Some background for you all to start this off.

What are IRS Form 990s?

Every non-profit in the US, by law, is required to file an IRS Form 990 each year.

Since the early 2000s, these have been digitally scanned and available on line for free.

It's democratized the art of "keeping charities honest", because before the age of free PDFs, the only people who could do this were media organizations with $$$ to pay for obtaining copies and then distributing cut down copies of the 990s in newspaper articles or magazine articles.

For example, here's the Brady Campaign's 990 for 2014:
http://990s.foundationcenter.org/990_pdf_archive/237/237321017/237321017_201412_990O.pdf

Here's the NRA's 2016 Return:
https://deutsch29.files.wordpress.com/2018/02/nra-2016-990.pdf

Go to PDF page 73 of the NRA 2016 990.

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There are an uncommonly large amount of "Fundraising Consultants" listed there.

I particularly like InfoCision, who raised $8,780,881 dollars for the NRA, but kept $4,209,328 of it. :D

But what caught my eye is that the full address for HWS Consulting was given as:

HWS Consulting
221 Homeport Drive
Grasonville, MD 21638

I know that place, because I scuba dive off the boat landing off of Kent Island, and i've stayed in a hotel with a Grasonville postal address.

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It's small and sleepy, with only 2,193 people.

The address goes to a private residence which I investigated:

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Which ironically is in a quasi gun-free zone:

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Analyzing the address online further reveals this information:

Harold Wayne Sheets
Age 70s

This explains where the "HWS" in HWS Consulting came from. It's his initials.

So...who is Mr. Sheets and why did he get $685,000 for "fundraising consultancy" from the NRA?

Some more searching revealed more information.

He didn't move to Grasonville until 2007; judging from the sale of a house in the Norbeck-Layhill Area of Silver Spring, MD for $460K in that year.

He's worked for:

Mobil Corporation
NRA Blog
Wildlife Heritage Foundation

Regarding his corporation (HWS Consulting); according to Maryland government websites:

HWS Consulting (MD ID # D12410569) was incorporated on 3 March 2008 in 103 Congressional Drive, Stevensville, MD.

On 20 July 2010, the main office was changed to 221 Homeport Drive, Grasonville, MD.

More digging found this:

https://www.nraringoffreedom.com/meet-the-staff/advancement-leadership/wayne-sheets/

So...why was Mr. Sheets given $685,000 for "fundraising consultancy" if he's a member of the NRA executive staff? Shouldn't "fundraising consultancy" be covered as part of his duties as NRA Executive Staff?

Given that in the corporate world; a detailed report on a subject, with full rights retained by the procurer plus a personal briefing by the analyst who assembled it, goes for about $60-80K or thereabouts...that's about half a million dollars that could have been used for far more useful objectives than an internal kickback.

@Miami_JBT

The NRA is a money fleecing operation ? I’m shocked

A bunch of crap is what it is.

Very interesting. And from him, some of the money went to...

If the NRA is the swamp, I want it exposed.

Tag

Good find.

Unfortunately I am not surprised.

FPNI.

Now I'll sit back and wait for the NRA shills to appear like a gentle rain.

Because that’s how the system works

IBTL

Wow.

A lot of interesting information coming out about them lately.

This going off the rails? Nah, dawg. Can’t see it

IBTL

Neal Knox tried to end this and failed.  Here are the results.

Now cross reference this with political donor lists and see if we can find out where the member money has really been going.

Re your $300,000 Salary, Cat Food comment:

Brady Campaign uses 5 paid staff and 1,200 volunteers (page 1, lines 5 and 6) for $466,048 total salaries (page 1, line 16a).

NRA uses 912 paid staff and 150,000 volunteers (page 1, lines 5 and 6) for $68,330,881 total salaries (page 1, line 16a).

Form 990s also list organizational salaries in Part VII:

Brady:
DAN GROSS, PRESIDENT ($406,239 total salaries)
SUSAN FOULDS, CHIEF DEV. OFFICER ($127,262 total salaries)
BINDU MACCHIAVELLO, DIRECTOR OF FINANCE ($118,020 totla salaries)

NRA:
WAYNE LA PIERRE, CEO/EVP ($1,422,339 total salaries)
CHRIS COX, Exec Dir, ILA ($997,431 total salaries)
WILSON PHILLIPS, JR, Treasurer ($840,284 total salaries)

To put this in context; the director for the AARP in their 990s:

https://www.aarp.org/content/dam/aarp/about_aarp/annual_reports/2017/form-990-2016-aarp.pdf

AARP's CEO takes in $1,136,680; and their EVP and COO takes in just $628,175; and the AARP has $1+~ BILLION NET ASSETS, compared to NRA's $36~ million net assets in 2016.

