"By the end of that conference, the pledges nationally totaled $17,500 a month for an annual total of $210,000. With the raise in pledges over the last three months, the annual level of contributions has risen to a little over $217,000. This is a victory," said Gates, "and a real reflection of the growing political enthusiasm among supporters for the political ideas and the work of the party."

Gates and the Seattle supporters committee have sent out a monthly letter to party supporters since August. The letter reports on the results of the collection the previous month, and points to challenges for the month ahead.

A December 14 letter sent to party supporters attached a chart listing the amount of contributions collected over the past four months. It showed that $19,300 was contributed nationally in October and $17,000 in the month of November. In the December letter to supporters, Gates reported on the progress of the campaign:

"The four-month chart has a new column which gives the pledge levels for each area. These totals show that additional contributions have been raised since the Oberlin Active Workers Conference. The monthly average to shoot for is $18,146.50, making the annual amount pledged $217,758.

"The chart also shows that the amount for November is a little lower than last month, but the August to November figures show we are on a steady course toward maintaining a monthly average of over $18,000.

"So keep up the good work. It is important to pay extra attention to the December collection because of the holidays. Let's enter the third millennium (or the last year of the second, depending on your point of view) on a strong footing!"

The supporters are also taking steps forward in systematically organizing to collect pledges. "In most cities where there are supporters now, one supporter works with others to take responsibility for organizing the collection of money pledged by supporters. This has been a step forward," said Gates. "We send the monthly letter on the campaign to this supporter and ask them to share the results we report on each month with other supporters in their area. This has helped us all to get a sense of the national progress we're making and to see the importance of our role in organizing the campaign locally."

If you would like to join this campaign and make a monthly pledge, contact the SWP in your area or write to Gates by E-mail at sjgates@home.com  
 
 
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