20.07.2005
Urgent action required
Comrades, this year's Summer Offensive - the two-month financial drive of the Communist Party that is absolutely integral to our annual budget - is in trouble. Unless we have a flood of donations this coming week, we will not come near to hitting our £30,000 target by the July 31 deadline. This will not simply be a 'shame'. £30,000 is not a target we just pluck out of the air because it sounds satisfyingly dramatic and appeals to some deluded self-image as granite hard Bolsheviks. This target represents the minimum we need in addition to our regular fundraising efforts. It will allow us to clear accumulated debts, to replace creaking machinery and to plan with much more certainty over the coming period. If we don't achieve it, we will encounter difficulties. If we fall significantly short, then the organisation will really have serious problems on its hands. Urgent action is required, comrades. This week, we received just over £900, bringing our total to a shade above £11,000. With only a week and a half to go before the formal end of the campaign, this is very poor indeed. On the brighter side, there are still comrades out there we know we can rely on who have yet to stump up the bulk of their pledge money. Last week, I appealed to such comrades to "squeeze it out". Party centre should be informed of your timetable for making your pledge and members, candidate members and supporters should send any donations they are sitting on - of whatever size - off to us today. Thanks and congratulations go to the Party team that covered the London Unite festival on Saturday July 16 and provided a boost to the SO in the process. I am told that most of the money came through badges, as it was a pretty apolitical crowd. However, comrades came home with suntans/burns plus some £200, so a good day out as far as I am concerned. Thanks to the small number of comrades who have used the PayPal facility to make donations this week. But rather too small by a long chalk - especially when you consider the 14,512 visitors we had to our website last week. Once again, let me ask all those thousands of online readers who value our paper to seriously consider playing their part in ensuring it is able to continue to improve its content. Also worth a mention are those comrades with standing orders to the Party and Weekly Worker whose payments have fallen in this period. In particular, our stalwart SK for his £180, newer comrade AD for her £25, KG for his regular £50 a month and MJ's £80 - the last a comrade who sets an example with her serious approach to Party finance. Last, but not least, a special mention to our comrades from the Revolutionary Democratic Group whose monthly £40 came through as usual. However, I note the comrades are yet to make any donations to this year's SO, either individually or as a group. An oversight, I'm sure, that they will hasten to remedy after my column this week. Any more 'oversights' out there, comrades? l Howard Roake
Worker