Last week, we announced that we met the $30,000 fundraising goal for the National Campaign to Get @BobAvakianOfficial Everywhere.

These funds are going to get the voice of the revolutionary leader Bob Avakian (BA) through his social media, @BobAvakianOfficial, impacting society through online advertising, a high-impact postering campaign, and on-the-ground grassroots efforts. 

In response to our request last week, we received several letters from volunteers across the country who have been part of helping to meet this fundraising goal. We want to share just some from their reporting on what happened and what was learned:

** First, we want to say: we are in a different time—full of extreme danger but also new possibility. People are being shaken to their core by the extreme and rapid escalation of fascism. This has given rise to a palpable openness and eagerness to get into the questions that Bob Avakian is digging into in his work—like no one else! This is reflected in these reports—and that needs to go even further. 

Through this fund drive, and the efforts of this campaign overall, thousands of people encountered Bob Avakian’s work for the first time. In addition to generous donors giving more—or meeting matching challenges, hundreds donated small amounts—$5, $10, $20. Thousands of dollars were raised through broad mass fundraising efforts. A lot of this focused on mass distribution of the pamphlet from The Bob Avakian Institute of social media messages from BA: Trump/MAGA Fascism: What We’re Really Facing, Why and What Must Be Done to Defeat It Before It’s Too Late, Volume 1 and now, Volume 2.

Overall: We encountered an important tension and struggle—Avakian’s work resonated with all kinds of people who are agonizing about the mounting horrors they see around them. Many were attracted to BA’s recognition of the extreme dangers of Trump/MAGA fascism, and the call for a mass sustained non-violent uprising of millions to drive Trump from power now, even as they questioned whether this is really possible. They gave funds, hoping that this could have an impact in waking up and inspiring others. But there was also a strong pull to turn away from this, and a fear of stepping beyond the norms set by this system, norms which the fascists are rapidly obliterating. As one fundraiser put it, “Donating to this Campaign was an act to break beyond all that.” 

At the same time, BA’s vision of a profoundly positive way forward through revolution to defeat this whole system and build a whole different liberating society was sharply challenging to people, tapping into their hope for some way out of the horrific future they see looming before us. For most people this was the first time they had been confronted with this view of system-change. This was very attractive to some people, and for others a step too far. But through the course of this fund drive, literally tens of thousands of people were exposed to BA's work and hundreds donated to help spread this throughout society. 

** Across the country, 35,000 copies of Volume 1 of the pamphlet “Trump/MAGA Fascism: What We’re Really Facing, Why and What Must Be Done to Defeat It Before It’s Too Late” have been distributed. And so far, thousands of copies of Volume 2 have begun to be distributed. 

The title itself has been an attractive and provocative force, and the pamphlet a very important vehicle for thousands of people to engage with Bob Avakian’s analysis and scientific approach. Some would sit right down to read it and engage over what they thought. A lot of what we tapped into was a raw hatred for Trump and what he’s doing, and a certain amount of panic because people just don’t know what to do.

From one volunteer: “Progressive people very broadly are distraught and outraged by the ongoing and increasing attacks. Many people follow the news closely and in a timely way. And many say they are ready to act. These are people who have given donations and who have been willing to sit down with us for follow-up discussions. This is a small number, and this is in process. Often these people are older (in their 60s and 70s), who age-wise would have been shaped by the revolutionary movements of the 1960s, whether directly or indirectly. More than one has just said, ‘What can I do to help? Tell me, I’ll do anything that is needed.’”

Another volunteer wrote: “‘Why aren’t more people protesting?’ was a question we heard posed often. At Pride weekend, there was a lot of visceral hatred for the Trump regime expressed, with people having a sense of the hatred the regime has for LBGT. A lot of people tended to donate as a way of showing their hatred for the regime, wanting others to see this, and took pamphlets to read because they wanted to go deeper.”

Fundraisers in one area reported: “One woman came up to our table before we were even set up and was so angry, drawing the parallels between Trump fascism and Nazi Germany. She was so frustrated with her friends saying ‘It will all work out.’ No, she argued, ‘We have to stop this, not just protest!’ When we gave her volume 2 of the pamphlet of BA’s social media messages, she asked, ‘Where’s volume 1?’ She took both and gave a $100 donation on the spot.”

In speaking to all these kinds of questions, it made a difference to wield BA’s messages with people directly—showing the table of contents in the compilation (Volume 1, and now Volume 2). Or pulling up @BobAvakianOfficial on their phone and showing the range of questions he’s speaking to.

** There was a lot of struggle over people's views on and understanding that yes, fascism can and IS happening HERE. And no, we cannot rely on the existing institutions to stop this. There was especially struggle with people about the role of the Democrats, which BA speaks to in a number of places in his social media messages (for example, REVOLUTION #119: Democratic Party politicians may contribute to the crucial struggle against Trump/MAGA fascism—but the Democratic Party will not, and cannot, lead this struggle where it needs to go).

