I decided to jump right onto a controversial subject for this post. I looked at the NRA’s website and see how they promote themselves and ask for donations. The website for the NRA words things to make them sound like a caring and people-centered organization, likely so that people will want to donate money to their cause.
One notable logical appeal is how the foundation labels themselves as “America’s Leading Charitable Organization in Support of the Shooting Sports”. This makes people think that by donating to this organization, then they are joining a group of other “good” American citizens. The NRA mentions how they “serve the needs of freedom-loving Americans” which not only appeals to logic, but also emotions. People think they they’re supporting their fellow citizens.
Another logical appeal is how they mention the “support of youth education” which actually makes sense. If people think that their money is going towards firearm education, then the likelihood of donations will skyrocket. This also applies to emotional appeals, which is extremely effective
Finally, on the “ways of giving” page on the site, there are statistics given that show how much of a difference that your donations make. It shows exactly what the donations go towards. It explains that 84 cents of every dollar spent by the NRA goes towards good causes, such as education and training.
All in all, the NRA’s ways of persuasion are solid in terms of appealing to logic. They also manage to appeal to emotions, which just boosts their odds of getting donations. In terms of persuasive techniques, they did a good job.