07.09.2011

Cash boost

Robbie Rix is more confident we can raise what we need each month

The CPGB’s 2011 Summer Offensive fundraising drive was highly successful in one area in particular: bringing in regular donations to the Weekly Worker.

A good number of our supporters responded to our appeal for more, or increased, monthly standing order donations in a very positive way. We had set a target of £300 a month in new money and the appeal ended with pledges amounting to £313. It has to be said, though, that a few of those comrades have yet to return their completed standing order form (or arrange payments directly with their bank), but already the extra cash landing in our account is making a big difference.

Take the first week of September and the start of this month’s fighting fund. Over the last seven days no less than £230 has been received in standing orders - and more than a third of that results from new pledges. I am now much more confident that we will be able to raise the £1,250 we need each and every month - rather than enduring the disappointment of persistent shortfalls that have been a recent feature of this column. Not least if all comrades deliver on their promises!

The fund was also boosted by a (late) donation meant for the Summer Offensive from GD. Not to worry, comrade: now or last month, it makes no real difference. Your £100 addition to our coffers is a great help - thank you. Then there was the £40 from comrade EJ - a donation made in exchange for a complete set of The Leninist, the paper that preceded the Weekly Worker.

So, all in all, a good start to our September fund. But a word of warning: a high proportion of those standing orders come in at the beginning of the month, so the next three weeks may not be quite so fruitful in that regard. But it goes without saying that we are still accepting cheques and postal orders - not to mention online donations via our PayPal link. But last week we received none of those, despite the fact that 13,094 internet readers came our way.

So let me end with a series of exhortations. If you appreciate this paper and read it online, then please do what you can financially to maintain and improve it. Click on the ‘Make a donation’ button. If you’ve still got some of those old-style cheques to use up, then pop one in the post. If you have made a pledge to take out or increase a standing order, then please delay no more. Just as good, if you haven’t promised us anything, but want to donate, now would be a good time to begin helping us out.

We start this month’s fighting fund with £370 towards our £1,250 target.