(FINAL TALLY OF FUNDS RAISED TO COME SOON)
On Monday December 12, our full page ad appeared in the New
York Times. This is a great accomplishment.
For the first time our Call was printed in the paper which is the number
one source and reference for U.S.
news to the international media, and to editorial boards across this
county. The very significant list of
signatories offers tremendous weight and
a real sense of momentum for this movement to millions of readers. The demand that Bush Step Down and Take Your
Program with You has now been powerfully projected, a demand that makes
explicit what needs to be the question of the hour throughout American society.
As of Wednesday, December 8th, our fundraising campaign
raised over $25,000.00. The New York
Times printed the ad with a deposit of $22,500.00. The total cost of the ad is $45,000.00.
The week contained some very important beginnings. Some highlights from the week are included in
the report below. While we do not know
the total amount raised during our special week of fundraising, (we will
announce this as soon as we can complete the tally), we do know that we did not
reach our desired goal of $200,000, and we need to sum this up after talking more
to people who participated. What we do
know is that it was the first time our entire organization has gone out to
raise funds as the main thing we are doing.
There have been some very important new experiences and significant new
ventures that we can and must learn from in order to transform our situation as
we go forward from here.
There is very broad public sentiment about the need to Drive
out the Bush Regime, and we see this everywhere. San Francisco
shook the can in the middle of large after Thanksgiving shopping crowds and
raised $500.00 ( that’s many many people who would give just because they hate
the Bush Regime so much. Then there are those who came to the November 2nd
events who people are now getting back to and are having some real heart-to-heart
talks over what we accomplished, how are we going to actually do this, what it
means if we don’t raise the necessary money, and how is it that we can now do
this. Some of us have gone back to those
who stepped out to support November 2nd and have asked for larger donations,
and also have asked them to become fundraisers and organizers, And to take new
responsibility for this movement. A
number of people who donated significant amounts in the days leading up to the
2nd, have turned around and given even larger donations towards the N.Y. Times
ad. In a number of areas, new people who
were touched by November 2nd, went out to others for the first time to raise
funds. We tapped into important forms
that could involve many many people ( particularly house parties and door to
door canvassing – and got a taste of their potential.
As we said, November 2nd was very important, but it was just
a beginning. There are still the large
numbers of people, particularly from the middle class and wealthy backgrounds,
who are still not on board with us. ‘America
could never get that bad, could it?’ they often say, even as they recognize how
bad it has already gotten, and that there is something extreme and dangerous
about the current trajectory. And when it is presented carefully to them, many
of them actually will come to understand why it is so dangerous. And then they also will raise the questions
about what we can and must do about it.
If we do our job, they will see that we do have a plan, and it is the
only thing that now makes any sense in this political climate.
These are very critical times. When we get into this deeply with people,
things can change for them. When we do
this broadly in society with things like the New York Times ad, this can happen
on a very big scale. We need to
cultivate the new openings we have seen and learn from the experience and
success of those who have brought some new things into being.
With the printing of the NY Times ad, we now have a powerful
tool to aid in our fundraising efforts.
Let’s use this new situation to
integrate fundraising into all that we do. Let’s go all out with this announcement of our
new actions and call on many many more to dig deeply into their pockets and to
also ask others to do the same. Funding these critically important ads to get
the word out quickly and supporting the national offices and our website is an
integral part of driving out the Bush Regime.
What could be more urgent and important right now?
Reports
Local Committees are doing things they have never done
before!
San Diego raised
a significant amount of money, and did so by returning to the people who came
to the November 2nd rally in their city and those that were on their email
list. They not only raised immediate funds but also asked every person they
called to talk concretely about others they could go to for donations. A house party and further visits with people
have been organized. One person sent letters to 200 Kerry supporters found on
fundrace.org and will follow up with canvassing. Two people in Cleveland
dedicated their week to visiting contacts and making new ones, raising close to
$3,000.00 in donations and pledges.
San Francisco
hit the ground after the Conference and went to a very busy part of their city
with 4 people on one day and 2 on the second day and raised $500.00, just by
asking people on the street.
