Ed Wischmeyer wrote...

First, EAA is a 501(c)3 corporation, i.e., charitable, tax exempt.

Charitable for tax purposes. It's a nonprofit. Doesn't mean they
can't take in more money than needed, just that they cannot disperse
it as profits, i.e. they have to spend it on the EAA. The result is
that like almost all nonprofits, the EAA has evolved into an
organization focused on & dedicated to its own itself rather than its
members. If you doubt that, look at how the EAA has grown while
homebuilding has shrunk.

Where did your money go? ...

Read their IRS-990 filings (the mag only give totals). When you see
22 employees drawing salaries in excess of $50,000 excluding officers,
you start to get a clue. The 990's for the sister organizations, SnF,
the museums, etcetera read similarly.

Best advice? ...

Best advice if you're interested in experimental aviation would be to
skip EAA events & go to flyins instead.

Daniel