Chris Newby, Socialist Party fighting fund organiser

Congratulations to all readers of the Socialist for their brilliant work in making sure we reached our £25,000 fighting fund target. This was made possible by nearly £6,000 being raised in the last week alone.

Our readers did all they could to raise money for the Socialist Party including many different fundraising events. But the main amount came through the many donations from workers and members of the public on picket lines, our campaign stalls, rallies and meetings.

There is a rising tide of support for striking workers fighting back against the cost-of-living crisis. Socialist Party members have been visiting striking workers, holding regular stalls in support of workers fighting for a decent pay rise and against the cost-of-living crisis, and taking part in protests.

Our demands – renationalisation of the energy companies, railways and Royal Mail – have gone down extremely well, as has the call to link the strikes together. But what really strikes a chord is the demand for a new party that will fight for working-class people, including supporting workers in struggle.

How we raise funds in Dorset

Kellie O’Gara, Salisbury Socialist Party

The fighting fund is a core part of what the Socialist Party does. Without it, we are silent. Every donation helps produce the newspaper you’re reading, the material we use, hires venues, and so much more.

A proportion of the fighting fund also goes to areas who have hit their target to buy equipment such as printers, megaphones and anything else that can be used to let people know that we are here, we are fighting, and to encourage more people to join and support the Socialist Party.

Unlike the main capitalist parties, we do not get millions in funding from rich donors and Russian oligarchs. Every penny we have comes from members and supporters of our party. Consequently, we have to work harder to make every penny that we can.

Each quarter, every region is given a target to aim for in raising funds, to continue and drive our fight towards a better, fairer world and begin the path to socialism. This quarter, my own region, South West England, has smashed its target.

Salisbury branch has a target of £150. We managed to raise £248.98!

Most of those donations have come from Socialist Party campaign stalls. Essentially, these are funds coming in from outside of the party, people on the streets who support our work. But you don’t get if you don’t ask.

Have your card machine on hand in case they have no cash. We recently started using a ‘float’, a bag of change for when people only have banknotes with them. This helps those who want to contribute from walking away without donating.

Sheila Caffrey told me about the games night that Gloucestershire Socialist Party ran to raise funds. “We got together in someone’s house, had some drinks and snacks and played some games. A good chance to chat and socialise, and everyone put in a donation”. The branch made £65 that night.

The more stalls we hold, the more donations we ask for, the more that our own members can donate, the more we can achieve together to bring about socialist change.