What exactly would be the benefit of merging the two associations? We would still have the same number of shooters. There will be a number of malcontents on both sides who will be unhappy with the concessions that were made and a certain amount of animosity will linger. I fail to see any benefit to this. 
Furthermore, I think there is some benefit to having the two separate groups. You can come and go as you please and shoot both ways, shoulder to shoulder or re-entry as you please. 

We all seem to agree that we need more shooters and that there is a financial obstacle to getting started.  I respectfully suggest that we close ranks and work on those two issues.
I dont remember the actual catch words, but it goes something like this, "advertising has to be consistent and persistent". Right now we have neither. We are not likely to get a movie like Quigly Down Under to spark interest in single shots, so we need another approach. Social Media is the rage these days and I know nothing about it and dont want to know, but there has to be someone in our ranks that can come up with some ideas. All kinds of crazy things get passed around on social media, we need to get something off the ground. We should prepare a general format so that we can convey the ideas and concepts we want to convey, so that the message is consistent. 
If we can manage it, some articles in American Rifleman or other old fashioned print media would help, along with some exposure on "Wednesday Night at the Range" on the Outdoor Channel. 
For many years, I have been setting up at gun shows. For the last several years, I have set up a simple "Schuetzenfest " display with photos, a few rifles and some of our special accoutrements such as breech seaters, molds and barrel clamps. 
We get well over two thousand walk ins on a Saturday, and I get about ten or 15 who stop and ask questions, and usually two or three to take membership applications. Not sure how many follow through but you have to plant the seed and hope it grows. 
Right now, if we had four or five new shooters at either of the two Schuetzenfests I regularly attend, they might be on a waiting list, so finding new ranges and clubs to sponsor events is another thing we need to do. 
It costs me about $40 to rent a table, and I do it three times per year. I enjoy being at the show for the social interaction with like minded people, so the table rent is not an obstacle for me. 
To be continued..
Joe S

I explained my arguments on enticing new shooters into the sport above. Those of us that own houses we purchased in the $35-60K range before they hit the $500K to one million selling price are probably out of touch on just how tough it is for the younger generations to get into the game, let alone get a couple days with the kids and act like a family. 

One Mom and Dad having to hold down 8 to 12 hour jobs, Day Care costs to handle the kids, two cars and insurance, health care through the roof I could go on for pages. Then trying to entice a probable younger shooter into the game by saying things like you can start off with a crappie gun, a rifle with 10# plus trigger think Trapdoor. Trust me there is no gun that will kill a starting competitor's desire faster than one with a heavy unmanageable  trigger and poor sights.

If you really want to bring schuetzen back to the popularity it had before the first world war you need the aspect of the game that drew spectators and created real prize money: gambling.

You don't need a sponsor, you need a casino.

Joe_S
A YouTube page is a GREAT idea. If there is a member with the talent of Joe Dobrzynsik (our Journal editor) who is willing to step up to run it, we'd be in business. 
I've tried to shoot photos and video at matches but always run into the problem of just barely having time to finish a match, let alone spending time to shoot worthwhile photos and video. In order to get good video and photos a person would have to not be a match participant.
So . . . if anyone knows a budding videographer/Photographer with an interest in shooting and editing Schuetzen matches, please, please bring that person along to a match!

Schuetzen will never be a mainstream shooting discipline. Neither will high power, cowboy action, benchrest, BPCR, muzzleloading, silhouette shooting or anything else. I would like to point out that you cant get into some of the other types of shooting without laying out some cash either, but people find a way to do it. 
People got into highpower, benchrest, or whatever because somewhere, somehow, they were exposed to it and for whatever reason, they decided to look into it and then decided they wanted to try it. 
I wasnt around when ASSRA was founded, but I was around when Coors decided to breathe some life into Schuetzen. I saw the ad in American Rifleman (I think) and realized that my 45-70 Sharps qualified, and loaded up the car and went to my first match. Once I got there I was hooked. If it had not been for the fact that there was an ad in American Rifleman I would never have known about it. I am not sure which came first, but I also bumped into a fellow at our local range who was breech seating a High wall, and so I also had that personal contact. 
I have been going to gun shows since I was a freshman in high school, and setting up regularly. Its not much of a "sacrifice" for me to set up a small Schuetzen display for two days and entertain questions, hand out membership applications, and discuss shooting with the crowd. 
If we did this on a persistent basis across the country, AND had some kind of online presence, (for those who dont go to gun shows) we would get some new shooters.
Whether its worth the effort or not is a matter of personal opinion. We wont know unless and until we try. 
I would also like to point out that we dont need to merge two organizations, have a consensus, or get anyone else's agreement to do this. Just rent a table at a gun show, bring one or two Schuetzen rifles and some bullet molds or whatever and some picture of matches or your best targets or whatever, and talk to people for two days. As a table holder you get in before the public and who knows what you might find. 
I intend to keep doing what I am doing even if the entire world thinks its a dumb idea. If more than three other members can agree on anything else, let me know. 
Its not the sport of Schuetzen that I love, its the people that make it happen, even if we dont agree!
I hope that 50 years from now, people are discussing how to keep Schuetzen going, rather than how to get it started again.
God Bless!
Joe S