This challenges a lot of the underlying assumptions and thinking that most people have. But it also tapped into a lot of frustration. As one new donor said, “We used to give money to the Democrats, but we don’t see them doing anything,” and they donated $100 to this Campaign.

Some people declined to donate for this same reason. From a volunteer: “When I talked about the need to step this up and stop this fascism, the person I was talking to said he is holding out hope for a change in the mid-term elections and was going to put energy into electing a Democrat in his area… I argued this would be too late to wait until ’26 and Trump had said he wasn’t going to accept any election he didn’t win and instead we had to rely on the resistance of the people, not the courts or the Democrats. Ironically, he didn’t want to donate online out of his fear of ‘getting on a list under fascism’ (understandable), but was still clinging to illusions that fascism won’t happen here!” 

Another volunteer wrote: “Among some there is disillusionment with the courts. It’s not really cynicism but more disappointment and discouragement that the courts will not stop the regime—but they don’t understand why this is. We had a lot of experience of people wielding the various pieces from BA to actually address these questions—which changes the discussion with people.”

** Through this, there was also a lot of opening up discussion and debate about the new communism developed by BA, and what kind of radically different world is possible. Off of raising funds for the Campaign at a Pride March, a volunteer wrote: “In addition to BA’s work on fascism, I pointed people to his contributions to the fight for a whole different future for humanity—what we mean that humanity does not have to live this way, the understanding that BA brings about this system of capitalism and imperialism—and that there is a whole new way to live with a different system. Even when there was only a brief exchange about this, it had the impact of opening up the ceiling on people’s thinking and their aspirations.” She continued, “This resonated with a number of people in a time especially when the ugliness of this system ‘working’ is slamming people in the face—whether it be the inhumanity of what is being done to immigrants and trans people or the genocide in Gaza.”

Another fundraiser wrote: “One woman was interested in and bought the Constitution for the New Socialist Republic in North America (authored by BA). When we met with her a few days later, after some discussion about the campaign and the new communism concentrated in the Constitution—which she had begun to read—she donated $500.”

The fundraising materials made the point that “the future is in the balance!” A volunteer wrote that “this was important in people starting to think about what we could do to change that future. We tapped into a lot of things that people see as monstrous and really intolerable. And how BA’s work and this campaign can open things up for a different future—there really is a ‘profoundly positive way forward.’” (As one of the campaign posters states.)

Some people saw a difference in what BA is saying from what largely exists in progressive movements today: “One woman had begun to check out Bob Avakian’s social media, and watched The RNL—Revolution, Nothing Less!—Show. She donated on that basis. She said that she gave because BA and the revcoms analyzed that this is fascism, what it is and where it came from, and has an answer to how fascism could be defeated. That grabbed her attention as different from the Left/progressive politics ‘as usual’ that she was familiar with. She knew something terrible was happening, but this helped her understand what it is. Also, she wanted to support and spread how BA has envisioned a genuinely liberatory system and communist society, in contrast to a vague goal for a ‘socialist’ solution.”

There were notable incidents of people declining to donate because of unthinking kneejerk anti-communism—going hand in hand with a refusal to look at the truth of that history, and how BA has summed up what was advanced, and where it fell short—developing the new communism. This is something to revisit and frankly, struggle over more sharply with people.

** Finally, several people wrote about being oriented to reach people everywhere. It’s been important to go in the midst of the major mass protests with BA’s work, reaching all those acting in opposition to fascism. At the same time, there’s been important experience—and a lot of deep discussion—at farmer’s markets, theater events, other cultural events and concerts… really, all over. As someone wrote to us a few weeks ago, “I’m always looking for the openings.”

One fundraiser wrote, “I met someone on a hike; someone else at an auto repair shop; at a rest stop in a rain and wind storm; and distant family that I haven’t been in touch with in years.” 

This approach is also important with people who have themselves donated, and see the need to reach out to others. One donor said she didn’t know anyone to reach out to (thinking no one who had the same understanding that she did, or no one who would automatically want to donate to this campaign). But we talked about how her thinking has changed through engaging BA’s social media messages—going from hopeless to seeing a basis for change, from thinking we should just wait for the Democrats to seeing why they can’t act in the fundamental interests of humanity—and we talked about people she knows who care, and might themselves be open to this discussion, exploring different possibilities.”

***

We want to thank everyone who wrote in with your thoughts and experiences. This is essential to learning about what kind of impact we’re having, what obstacles we’re encountering and working together on how to break through. Please write to info@BobAvakianOfficialEverywhere.org with any further reflections, thoughts or ideas.

In particular, two questions:

• How do we deepen the engagement with BA’s ongoing work? Including playing BA’s social media messages for people on the spot? When we’re able to meet with people, do we dig into some of BA’s more overarching work, including the New Year’s message, “2025: A New Year—Profound New Challenges—And a Profoundly Positive Way Forward in the Face of Very Real Horror,” and the recent interviews, Humanity Does Not Have to Live This Way?
• How does this engagement get carried forward? With people following, digging into and spreading the messages coming from @BobAvakianOfficial? For people who donated, are we continuing discussion of these messages and the mission of the Campaign?