Back in March of 2014, the Captain was writing about banquet season, as every spring, banquets are hosted by non-profits to raise funds to keep their missions in tact and moving forward.  If you are one to donate to these local organizations, such as the Captain does, all you have to do is ask where your money is going when you donate.  The Captain did just that for a previous Missoula Friends of the NRA banquet he attended back in 2014.

As a person that donates regularly to these events and banquets, I like to know where the funds are earmarked that are raised each year. So, when Todd Harrison, who is a volunteer of the Missoula Friends of the NRA Banquet, asked me for a donation for their upcoming banquet on Friday April 4th, I took the opportunity to ask him to give me an idea of where the money goes that they and other NRA Banquets in Montana raise each year.

“First of all Montana has been very supportive over the years as the NRA has raised over $5 and a half million dollars”, he said. That is certainly an impressive figure but what is even more important $2.8 million dollars have been invested in Montana shooting sports programs according to Harrison. He went on to tell me that $806,000 was raised by 23 NRA banquets in Montana that were held in 2013, which is a 39% increase from 2012. “Shooting club and ranges in Montana benefitted as we sent $112,000 to Montana 4-H shooting clubs and $170,000 to Montana shooting ranges”, added Harrison, ‘In fact we have paid out $572,000 toward 98 grants to 47 Montana 4-H clubs since 1994”.

It is important to know that your money is going to support the mission of the organization you are donating to, and you can find that out fairly easily.  Along with the above, the NRA also provides funds for other worthwhile organizations and causes such as Women on Target, Boy Scouts, Eddie Eagle, Refuse to be a victim, Youth Education Summit, Hunters Safety and Law Enforcement.

Whether you’re supporting hunting, fishing, trapping, gun groups, wildlife management organizations or anything, really, just ask where your money goes and watch how active the group you’re supporting is in the causes they support.  You will feel way better about donating.

To read the Captain’s full Captain’s Column article from March of 2014, click here.