Get Involved

Activist Toolkit

Rockin’ Out for Farm Animals:
How to Coordinate a Farm Animal Awareness Concert for Farm Sanctuary

Music makes the world go round, but without musicians and show coordinators, no one would ever hear it. This is where you come in. Whether you are a musician or just have an interest in putting together a show, you have the power to reach many people with a message of compassion for farm animals. It can be as simple as promoting your own awareness-raising concert or as complex as organizing a line-up of bands and garnering press coverage and radio play. Donating the proceeds from a Rockin’ Out for Farm Animals concert to Farm Sanctuary gives our rescue, advocacy and education efforts a huge boost. This kind of friend- and fund-raiser helps us tremendously and also has the potential to reach new people who have never been exposed to farm animal issues.

Here are a few tips to get you started:

• Though you can certainly organize a concert by yourself, pairing up with a fellow advocate might make it more fun while also broadening your fan base.
• Generally speaking, it is best to have acts interested before looking for a venue.
• When choosing a venue, it may help to make sure they have a “back line,” which means they have much of the stage equipment in place already, including a sound person to run it. (Depending on the venue, this isn’t always the case.) Ask to speak with the booker, who will want to know what acts are playing and how large an audience to expect. If you anticipate a small audience, ask for a night that is not very busy, such as a Monday or Tuesday, and stress that this is for charity and you will happily promote their club. Clubs usually need a four-week lead time to book acts, which will also give you time to get the word out.
• Recruit your friends to promote the show. Some great outlets for this include using social networking websites like Facebook, MySpace, as well as posting fliers around town and in store windows (particularly music stores!) with the proprietors’ permission.
• Local papers usually list community events, so call the paper to find out who the contact person is and how much lead time they need to list the event. You can also ask if they have a music reviewer that you can invite down to the show for coverage. (Sometimes they ask for a demo CD first.) To learn more, check out our tips on media outreach.
• It is not always possible to get radio support, but if there is a public or college station in your area, they might be willing to promote your concert. Ask to speak with the music director or the program director, and make a short pitch: just say who you are, what the show is for, and where and when it is taking place. Chances are, they will support it – especially if they like your music!
• Since this is an awareness-raising show (as opposed to a benefit), keep the door charge modest at $10 and let people know that 100 percent of the proceeds go directly to Farm Sanctuary.
• At the event, make sure you have Farm Sanctuary literature/brochures on tables or at the bar so people know what the cause is. You can order literature for free by e-mailing activist@farmsanctuary.org. If the venue normally has space for literature, you can even ask about leaving some after the show, and returning regularly to replenish it. Learn more about reaching out to venues and other local businesses.
• If you choose to emcee this event, you can gather talking points on our website, www.farmsanctuary.org. You can also learn about Farm Sanctuary’s many victories and milestones. We are more than happy to assist you with your talking points!
• You can raise even more money at your event by holding a raffle or silent auction for items such as a vegan restaurant gift certificate or concert tickets. It’s a fun way to add a fundraising component while also promoting veg-friendly companies!
• If the venue you’ve selected serves food, ask them to test run a new vegan menu item or two for the event. If it’s a bar, you might suggest they offer a Soy White Russian, or a vegan version of another drink! They’re sure to sell well during the event, and many venues have found them so successful that they decide to add vegan items to the menu permanently. If the venue is stumped about what to prepare, direct them to our recipes and vegan cooking tips.
  

Whether this is your first awareness show or your fiftieth, don’t be intimidated! It may take some time to find the acts and secure the venue, but most people are very responsive to friend- and fund-raiser concerts like Rockin’ Out for Farm Animals. You have a better chance of getting media attention and a healthy audience when they know it’s for a good cause like Farm Sanctuary.

With all of this in mind, it’s time to go musically forth, and melodically brainstorm!

Since there are many ways to go about organizing a show, please feel free to contact our volunteer Rockin’ Out for Farm Animals coordinator, Jenn London, who can help you reach  your goal, no matter how large or small. You can reach Jenn at london_jenn@hotmail.com. Jenn was the volunteer coordinator responsible for the wildly successful NYC Rockin' Out for Farm Animals, and is excited to assist you in your efforts to make farm animal awareness a musical experience!