Letter from a reader:

An End-of-the-Year Challenge to All Revolutionaries and Freedom Fighters

December 17, 2014 | Revolution Newspaper | revcom.us

Did you know that almost half the money that people donate all year long is donated in the final weeks of the year?

This makes sense. The end of the year is a time when people take stock on what the past year has brought, examine their hopes for the New Year, and reflect on what gives real meaning to life. Because giving money is one of the most concretely impactful and meaningful ways to support a cause, this is a time when donations are highest.

Everyone who is serious about changing the world should not only take part in this end-of-the-year giving to support those efforts that are going to the heart of the problem and offering real solutions (as gone into below), they should also be enthusiastically and energetically going out to everyone they know – and many they don't yet know – to raise money for these same efforts!

Who should we go to, and what should we ask them to support?

The BA Everywhere campaign:

Think of the questions that were opened up, the breadth of people brought together, and the incredible life experience, integrity, and wisdom that came from the speakers during the recent historic Dialogue between Cornel West and Bob Avakian. Aren't there many hundreds who were in that crowd, and thousands more who watched around the country and since, who could appreciate the tremendous difference it would make if millions were to hear about and watch this Dialogue? Think of the decades of work that Bob Avakian has done in the realm of theory to bring forward the scientific method, strategy, and vision needed to make revolution and bring into being a radically new world where all the horrors that humanity suffers unnecessarily would be no more. Think of how he breaks all this down for people without even slightly watering it down. Think of how he daily takes responsibility for leading a party and a movement to make revolution right here in the most powerful imperialist country in the world and how he has dedicated his entire life to the emancipation of humanity. Aren't there many thousands who could appreciate the difference it would make in lifting the sights of people throughout society, in opening up the deepest questions, in bringing many into making real revolution – something that would change the lives of billions on this planet – if his work were very broadly known?

Right now, we should all be calling and sitting down with these people and asking them to give generously to the BA Everywhere campaign and we should be working with many to organize fun and meaningful ways to come together with others to raise money for this as well. People can click here to donate to BA Everywhere.

Revcom.us and Revolution newspaper:

Think of the growing thousands who are coming to and learning to rely on this website (revcom.us) and this newspaper – and the millions more who need to – to learn the truth of what is happening in the world, how the many different crimes and outrages all flow from the same system and what kind of revolution is needed to bring into being a far-better and fully liberated world... who are getting organized and trained in the movement for revolution through this and seeing people both like themselves and very different from themselves getting into this movement too. Aren't there huge numbers of people who could appreciate how meaningful it would be to donate to and even sustain this website and newspaper through 2015?

Right now, we should be going to all sorts of people – whether they've relied on this website for years, just found it, or are learning of this first when we bring it to them – and asking them to donate to support and spread this publication. People can click here to donate to Revolution/revcom.us.

Revolution Books stores:

Think of the incredible programs and amazing books and understanding provided by the Revolution Books stores across the country. Where else can people come to learn about the world in every sphere – from the arts to the sciences to history and the future – while at the same time connecting with a community that has as its beating heart the movement for real revolution? Where else can people come to not just learn about, but regularly dig into with others, the breakthroughs and practical application of Bob Avakian's new synthesis of revolution and communism and how this bears so greatly on humanity's hope to finally get free? Think of all the heartfelt appreciation that has been expressed by customers and students and authors and artists and international visitors for these incredible bookstores. Isn't this the time for all of them, and many more, to donate tens of thousands of dollars to keep these stores not only alive, but thriving? Isn't this the place where everyone should be doing their holiday shopping? People can click here for a list of Revolution Books stores.

