13.07.2005

Squeeze it out

Comrades, we need to dramatically up the pace of donations to this year's Summer Offensive, our annual fundraising drive. Our initial pledges amounted to £17,350 when we started the campaign back on June 1 and we are well on way to topping that. However, I remind comrades that we are aiming for £30,000 by the end of this month. As things stand, we are a little over a third of the way there - just £10,121.75 in hand, but with a number of veterans of the campaign about to stump up large chunks of their pledges. We are confident of going over the £20k mark, but there are two things that urgently need attention over the last two weeks of the campaign for us to squeeze out the remaining £10k or so. First, members and candidate members of our organisation need to let centre know as soon a possible of their proposed timetable for hitting their targets and any concrete problems they are having. Second, sympathisers and more distant supporters need to send whatever donations they have earmarked for this year's campaign now. It is no good sitting on money, comrades - if you intend to donate to this year's Offensive, at whatever level, get it in the post now! This week, particular thanks go to comrades DI, JS, SW and PM for donations via snail mail. Our PayPal facility remains painfully under-utilised, despite the many thousands who read us online each week (there were 14,024 during the last seven days). But thanks go out to the trickle of comrades who have used it to give money to the Party this week. More details of this year's SO next week, comrades, but take it as read - we urgently need comrades to pay some serious attention to the campaign this week l Howard Roake