Something has to be done about executive pay at the NRA. While I understand that there needs to be "bonus" pay for working for the NRA, because a lot of future job prospects will die when someone sees "NRA" on your resume; so the organization has to compensate for that -- it shouldn't have the top drawer being paid like they're running a true behemoth like AARP, rather than what NRA actually is, organizationally.

Organizationally, Brady is tighter --

Brady's Page 8 says that they have just one independent contractor that received more than $100K of compensation.

PUBLIC AFFAIRS ENAGEMENT (Arlington, VA) that handles direct mail and printing for $147,388.

By contrast, NRA's Page 8 says that their top 5 independent contractors over $100K are:

InfoCision Management Corp (Akron OH)
Membership processing and contribution solicitations
$27,162,372

Ackerman McQueen Inc (Oklahoma City, OK)
Public relations and advertising
$21,356,593

Postmaster (USPS, Arlington VA)
Postage Shipping
$11,182,843

Membership Marketing Partners LLC (Fairfax, VA)
Fundraising printing and mailing
$9,837,642

Valtim Inc (Forest, VA)
Fulfillment center
$8,795,023

When money and people mix, usually corruption follows. I'm not surprised, this is a buddy buddy deal within the NRA, period. Fuck them.

Also, look at the discrepancy between 1 and 2 on that list. One company raises $43M, keeps 480k. The other raises $8M and keeps $4M. Wtf?

Pisses me off that this exact shit is rampant within our govt ranks, and they are stealing our tax dollars to fund their bullshit and line their pockets. I think our founders would be very ashamed of what America has become.

Again, this is why I only joined because private ranges required it. And my membership lapsed when I PCSd.

I wonder what tax breaks you get living in a federal squirrel safety zone.

He probably just owns the cheap shit factory where they make all the stupid coins and knives made out of cheese grade steel they send members and that's how much all of that shit costs.

Tagged

In before SWIRE.

FWIW Infocision is a small call center in northern Ohio.  I used to work there and they have a dedicated NRA team of about 20 or 30 people IIRC.

Sure would like to know what Mr. Sheets has done to advance Gun Rights for that amount of money ?

Also regarding Ackerman McQueen:

Ackerman McQueen Inc (Oklahoma City, OK)
Public relations and advertising
$21,356,593

Some additional information via Miami_JBT in this thread:

https://www.ar15.com/forums/general/Why-does-the-NRA-have-5-45-million-in-investments-to-Central-America-and-the-Caribbean-/5-2179135/

Probably a new pool..... to teach aquatic gun courses!!!!!

Your right. If Neil had lived maybe things would be different.
He was fired from the NRA because, even back in the 90's, the "moderates" were taking it in the wrong direction.

I hope it's not to late to turn the NRA around.

There is alot of profit in no profits.

Just doesn't go to share holders, ot goes to "staff"

That seems pretty damn shady too me.

He was right about everything he said and tried to do regards the NRA.

WLP and company unfortunately prevailed.

Yeah fuck the NRA. I'm glad I let my membership lapse. Next year buying myself a treat. Going to get me a GOA lifetime membership with part of my tax return. Let's see, supposed Pratt Yacht vs big fundraising schemes like that. Yeah I'll take the yacht. Thanks

That better be a really big pool.

Yep on both counts.

NRA lifer here.

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Oh, for sure in on this one.

The guy living next door to HWS Consulting at that development had a Gasden Flag flying.

Can't even get a Gasden out of $685K

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It is ridiculous that having your life ruined over a squirrel is a genuine threat.

Truth be told, this is why the bump stocks were invented in the first place, "serious squirrel population" now obviously they have become an endangered species, anyone else miss the hunting squirrels with a Barret 50 video?

Now get GOA's filings...

Oh, wait!  You can't.  H. L. Richardson owns it.  He gets to keep all the money (except what he pays the Pratts and his fund raisers).

$685k would buy a lot of improved NRA marketing from a guy like me.

How do you harass a squirrel?

Wear a Trump shirt and go into the vape shop where it works part time?

GOA filed a lawsuit to fight the bumpstock ban that makes an insta-felon out of several hundred thousand gun owners.

Now go get the NRAs lawsuit filings.  And your shinebox.

Makes this life member sick. Reminds me of the mega church scandals.

So you don't have the GOA tax forms?

50 BMG BALL

In before this guy.

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Seems like Vice, CNN or some other group could do an expose’ piece on all of that and potentially seriously damage the NRA’s fundraising capabilities thereby weakening their lobbying power.

Es muy mal.

So they’d be less able to push for gun control measures?

Nice eagle you got there.

What's your point

I concur.

FIFY