NWTF, bumping your bid for youth.

[triune]

This may be old news for you all but just attended my first NWTF banquet for 2013 and they have started a new initiative.  They have asked successful bidders if you would like to "bump their bid".  With this $20 bump, it will go directly to youth shooting sports.  Of the 26 live auction items last night, only one did not get a bump.  With the overall decline in hunter numbers and the vanishing places to freely pursue the wild turkey, these bumps will go far in introducing youth to the shooting sports.  We need to get the youth involved and keep our hunting heritage strong and thriving.
Enjoy your banquets and if you can, give them a bump for our youth.

Kenny

[C W]

Were you at a local level banquet?  After the State Chapter, and National gets their cut what small percentage of it that actually makes it to these programs?  The NWTF isn't exactly know as the most efficient organization when it comes to money actually hitting the ground, and I realize what they claim to have done, but just looking for a hard dollar value of these $20 bumps for the kids that wont be wasted?



CW

[GR8CALLS]

This has been a pet peeve of mine for years! The NWTF is a non-profit organization w/ MILLIONS of dollars that they just sit on. They could easily fund the Jakes program for free, each and every year, but continue to squeeze the membership for every dollar they can. 

Bill

[GSLAM95]

I have been a member of the NWTF for over 2 decades of which many of those years a sponsor member and founding committee member of a local chapter.  I will give everyone here a perfect example of what Bill just stated.
The last local banquet of which I was Chairman was 2011.  We grossed over $36K but after taking out the cost of the core package (which they charge the local chapter full retail value for and buy it all at wholesale!) which is double dipping right off the bat!  Then we take out for the membership fees which have gone up from $25-$35 per person which is also in my opinion a ridiculous increase.  They have everyone their sign up any kid you know their name and address of to become a JAKES member and that fee comes out of gross as well which is one thing I don't mind.  The meals and expected cost of everything involved, banquet room rent etc.

With the above being said we went from a gross of over $36K to a net of around $22K of which most goes to the National for administrative cost and a small portion went to the state chapter WHILE THE LOCAL CHAPTER RECEIVED A WHOPPING CHECK FOR $249.56!!!

I am still a regular member for limited reasons as many here are and mine is the JAKES day program.  The sad thing is that when you take the $249.56 from the banquet check and add in another whopping $350 from the National which they will give you for a JAKES event it is impossible to put on an event for $699.56!!

Our committee would have year round fund raisers such as gun raffles and local chicken-n-beer dances to raise money for holding our JAKES events.  In September of 2012 our last JAKES event I co-chaired we had 136 kids attend.
We have trap shooting, still target shooting, archery, fishing derby and hired camo-the-clown for two shows that day.  We feed all kids and parents Dominos pizza, frito lay products, brownies, soda etc.

We gave away 10 Remington .22 rifles w/scopes (one of which was used for a prize for the annual can good raffle) which yields a truck load of food for the local food pantry.
The first 120 kids received a free Shakespear rod/reel combo and a pack of berkly power bait.
Gave away plaques for the fishing derby Biggest fish,most fish & smallest fish (3 plaques morning session & 3 for the afternoon session)
Every kid received a free T-shirt with our Jakes day logo..
THAT $699.56 I MENTIONED EARLIER WILL NOT EVEN PAY FOR THE darn T-SHIRTS WHICH COST $801.25!

Our 2012 JAKES event cost over $6500 to put on so as you can see the NWTF contributed back ($$ WE RAISED AT OUR BANQUET) an entire 10% of what it cost to put the event on!
 

[GSLAM95]

One more vent and I am through with this subject..
Larry Potterfield of Midway U S A has donated over $1,000,000 for each of the last two years to the NWTF earmarked for youth shooting sports.  We have 4 local schools that each were to receive a $10,000 endowment for their trap teams.  To my knowledge none of them have received a dime yet.  BTW the National has set up administrative fees for disbursing the $$ that the Potterfields have donated.

The NWTF is a 501-(C)3 Non profit organization.....Research their tax records and you will find it interesting how many employees for the NWTF make over $100,000 a year.  It is law that their name and salary be listed on the annual required 990 filing with our government.  I know the CEO alone made over $330,000 in 2009.....

[ronmexico]

NWTF is an absolute joke.

[triune]

I respect everyones opinion and believe me I am not a real big NWTF fan.  I talked with the regional director and his answer to me was absolutely 100% of this money will go to the youth shooting sports initiative.  I don't agree with how they handle funds but I have no reason to think this new RD was not telling me the truth.  I will give him the benefit, for now.

I was a founding member of a local chapter 20 years ago and the chapter is still going to this day.  When I was the treasurer, the NWTF didn't like me very well.  That is actually the chapters money, sure you need to pay your banquet package off but the rest is your chapters as you see fit.  Don't buy the NWTF raffle packages, go to your local sporting goods store and spend your money locally.  We pumped several thousand dollars into our local stores, got most items at wholesale and below and everyone was happy.  You don't have to get the whole live auction package either.  Get what items you want then do the rest yourself.  So after you have paid the caterer, set out the funds for your memberships and live auction items, you can write a check to the NWTF for what you want.  We usually kept $1000.00 in the chapter for local events.
Not sure what happens these days, that was four kids and a lot less gray hair ago.  I am no longer an active member of that chapter or any chapter.  The chapter I support now is not because of the NWTF it is because this group of guys are workers year round.  From several work days a year in our national forest to road clean up, JAKES day events, inner city kids reachout programs and I could go on.  I've seen a lot of chapters and they are the exception in my area.

[TCC]

My wife and i have been involved with the NWTF for 25 years, starting at the local level, to getting the first womens chapter, to the state board, to my wife being on staff as an original WITO regional cordinator for 10 years. We have seen the NWTF from all angles..........it's not what it seems..........theres a LOT of frosting involved

[Lonnie Sneed Jr.]

Can't say anything good so I won't say anything.