A guide to fundraising and sales of the Socialist
Val O’Flynn, Socialist Party Grimsby
Selling the Socialist and raising Fighting Fund is always at the forefront of our party branch activities.
Where possible every member gets their paper and at least one extra by direct debit and Phil, our sales organiser, makes sure that everyone has all the papers they need on the day it arrives, rather than waiting until the evening branch meeting.
The Socialist gives us the arguments for those casual conversations at the bus stop or workplace. It not only helps us spread our message but could lead to an extra sale, so we always try to have a spare paper with us.
We’ve started putting a sticker on all our spare papers with details of our branch meetings and contact details and any old papers are left at public places.
Some of us have paper rounds and that’s also an easy way for the branch to stay in touch with potential new members, and invite them to public meetings.
Selling the paper on stalls, or canvassing at protests, etc, can be daunting but the more members we have running the stall, the more confidence it seems to give us and the more fun we have.
There’s no doubt that a busy stall attracts people. Using a petition that can be tied in to the cover of the Socialist makes it easier to steer the conversation towards a sale.
Star seller
A little competitiveness between members also helps. We do learn from each other but also develop our own style.
Paul, our star seller, used to be in sales and it shows. He is “luckily able to let you have a copy of the Socialist for only a pound or two pound solidarity price”; while Andy likes to condemn the bias of the mainstream press and then offer “a real newspaper that tells the truth”.
The hardest part is just to get over the fear of the word “no”. But “no” this time, maybe a “yes” next week.
Public meetings are a great way of boosting our fighting fund. We are proud to explain during the financial appeal that we have no big backers, unlike the establishment parties, and need donations to continue our work before passing the collecting tin around.
May Day – a celebration of workers struggles internationally
We send May Day greetings from our Trades Union Council to support workers in struggle and commemorate International Workers’ Day – which was originally called by the Second International (of socialist parties) in 1890 to fight for the eight-hour working day.
Most people have only been taught that May Day is a pagan festival linked to spring, but it’s the fight for workers’ rights that has been the significant reason it has been celebrated.
Workers around the world took part in strikes and demonstrations in their millions. May Day became an international 24-hour general strike, being recognised as a public holiday in many countries. However, in the USA, the government understood the threat to capitalism from international workers’ solidarity and in 1896 invented Labour Day, held in September – an attempt to split American workers off from the rest of the world.
It is ironic therefore that the recent campaigns for $15 an hour in the USA, successfully won by socialists in Seattle, is being echoed on the May Day London march this year with the call for an equivalent £10 an hour minimum wage.
It didn’t take long for workers’ newspapers to carry May Day Greetings as an indication of the support they had from the movement and to raise much needed funds.
The same applies today. And why your union branch or campaign should put May Day greetings in the Socialist.
Steve Glennon, Stevenage
Send May Day greetings to the Socialist
Get a 25% discount by paying by Wednesday 8 April. Final deadline Wednesday 15 April 2015. Greeting price guide: £500 for a whole page (£375 before 8 April); £300 for a half-page (£225); £170 quarter-page (£127.50); £90 one-eighth (£67.50); £50 one-sixteenth (£37.50); £30 1/32 (£22.50); £20 small box (£15). Other rates are available. For enquires please contact us at the details below.
Phone 020 8988 8781 Email [email protected]
Give your greeting online at www.socialistparty.org.uk/mayday
Readers will enjoy a redesigned Socialist in our next issue. The new tabloid size weekly newspaper will be 16 pages up to the general election and available at the same cover price of just £1.
Socialist Party branches should use this re-launch to plan extra sales of the Socialist. Set aside some time at this week’s meeting to identify workplaces, colleges and estates where the Socialist can be sold and make sure all potential new members are approached to take out a regular subscription.
Subscription forms can be obtained from the circulation office – 020 8988 8795.
