WeeklyWorker

01.08.2007

Good work

Howard Roak reports on the latest developments in our two-month fundraising campaign

Comrades have kept up the good work. Last week's healthy tempo has been maintained and we have again pulled in just under £3k - £2,934 - as these words are being tapped out on August 1.

This takes our total up to £13,864 - well ahead of where we were at the same point last year. In 2006 I had in fact just reported to readers that I was "starting to feel a little jumpy", with just £8,567 in hand. It was only by the end of the SO's sixth week - ie, the one we are now heading into - that we actually crept over the £10k mark. So, if we maintain our pace of the last fortnight, we are looking forward to a huge improvement on last's year's campaign.

To get near our £25,000 target, however, we really need more of our sympathetic periphery to donate. CPGB members and closer supporters have so far raised the lion's share of our total. We need more comrades like TG, who - despite his many sharp disagreements with the policies and political method of the organisation that sustains this paper - donates £100 in recognition of its unique role in the movement.

A number of other comrades also deserve a special mention this week: MM for his sterling £800; MF for taking a £225 chunk out of his target and - in particular - comrade TB for her work in revitalising one of our party businesses. She has so far rustled up nearly £800 of new trade. A big thanks also to comrade TJ, who donated £50 via our website (he was one of 39,044 online readers last week).

We need to keep up the good work, everyone. Yes, we will no doubt see a surge during the final week of the campaign - that of the Communist University, with its political sessions, books, food and drink sales, as well as the flurry of donations - but we have to keep in mind the £25,000 minimum we need to keep our organisation and paper on an even financial keel for the year.

If we can start our annual school on August 11 with that minimum more or less in the bag, we can set ourselves up for one of the best SOs in recent years.