1. Reach out to corporations

Photo by The Humane League’s campaign “I’m not lovin’ it”

Corporate outreach urges corporations to implement policies that improve animal welfare. This can involve the use of petitions, media exposure, and other forms of public pressure. In recent years, many campaigns improving the welfare of egg-laying hens and broiler chickens have been quite successful.

The Humane League (THL), Animal Equality, L214, and Mercy For Animals (MFA) all have corporate outreach programs that you can volunteer for right from home. Volunteers engage in activities such as signing petitions, posting on social media, or sending emails. Volunteers may also join demonstrations that target corporations and ask them to adopt better welfare standards. Protests are sometimes covered by the media, causing them to receive publicity and raise awareness.

You can also join The Humane League’s National Volunteer Program. Launched in January 2017, this program engages volunteers in cities where THL doesn’t have a regional office. Activities include assisting with campaigns, hosting work parties, tabling, and leafleting. Volunteers receive training in effective advocacy, and the program connects them with nearby animal advocates.

2. Work to change legislation

Legislative work can achieve long-lasting change for animals. It requires strong interpersonal and communication skills, and might not be the best fit for everyone. Before starting as a volunteer, you should also consider that there’s no guarantee that a given campaign will be a success.

Humane Society of the United States’ Farm Animal Protection Campaign (HSUS FAP) combats the most extreme confinement practices and abuses in the farmed animal system and aims to reduce total demand for animal products. You can volunteer with HSUS through their District Leader Program. As a district leader, you will serve as an HSUS ambassador in your district, and advance HSUS’ federal and state animal protection legislative priorities. You will receive training and develop skills that may prove useful in other jobs and activities.

3. Volunteer as a writer

Photo by Christin Hume on Unsplash

Publicly promoting our research or information about our Top Charities through social media, blogs, or editorials can considerably expand our reach. If this type of writing appeals to you, you may also want to join oINK, Mercy For Animals’ writing group. After signing up, you will receive regular writing suggestions. Volunteering as a writer can be especially effective if you write about topics that you are an expert about, such as your field of study.

In addition to writing your own pieces, you can also share our content on social media and add comments to our Facebook page or blog. Even something as quick as “This was helpful/confusing/interesting because […]” can be very useful and could help inspire others to join the discussion. Comments let us know exactly what you think about our content and can help us to communicate our message more effectively.

Writing is usually a solo task, so if you’re looking to get involved with other advocates, this may not be for you. You can, however, get together with other advocates to make this activity more fun and interactive.

4. Advocate for animals by tabling at an event

Events like veg fests, music/crafts festivals, or health/environmental expos are a great place to engage with the public. You can volunteer by setting up a table or other displays with informative materials. For example, publicly representing one of ACE’s recommended charities allows you to educate people about the cruelties of animal agriculture and the steps they can take to help.

At the moment we have limited knowledge about the effectiveness of tabling. We recommend representing a specific charity rather than working at a more generic table to sign people up for newsletters and other activities. If it’s not feasible to represent a recommended charity directly, you can order literature and make or buy food samples to pass out while talking to people about farmed animal suffering.

Keep in mind that it can be time-consuming to gather supplies and set up a table. It also requires more volunteers, and there is often a fee associated with having a table at an event. Contact our recommended charities directly to see if they send out materials such as brochures, sign-up sheets, or donation boxes. Some charities like Animal Equality might even cover the cost of food giveaways for your table.

5. Share videos about animal suffering

Person watching Animal Equality’s iAnimal VR video. Photo by Bite Back

Videos are an important tool for animal advocates. Exposing the cruelty of factory farming can be both shocking and revealing to people who haven’t seen this kind of footage before. If you’re interested in this kind of advocacy, you can set up a booth at an event or in a public place and offer people a dollar to watch a short video such as Mercy For Animals’ “What Cody Saw.” See MFA’s advice and instructions for more information.

Virtual reality (VR) footage is another impactful tool for animal advocates. One way to engage in this kind of outreach is by getting involved with Animal Equality’s iAnimal VR campaigns. In this case you probably won’t need to offer an incentive to viewers, since passerby are often interested in trying out a new technology anyway.

Showing viewers videos about animal suffering might have a bigger impact than handing them printed materials. Before getting started, consider that this kind of outreach can be more time- and resource-intensive than other outreach methods and that it requires laptops, tablets, or portable DVD players. Fees at events and financial incentives for viewers may add additional costs.

6. Host a movie screening

Documentaries and movies can inspire people to reduce or eliminate their consumption of animal products. You could host a screening at a local library or college campus, or have a more casual screening with a group of friends and a discussion afterward. Providing delicious vegan food and recipes may further motivate people to eat fewer animal products. Some documentaries that encourage veganism include Vegucated, Earthlings, Forks Over Knives, Cowspiracy, Speciesism, and Carnage.

A casual event is relatively easy to set up. Screening licenses, however, can be expensive and it’s hard to predict how many viewers will show up. Some advocates who have organized screenings observe that they’re “preaching to the choir,” as mostly vegans and other animal advocates come to see the films.

7. Organize a veg fest

The Vegan Summer Festival Berlin organized by ProVeg Deutschland e.V., the animal rights alliance Berlin-Vegan and the Albert Schweitzer Stiftung für unsere Mitwelt. Photo by Bjørn Fehl

Organizing a veg fest may be a good way to educate people about farmed animals and veganism. Veg fests have been popping up all over the globe. Each fest is slightly different, but most include speakers, food, tables for nonprofits, and exhibitors sampling and selling their products. The number of visitors varies from hundreds to thousands depending on location, publicity, and other factors.

If you’d like to get involved in a veg fest, consider volunteering for one in your area; or, if there isn’t one near you and you’d like to start one, check out Compassionate Action for Animals’ extensive guide, “How to Plan a Veg Fest.” Well-run veg fests also help to build a sense of community with other volunteers.

8. Use your specialized skills

Farmed animal charities can use help in many ways, and it’s important to consider your own specialized skills when choosing volunteer activities. Specialized skills like graphic design, web development, volunteer management/coordination, public speaking, and event planning are all valuable to organizations. Your expert knowledge may determine how you can have the greatest impact as a volunteer.