The Militant - July 27, 2004 -- SWP supporters on target to raise $315,000 for revolutionary party

Vol. 68/No. 27 July 27, 2004

SWP supporters on target to raise $315,000
for revolutionary party

BY PAT O'REILLY
SEATTLE—Midway through 2004, supporters of the Socialist Workers Party “remain on course to collect the $315,000 they have pledged to contribute to the party this year,” said Sara Gates, a member of the supporters’ financial steering committee. They have collected more than $158,000 in the first half of this year, she said, $400 above the target.

The SWP supporters adopted the current goal last year, after exceeding the $300,000 target they had set for the period from August 2002 to July 2003.

Party supporters around the country collect regular monthly contributions, record them in an electronic database, and mail them to Seattle by the fifth of the month. Here, the steering committee—which has undertaken financial tasks previously carried out in the party center—verifies the checks received, prepares and makes the deposits, and sends the funds to the SWP national office in regular installments averaging $26,250 per month. The committee also sends out a monthly newsletter to party supporters reporting on the status of the campaign.

Scott Breen, a member of the steering committee, described some of the advances supporters have made in this campaign in a presentation at the closing program of the June 10-12 SWP convention, which took place at Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio.

“Since January 1,” Breen said, “27 new contributors joined the effort and a total of $1,630 in new contributions has been raised.” As of the opening of the party convention, 349 contributors had pledges totaling $26,687 per month—$437 more than the monthly minimum needed to make the $315,000 goal, and $800 more than what the monthly pledges totaled on January 1.

On June 13, SWP supporters from 18 areas held a financial workshop at Oberlin College aimed at building on their successes and overcoming challenges such as collecting back debts and ensuring timely payments. Supporters from areas that illustrated success in tackling these problems made presentations.

In San Francisco, supporters reduced large back debts by some contributors, meeting with them in person to work out the problem. In Washington, D.C., party supporters nearly doubled the number of contributors from eight last fall to 15 today by having regular discussions in the local monthly supporters’ meetings, and meeting individually with prospective contributors.

Several supporters groups have established local financial committees. In New York City, for example, the work of that committee has resulted in six new contributors and 10 raises from existing contributors so far this year—an additional $720 per month.

At the workshop, Breen said that important strides in the timely collection and forwarding of pledges have been made. The back debt of individuals has gone down and the previous ups and downs of the monthly collection have tended to level out. The current monthly pledges exceeded the amount required to make the $315,000 yearly goal, he said, but the margin was small. For this reason, the steering committee proposed raising the target to $27,250 per month to help guarantee meeting the year’s goal.

SWP leader Dave Prince said at the workshop that the regular and stable income from supporters is an important part of the party’s budget. “The contributions help make possible the ongoing work of building the party and timely responsiveness to political developments,” he said. “They have facilitated carrying out price reductions in the party’s press that have helped SWP members increase the distribution of these essential publications.”

Those interested in becoming regular contributors to the SWP can contact the party supporters in the nearest area (see directory).

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