Fueling the Fire: NMA E-Newsletter #710


The creativity of members in finding new ways to support the NMA never ceases to amaze. There are the traditional and very important tax-deductible cash donations made year-round to our nonprofit organization that help fund various advocacy programs. But some individuals go above and beyond the call of duty to promote the NMA, and we could not be more thankful.

Top contributor Andrew “Oggie” Pesek made us an offer we couldn’t refuse. Oggie, like so many members, is an auto enthusiast. He suggested that the NMA advertise in car collector publications to attract new members and then turned around and funded the placements. The following quarter-page NMA ads appear in the July/August and September/October 2022 issues of Hagerty Drivers Club magazine, the “ultimate community for car lovers” with over 750,000 subscribers. The value of this type of broad exposure is immeasurable.

 

A few years earlier, Oggie auctioned off his cherished 2002 Audi S6 Avant and donated the proceeds to the NMA. He described the car as “a thundering Autobahn machine disguised as a ubiquitous family hauler.” It fetched several thousand dollars for the NMA. Oggie proved there is more than one way to help a favorite cause.

Richard Taylor came up with another unique idea for supporting the NMA. In 2001, he and his late wife bought the 832-acre Blue Mountain Peak Ranch in Texas Hill Country after it had fallen somewhat into disrepair. By 2016, Richard’s restoration of the property was so successful that it won the coveted Leopold Conservation Award that year and has become a wildlife reserve for deer, turkey, wild hogs, a variety of birds, and exotic animals such as audads and chital. Nature tours, hiking, bicycling, camping, kayaking, hunting, and other activities are available on the property for a fee. In the award-winning year, Richard offered a 3-day, 3-night stay at his ranch for auction, with the winning bid becoming a valuable donation to the NMA. Thank you, Richard!

A Blue Mountain Peak Ranch landscape

Not everyone has a car to auction off or a beautiful, several-hundred-acre ranch available for a long weekend getaway to benefit the NMA.

NMA Communications Director Shelia Dunn is currently spearheading an ambitious Be a Better Driver public education project, a year-long series of informative, personalized blog posts by a dozen volunteer writers from the ranks of our members. While the immediate result may not be a monetary benefit, the increased national awareness of the NMA from the broad promotion of the educational blog series could spur new memberships and driver education grant opportunities.

Blog topics under consideration include “Separating Car Performance from being in a Hurry,” “The Thing That Will Save You From Your Own Driving Mistakes,” “Are You and Your Car Ready to Drive? Lesser-known Recommendations for Keeping Your Car Optimally Ready,” and “A Car is Not What It Used to Be.” The Be a Better Driver blogs will create a more substantial public association of driver advocacy, research, and education for the NMA.

There are many ways to contribute to the NMA. A few are presented here to stir your imagination. We welcome your suggestions on how you or others might best provide the resources needed to strengthen our numbers and, ultimately, the NMA’s influence to defeat the anti-motorist factions that continue to chip away at our driving freedoms.

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