In two areas (Los Angeles
and Houston), art sale house
parties were organized. An artist in Los
Angeles who was moved by November 2nd, organized
artists at a number of college campuses to contribute work and sent invitations
to all of her own buyers.
In Chicago,
there were two gatherings in homes and a big organizers’ meeting. Debra Sweet spoke at the gatherings and found
that people had very profound questions about how we could really drive out the
regime. It was challenging and rich
because of the seriousness with which people were thinking. Debra commented on how important these house
parties are in terms of really helping people to understand the importance of
this movement and the need for everyone to take responsibility. People went canvassing in one of the
neighborhoods the following weekend, and one very receptive resident donated
$1,000.00!
In Madison Wisconsin, people organized a house party and two
people came. They tried again, and 10
people came and one person agreed to do another house party and $330.00 was
raised.
Mt. Holyoke
College put together fundraising
actions for every day of the week. They
went out in freezing weather to a neighborhood where people invited them into
their homes to talk. They have had dorm
parties and went to sell candy canes to drive the regime out at a big holiday
event at the college. There is alot of
work going on at major college campuses because this will be the last week
before Winter break. This may at first
seem like a contradiction – too much to do in too short a time? Sometimes deadlines can act in our favor when
the needs are clearly explained to the people we are going to. And wouldn’t it be amazing if everyone we
talk to is asked to give all that they can right now.
The folks in Greensboro
called a statewide meeting and tripled the number of organizers, and reported
that they would be going out fundraising with new strength. A WCWer in Florida
made his own contribution of $1,000.00 and offered to help with the Ft.
Lauderdale chapter where in the
face of major Hurricane damage still held a rally of 70 people on November
2nd. One of our national organizers was
able to meet with a professional fundraiser in Los Angeles
who will help direct us to his contacts who are most likely to give. He was referred to us by his father, who said
this was the most urgently important thing for him to do!
A businessman who had donated $500 on the eve of the 2nd,
made a $1000 contribution immediately upon seeing the ad and also sent it on to
others. An author who had made a
significant donation after receiving a fundraising packet in the mail, donated
another $2,000 towards the ad. Sometimes
we hesitate going back to people who have recently donated versus understanding
that people do see the need to take this kind of responsibility and are looking
for the means to do so. We need to
invite them fully into this movement.
A very experienced canvasser is now going out to a
neighborhood in Portland that has
been identified as being both wealthy and progressive. While he only raised $85.00 on the first day,
on the third day got his first $150.00 check.
He has even been invited into homes to talk, and someone who said he
never gives money to canvassers agreed to give money to him. He is now
working with the national office
to not only raise funds as part of the $200,000.00 campaign, but is developing
a portfolio of materials and a more finely tuned handbook for all of us. He was very excited about the challenge of
canvassing, and we agreed to keep a running account of the main questions he is
facing and what our best response should be.
In New York, a
bar owner agreed to give have the proceeds during a Happy Hour to World Can’t
Wait. And in San
Francisco, two venues offered their space for free for
events, including Grand Lake Theater who put World Can’t Wait on their marquee.
Please note that we have not yet gotten full reports from
every area, and we are eager to hear more.
As a last note, we’d like to quote Brent from Atlanta, who
reflects the real strength of a movement where many people of all backgrounds
and financial capabilities takes responsibility to raise the funds necessary to
make the leap we have set out to do.
“First off, I must say that the whole fund-raising
experience has been a completely amazing process! I have transformed my pitch
& angle from a very impersonal script into a highly personalized one,
really tapping into what I truly believe the call speaks to the particular
individual. By trial & error I went
from getting kicked off a “Libertarians” front porch to receiving my
1st $100 contribution to WCW!
“Just don’t give up & recite each aspect of the
call to yourself as you shower, eat breakfast, sit on the throne, eat lunch,
etc… The main point is that you know every angle of the call so that it fits
whatever personality you happen to run into.
Be concise & to the point, but most of all listen to the person
& let them know that whatever they have to say is very important to the
movement!”
Please email us at fundraise@worldcantwait with your ideas
and experiences.