Prisoners Revolutionary Literature Fund (PRLF):

Think of all those who themselves have spent years or even decades locked in Amerikkka's dungeons... think of their families and friends... and think of all the millions who have never had this experience but are having their eyes newly opened up to this horror. Think of all those who have been – or could be – deeply inspired and moved by the liberating transformation going on behind those walls by prisoners who get connected to the Prisoners Revolutionary Literature Fund. Aren't there thousands who would love to enable more prisoners to lift their heads and become emancipators of humanity? All of them should be given the chance to buy a book, sponsor a subscription, or underwrite a whole wing of the PRLF's efforts to reach inside the prison's walls. People can click here to make a tax-deductible donation to PRLF.

Stop Mass Incarceration Network:

Think of the outrageous genocide that is going on against Black people and other oppressed peoples in this country through the grinding jaws of mass incarceration and the devastating deaths at the hands of police. Think of the tens of thousands who have defiantly stepped into the streets and out in other powerful ways to make their opposition known and felt. Aren't there millions right now who are just aching for a way to be sure this doesn't pass as just a great “moment” but instead is forged into a lasting movement that doesn't stop until this genocide is brought to a halt?!All of them should be giving very generously right now to the Stop Mass Incarceration Network. Two important ways to donate to the Stop Mass Incarceration Network: Through December 20, 2014, go to Indiegogo to make a non-tax-deductible donation. People can click here to make a tax-deductible donation.

Stop Patriarchy:

Think of the horrendous and deepening war on women – from the all-out assault on abortion rights to the epidemic of rape and sexual assault, the pornification of society, and the way in which people are constantly told that this is just “human nature” that we must “learn to accept.” Is there any force that has been more determined, more consistent, more uncompromising, and more willing to go to the front lines wherever they may be to stand up for the lives and future of women than Stop Patriarchy? Just flip through the highlights of last summer's Abortion Rights Freedom Ride in Texas for one powerful example. Aren't there hundreds around this movement – and more broadly in society – who would love to be part of taking this further by donating and by joining their “$15 for '15” campaign and becoming an ongoing sustainer?  People can click here to donate to Stop Patriarchy.

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The fact is: Fundraising is always an essential part of building a serious movement for change.

But even more: Right now, at the end of the year, there is both the need and the tremendous basis for all of us collectively to make a serious and much-needed leap in this essential work.

Without serious funds, even the best efforts remain at the margins of society. Even more than that, winning and organizing many, many, many people to give – and to join in fundraising efforts – is one of the most critical ways to organize growing numbers of people into these movements. Giving money is one of the most meaningful ways that people can contribute to change. And, asking others for money is one of the most meaningful ways to open up and forge new relations with people that bring them into these movements.

With all that said, I conclude with a challenge.

If you are part of the movement for revolution as a whole or any single dimension of the movements mentioned above, make it your mission during this holiday season to talk to everyone you know about making a meaningful donation to one or more of these efforts. Talk to family. Talk to friends. Talk to co-workers. Talk to all the folks you may have met recently in the street or at programs or in any other way. Open up a serious discussion of the state of the world and the incredible and essential efforts underway to change it and huge difference their donations could make.

If you are at the center of leading and organizing any of these efforts, take this time to not only do this yourself but to actively lead others – everyone you have reached and touched in the last year – to join in a mass efforts to raise funds. Most people are hesitant to ask others for money, but if you talk with them many can very quickly become very excited and unleashed to do so. Remind them – and remind yourself – that asking people to donate to these movements is not a “personal favor.” It is giving them the opportunity to do something that really matters to the future of people everywhere.

Finally, keep these tips in mind:

The more concrete you are about how much you would like people to give; the more likely they will be to do so. Ask for an amount that would be truly meaningful; people will let you know if they can only give less but are much less likely to give more than you ask. Don't rule anyone out; many people will surprise you and donate if you take the time to talk with them. Lastly, if you are not going to a lot of people who say no, you are not going out broadly enough. Even when people say no, by asking them you have got them thinking about something new, learned more about their thinking, and opened up a conversation that may lead to some other form of involvement or a donation in the future.

Together, let’s use these final weeks of the year to make a major leap in raising the money and expanding the base of participation and support to make 2015 even more transformative than 2014!

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