So there was some discussion about trapper associations awhile back. Did you guys know the ones that have got and maintained their federal tax exempt status you can see how they are doing? PA(609k net 2019), NY(201k net 2017) IA(207k net 2019), MN(253k net 2019), VT(275k net 2019) and the juggernaut Alaska Trapping association(914k net 2019). Most need to put more money towards investment income, Alaska leading the investment charge getting $22k for letting their money work for them.

You can contrast these to the NTA(960k net 2019) to see if NTA is performing how a national association should. There are some associations that want to keep the finances private which is unfortunate. There are also others that have reported less than 50k net for years and years, why? If you are President of an association, you need to man/woman up and hit the pavement to get your numbers up. Investment income from a nonprofit is literally one of the best ways to build a monster portfolio and for big baller tax exempt corps, this is how they have built their little jackpot.

There's very good reasons to keep numbers private that need not be discussed on an open forum.

Good luck getting financial transparency. Organizations don't know what may be done with the information that they give you and how it could be used against us by antis. IRS filings are public information, however, and sifting through them may leave you disappointed in how the organization distributes their funds

Got to keep playing the secret squirrel games, anti's are well aware of assest's and numbers, trapper's just blindly follow along unless some scandal breaks out and can't be kept under the rug.

I support a few national group's not trapping related but i won't ever blindly support ANYTHING again, if i can't see what your doing with the money you get find someone else to support you.

This is exactly my point, in my opinion transparency is king especially for organizations that are supposed to help trappers. I point directly to California as case and point that I wonder why lobbying wasnt done years preceding this. Is lobbying done in Mass? I keep asking what benefit are the associations and national association bringing to the average trapper? I dont speak for all by any means, but its my opinion that I find it extremely difficult to see how its beneficial to join the NTA.

You have done the work to find the IRS forms for the NTA and others. Go through them and look at the itemized expenses for conventions, office supplies, salaries etc. Then compare that to legal expenses. That is how I made my decisions on which organizations I support.

It is only right for members to do this, I can't believe more people don't

There are associations all over the country that are excepting nominations for officers.
The younger educated trappers are the future. And there are a lot.
Preaching on this or any forum, well you won't even get them to change their socks.

While you are at it can you fix the fur market too.

Lobbying can't stop ballot issues unless they're being put there by legislature. You have to fights those the hardhard way with a political campaign to defeat the issue.There is a lot of lobbying going on by the NTA and state orgs. Not everybody reads the reports of the people involved in those issues so small wonder people dont know about them.

I don't know if having a lot of assets set aside to have monies to fight ARs in the future does us as much good as we would like to think as we slowly age and lose members. If we don't have energetic members with good knowledge to speak on our behalf the value of our monies declines as well.
I don't know if it is leagal or not but somehow we need to be able to have organization fliers etc. that license vendors can hand out etc. Advertising membership in our association publications does not reach the audience we need to reach. Since mandatory TE in WI we have graduated over 1,000 students per year, some years over 2,000 and that is for 30 years and the percentage of those joining the WTA or other organzations is extremely low. So even with live classes with instructor interaction we have not gained much in membership. We need to find other ways to attract new members. It may be good to develop an associate membership which may bring in other assests as well.

Bryce

If you have proof of your own state association paying for a lobbyist, please provide it because I am unable to find where anybody is registered as a lobbyist in Ohio for anybody who would be considered pro trapping. The same goes for NTA, there are no registered agents at the federal level at the House or Senate to lobby for trapping. I'm not calling you a liar @SniperB, The same goes for MA, CA and I'm sure as I keep looking, the list is going to keep getting bigger and bigger for states that don't have lobbyist.

Lets give another shout out to the Alaska Trappers Association because once again they actually have a registered lobbyist that represents them. Just saying, if anybody's trapper association says they have lobbyist but you can't see a registered lobbyist on the state website that lobbies on behalf of the trapper association, you know it's not true. Sometimes but normally only ever at the federal level will a balloon org cover multiple parties that all want similar goals.



You can bet your bottom dollar that the Humane Society, and anti trapping orgs all have lobbyists at the state and federal level.

I know the North Carolina trapping association pays a lobbyist and has for several years. He is also a trapper. One of the many reasons the NCTA has my full support, great group of guys

They fund it from a separate legislative fund that is funded through donations from members or anyone willing to donate

Just checked state records to confirm and yes, NC has paid a lobbyist for many years

Agreed, very easy to find and 100% agree that even if the association did nothing else, paying a lobbyist every year is worth the price of membership.

New Mexico was a colossal failure that is proof as to why every trapper association should pay for a lobbyist every single year. That bill Roxy barely passed, and had that state's trapper association had lobbyists things would have been different. Even in 2021, There was 0 lobbyists registered to do work on behalf of New Mexico Trapper Association. There are 4 or 5 anti trapping orgs registered though.

And you should also understand that involvement in political activity (having a lobbyist) prevents the organization from being federally tax exempt. Federally tax exempt status prevents the organization from lobbying.