Joe I won't argue your idea that all of the disciplines you mentioned are never going to be " mainstream " but fact is firearms, hunting and match shooting in any venue is not " mainstream " in this country. So I ask what shotging sport would you consider " mainstream ". I can perhaps think of one and that would be Trap & Skeet with general estimates of between 3 to 4 million recreational shooters. High power, BPRC, and Silhouette are basically limited as few clubs have enough real estate to support the range distance. Cowboy Shooting is still very big with around 120k members and even in NH matches were held once, twice sometimes more a week in decent weather. In Cowboy If you shoot only one gun like a knock-off Colt it's short money, a revolver and Brazilian lever rifle can be done for under $800 depending and a coach shotgun 3 to $400.00 plus western style rig and hat. 

I spent a couple years in Benchrest and it broke my wallet. If Schuetzen is costly then Benchrest can get insane shooting three to four rifles, changing barrels constantly, the opfics game, hundreds of dollars in wind flags often much more and the reloading equipment all transported from match to match in your giant fifth-wheel apartment house behind your dually like new pickup. And some fly to matches of course. 

IPSC and PPC is truly international  and estimates of around 50 to 60K shooters. Bullseye Precision Pistol both Gallery and National courses were estimated in 2000-2015 to be around 25 to 35K. But a friend last year at the SHOT Show said the ammo makers and Shooting Sports group think there may be 75 to 85k shooters now but nobody can put a firm finger on it due to so many small regional clubs. 

So Joe there may not be, or ever have been, a civilian " Mainstream " shooting sport. Even 3 million Trap & Skeet shooters can't compete with 
' Pickle Ball '. So 3 million is basically but 1.3 % of American population aged 18 to 70 years. Of course these statistics can jump any which way if  those incapable or unwilling to handle firearms not to mention including regional laws and restrictions if factored in. No it's unlikely Schuetzen will ever  be as popular as it was a century ago but the numbers show none of the shooting sports making it to those levels again. Even so the Schuetzen game numbers, I can only guess, have fallen off the scale like Musk Ox hunting.  This great shooting discipline absolutely needs an injection of something before it dies of old age, literally.

Recently I was perusing through the flash drive that Byron Goff put together of all of the ASSRA Journals from issue 1 up to present. Looking at issues from 30+ years ago I noticed ASSRA members citing we need to recruit the youth. The youth from 30 years ago are now members. Single shot rifles are going to attract few if any teens, 20's and even 30's. Tastes really aren't that refined early in life. If they are shooting they are banging away with 10-22's and pounding cheap beer. They are not our target audience. Our audience is 40-100 years young. 

The single shot, Schuetzen, BPCR, etc..... crowd is very niche. There are refined tastes and interest in history. It will not have mass appeal. Coors was a one off it just so happened an individual high up in the corporate structure had an interest in Schuetzen. If his interest was in marbles perhaps he may have been able to convince the BOD of Coors to support shooting marbles.

If we want to perpetuate our traditions it is up to us. A large corporation is not going to show any interest in us. The best thing we can do is promote ourselves and our activities. Heck conduct matches where we do not have any but maybe a few people would like to start. Start small then grow. Heck who would have thought a rimfire match in Phoenix, AZ would have attracted 40 participants from 12 states? No big cash prizes, trucks or firearms.
Just a celebration of what we love and hold dare. 

I think many have grown apathetic. I put together a post with a survey asking how many on the forum are members and if you are not why. How many thousand registered users do we have...thousands and about 60 total member and non-members answered.....I appreciate the members answering and stating the benefits of membership such as the Journal. I appreciate the non-members reporting why they are not. I hope more respond this could be a tool for the ASSRA leadership in developing a plan to increase membership. The way it looks monthly we lose 2 members and gain 2 members. 

So how do we promote? Social media is free The ASSRA uses it and some local shooting groups use it. If you have a group you should use it. If you're starting a group use. Facebook is no longer in vogue for the youth. It is now mostly adults that where you need to start. Also if you do not have a local match, but want one. Put one on. You may start with 3 participants and that's ok.