#20 – ASA behind the scenes: The cost of “duning” business
Protecting everyone’s right to recreate on public lands is what the ASA is all about, but do you know what it costs to maintain that vigilance?
To give you a better idea, here is a 5-year average of where we raise our funds, and where we spend them:
As you can see in the charts, ISDRA Permit Sales make up a majority of both our revenue and our expenses. The chart below has been adjusted to reflect the net revenue from the ISDRA permit sales:
Membership, Business Sponsors, Donations, and raffle ticket sales provide most of our revenue. The challenge we face is that standing up for OHV recreation is expensive, it takes a village of experts: lawyers, lobbyists, and scientists. There are also accountants, administrators, and support staff. While we are so grateful for the countless hours of support from our amazing volunteers even things like maintaining a website, staying connected and attending events all have costs involved.
Being on the forefront of OHV advocacy is a 24/7, year-round responsibility. Whether there is an immediate, urgent need or the stirrings of something to come, the ASA must constantly be on the alert. Never again can we allow ourselves to be blindsided like we were in 2000 when we lost 49,000 acres at the ISDRA. Keeping the organization going is a must; and yes, it is costly. Here is an overview of the past 15 years:
