Monday 9 December 2013

Chatham & Aylesford do it again!

Chatham & Aylesford Conservatives continue to punch significantly above their weight, not just in terms of Voter ID and leaflet delivery (the Association has more recorded pledges than any other in the South East), but now in cold fundraising too.

This year the Association has broken all records by raising an outstanding £3,009 on its Christmas Draw appeal. What's more, the majority of this money has come from over 200 brand new smaller donors; none of whom are members of have donated to the party previously.


This chart plots the success of the Christmas financial appeal over the last 6 years. As one would expect, the two years leading up to the 2010 General Election showed supporters at their most generous, helping build-up a war chest to match Labour's Trade Union funding.  As usual, funding dropped off immediately after the GE, reaching a low point of £700 in 2011 (ironically - this is the year I took a 12 month sabbatical from Medway politics to focus on the No to AV campaign and setting-up the West Kent Group).  Recovery started in 2012, then as you can see - we started to fly this year, breaking all local and regional records.

What this shows is even mid-term, after three very difficult years, Conservatives are still willing to put their hands in their pockets and help to financially support a popular and hard working MP. It also demonstrates that when we get off our backsides and stop 'managing decline' we are able to identify hundreds of brand new small donors, who will no doubt give again or might even join or help.

So let's hear no more whining that "we can't find anyone to deliver leaflets" or "we don't have the resources to knock on doors" or even "we can't find new helpers or donors". If little old C&A, with one of the smallest memberships in the South East, can top almost every KPI - then there is no reason others shouldn't follow. What it needs is leadership; doing what's right even in the face of negativity.

Leaders think and talk about the solutions.
Followers think and talk about the problems.
—Brian Tracy
  

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