Example: The NTA is not federally tax exempt. Donations to the NTA are not deductible from federal tax. FBU is a federally tax exempt organization. Donations to the FBU are deductible on your federal tax.

Another example: The NRA is not federally tax exempt and they lobby heavily. But Friends of the NRA is federally tax exempt. They do not lobby and donations to them are tax deductible.

And, it remains a crying shame that only around 10% of licensed trappers choose to be members of trapping organizations that are trying to keep our trapping heritage alive. Membership dues are pennies compared to overall costs to most trappers. But excuses are even cheaper! Don't like the way organizations are being run? What are you doing to make a difference?

And even sadder is the fact that one Hollywood type anti can cancel every dollar spent by trappers with one check to support their cause.

You choose to be part of the problem or part of the solution. What is your CHOICE?

We have our PIOs, which are also the NTA PIOs, that lobbies members of the government and we donate to Sportsman's Alliance programs that have paid lobbyist

If the other 90% joined it would get attention of the politicians. We should give the lobbyist some more to work with. Sign up New members and their family's, Join other states Organizations even if you only went to a convention hosted there.
..
Politics pays attention to Membership Numbers of Organizations as much or more than the money spent. What does each vote cost in dollars ?? If an Organization has 1000 members it is noted If the same organization has 10000 It gets listened to.

The point I am trying to voice is that If a Lobbyist goes to a Politician and says " Hi I am representing Any State trapping association." That Politician will check the Associations membership numbers. Each member of that organization is a potential Vote in the next election, Either for or against.

They decide if they can afford to loose those potential votes, Then they must assume that they will loose those same votes to their opponents. Two sets of numbers to sort through..

Ten percent? wow.
Maybe Executioner can give the 90 a vacation so they can rest up.

Years ago I was grumbling to an older fellow how only 10% of members
showed up or were active,
He said whoa, we need those numbers, like said above.
I learned a lot from those guys but that was a different era than today.

Be interesting to hear if the orgs that went to online meetings grew their active members.

@QuietbutDeadly The NTA is definitely exempt from federal taxes, atleast the last filing 990 form that indicates a 501(c)(6) status, and there does not appear to be an auto revocation letter issued yet. Further a 501(c)(6) can lobby as much as they want, I have no idea where you are getting your information from. From the IRS direct https://www.irs.gov/charities-non-profits/other-non-profits/business-leagues

501(c)(3) and 501(c)(6) can also lobby as long as it relates to their exempt purpose, once again you are just saying stuff that I don't know where you get that from. In any case, there were neither NTA, FBU, or any other pro trapper lobbyist registered in those states I named above that I can find.

Why should anybody join the associations? That's my point exactly, again the Alaska Trappers Association, the North Carolina Trappers Association and any association that pays a lobbyist every year, I agree it makes sense to join no brainer. If they aren't doing that, what are they doing that makes it worth it? You cannot fight for trappers rights without having a lobbyist to help you, no matter what anybody tells you. This is why millions, upon millions are spent on lobbyist every year at the federal level that helps engage Congress in matters important to the organizations. I'm not saying the other activities are worthless, but at the end of the day everybody who is a trapper needs to wake up and realize that what we love is under attack and something needs to be done. I'm not saying that the efforts previous were not good enough, obviously they were, but it's a new generation now that needs to take over who understands how to grow, recruit and start winning at a federal and state level.

@SniperB, I cannot find where Sportsmen Alliance has a registered lobbyist in Ohio. A public information officer is not at all the same as a lobbyist and does not come remotely close to having the same effective power that a lobbyist does. Having the lobbyist also ensures that the organization's agenda that it hires the lobbyist for becomes part of the official record, again being pro-active instead of reactive pays dividends.

Well in Louisiana. Just in the last 10 years, The association fought and won to keep snaring legal, fought and won against mandatory trappers education and mandatory trap tagging. Currently working on some legislation changes to allow less restrictions on the out of season coyote trapping permit as well as a couple other things. The association holds FREE classes to the public and since that has started there has been an increase in trapping license sales throughout the state. I"d say it's well worth it to join. Louisiana has a lobbyist however he is not paid by the association.

Rob Sexton is US Sportsman's Alliance lobbyist. We give them quite a bit of money. Our PIOs are in constant contact with various federal and state politicians and admin officials of the ODNR. Maybe its not technically lonbying buy there's a reason some groups comes to the OSTA to get help and some that that don't like it when theyre on our radar.

Ok, nice, I stand corrected, I appreciate the clarification. I do think still though that direct representation for trapping only is more important, especially when it comes to the fur market that goes hand in hand. Although a lobbyist doing a myriad of things, trapping included is still great and nice to see.

@wright brothers, the orgs need to take a more pro active role not only in hiring lobbyist but actually doing more than just conventions. We also as a group have to understand that the same argument thats been used no longer works when there are so many losses. I cant fathom enough the disappointment about CA, and them CO, MA and now NM. It all was because anti groups paid lobbyist to argue for a longer duration consistently year wise than we did.

Now the REAL question is where did all the fur money go that went to the trapping associations when fur was at its highest?