarly, the acts dealing with health and insurance are considered and discussed by AARP, such as Obama Health Care insurance program. Therefore, NRA and AARP being influential organizations participate in governmental policymaking, but the right of policy making lies with the government and Congress, so the companies have to access them (Godwin, Ainsworth & Godwin, 2012). One cannot deny the fact that issue organizations have to act significantly in moving ahead purposeful strategy agendas, which they are innately restricted in their range and degree. They are not in position to proffer lucrative packages of services and the profits and a serviceable organization can do. Conversely, issue organizations initiate their activities with the assumption that helpful behaviour of an issue is adequate to encourage anybody to develop into a member or a donor of their organization (Matures, 2005). Large numbers of Americans do not take themselves as activists. Resultantly, ‘issue organizations’ develop to connect in attracting somewhat 100,000 members only They are striving hard to get the donations from the prospective donors to make their revenue generation base. NRA single-handedly has more members than the top five groups. Comparatively, they are in a less important part of the sponsorship of AARP or in the shape of leading churches (Matures, 2005). There are people who are of the view that keeping ‘millions of members’ would be a complicated task to manage and to keep sustainable relationship. If we consider it in terms of monetary gains, which they have an access with regard to the benefits, services, and information on weekly or monthly basis, the issue organizations have the only option to join the fold of that organization who has large number of members for their survival (Matures, 2005). We may guess it from the disparity, which reflects starkly divergent views and approaches to remember their engagements. Therefore, Issue organizations ask constantly, “How can we get this member more engaged in our issues?” whereas the functional institutions constantly ask, “How can we get them more engaged in their day to day life” (Matures, 2005). Take the example of Mega churches that set an exemplary case of the member decided methodology. Resultantly, the fast increasing mega churches have moved further than Sunday provisions. What they prove? They offer post schooling programs, business and financial related classes to have a clear understanding on the focused subjects, everything from single parenting to mountaineering and appropriateness to music and arts and so on (Matures, 2005). The in-depth connection of members of mega churches, the NRA, and other operative businesses are considered significant in terms of their accomplishments. Engaging members in the multifunctional activities in obtaining funds, supporting, happenings, programs, and issue promotions is a reflection of keeping reliable bonds (Matures, 2005). Usually the businesses employ three tier approaches in order to build deep-rooted relationships with members due to: 1) concrete profits and services, 2) promote personally member communes, and 3) appealing media stages. It would not be out of place to mention that some functional organizations i.e. NRA, employ all the mentioned strategies to engage members. It is another thing that the organization only relies on one or two of above cited strategies (Matures, 2005). Conclusion Review of the above analysis indicates that scaled membership and finances both are effective instruments to create a powerful platform to change the system. In the recent years, both the giants, NRA and AARP come across with regard to the policies that deal with gun control and national health care. The quality of services and benefits, which are relevant to the member’s everyday life; it is operational responsibility of the organizations to effectively use their tools to develop deep and ever lasting relationships with millions of the inhabitants of the United States of America. The deep relationship is the focal point of functional organization’s power and self to promote cultural, policy, and political change, which are in the offing. It is a matter of fact that despite the limitations of organizational structure, it has, since 1960s, now onwards has become the dominant factor for civic organizations. There is an array of organizations, which surrounds every imaginable issue that ranges from paucity, lack of food, animal rights, atmosphere, birthrights, abortion, and educational reforms to child development. In nutshell, we are of the opinion that the aforementioned NRA and the AARP are providing yeoman services to their members living in Florida and the whole United States of America. Both are powerful in their respective domains. That is why membership of both the organizations is speedily growing day by day. Have they not provided the lucrative services and the benefits to their members, the situation definitely would have been the other way round. The other issue with the organizations, which are small in size and operational activities, is that they cannot compete with the size and operational activities with largest organizations. The reason being, income generation capacity of each organization heavily relies upon donations and the membership fee received from the members. It is mandatory for an organization to enhance its income base, so it may offer those services, which their competitors are providing. References Davidson, Osha Gray. (1998). Under Fire: The NRA and the Battle for Gun Control. 2nd ed. Iowa City: University of Iowa Press. Godwin, K., Ainsworth, S. H., & Godwin, E. (2012). Lobbying and Policymaking: The Public Pursuit of Private Interests. Sage. Lynch, Frederick R. (2011). One Nation under AARP: The Fight over Medicare, Social Security, and Americas Future. University of California Press. Matures, A. I. (2005). Lobbying in the United States. Handbook of Public Affairs, 304. Melzer, Scott. (2009). Gun Crusaders: The NRAs Culture War. New York: New York University Press. Read More