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Creative Activism

You’ve tabled, leafleted and demonstrated your heart out, and your outreach routine is beginning to feel a bit mundane. We get it. So, what else can you do for farm animals?

There are countless unique ways to reach out for farm animals imaginatively and effectively. Did you know that Gene Baur, the co-founder of Farm Sanctuary, began raising money and awareness for farm animals by selling veggie hot dogs at Grateful Dead concerts? Thinking outside of the box may further your activism in unexpected ways. You can start the creative process by asking yourself a few simple questions:

• What are you good at? What do you love to do? Are you a painter? Violinist? Football player? Yoga instructor? Turn your passion into awareness. Think about your favorite hobbies and brainstorm ways to spin them into a fundraising or awareness-raising event.
• Who do you know? What talents do your friends have? What local establishments are you associated with? In the case of outreach, two heads (or three, or four) are always better than one! Collaborate with others to create the best event or outreach activity possible. For example, if you’re an artist, combine your talent with a musically talented friend to hold a benefit concert — and sell your artwork at the band’s merchandise table. Or, if you love to bake, set up a table to share free samples of homemade vegan goods, along with related literature. Activist collaboration will broaden your audience while also keeping your outreach fresh and interesting!
• What issue are you most passionate about? Is there one aspect of factory farming or one reason to go vegan that always makes you think, “If only they knew …”? Focus your attention on this issue, and set out to make your voice heard. Bombarding people with too much information about your cause can be overwhelming. By focusing your message, you will be able to better secure others’ interest and motivate them to learn more. Think about who will be most affected by the single issue that you have in mind and how you might be able to reach them creatively. Remember that by staying positive while educating others, you’ll encourage them to respond more positively to farm animal advocacy efforts.

Here are a few more suggestions to bring out your creative activist side:

• For the Fun-Raiser
• For the Artistic Activist
• For the Athletic Activist  

FUN-RAISING

Game Nights. Bingo is an amazing fundraising event for all ages!

• Note that many jurisdictions tightly regulate Bingo games. Make sure to check your state and local laws to confirm that you comply with any and all requirements.
• Find a venue in your community that will host a Bingo Night to raise awareness and funds for farm animals. Be sure to make arrangements for tables and chairs, rent a Bingo counter, and purchase Bingo cards, markers, beverages, and vegan snacks.
• Ask businesses to donate prizes for an auction or raffle, or to be awarded to Bingo winners.
• Enlist peppy volunteers to get things hopping. You’ll need Bingo callers, cashiers and refreshment servers.
• Charge guests a flat-rate donation to play one card for the night. Sell additional cards at a discounted rate and encourage attendees to purchase more to increase their chances of winning.
• Provide literature for attendees to browse and take home.
• If your initial event is popular, consider hosting a monthly or bi-monthly Bingo Night. This will enable those who have attended, learned and enjoyed themselves to invite their own friends to the next game.
• If you can’t find a local venue to host Bingo, simply invite a group of people to your home for a lower-key game night. Don’t restrict yourself to Bingo! Break out Monopoly for a full night of fun, test your word power with a Scrabble tournament, or initiate a monthly event at which participants rotate in choosing the game of the night. Ask each friend to bring someone so you can reach even more people. Provide vegan snacks and display literature for newcomers.

Garage and Yard Sales. Having a charity sale is the ultimate win-win event — clean out the house while raising funds and awareness for farm animals!

• Advertise the sale in local newspapers a week or two in advance, and post signs around the community. You might want to advertise the event as a benefit, although most of us love the idea of garage and yard sales regardless.
• During the sale, display signs with facts about animal agriculture around the garage and on tables, but be careful not to overstate your cause. Browsers at the sale may not be very familiar with farm animal advocacy, and a positive first experience is best. The primary focus of displays should be creating a compassionate and sustainable world, not overwhelming viewers with images of suffering animals.
• Place a leaflet or brochure in each purchaser’s bag when they check out. Farm Sanctuary prints leaflets on a variety of topics that you can order to distribute at activist events. Browse our complete selection of Literature and Resources, and then contact us by phone at 607-583-2225 ext. 229 or by e-mail to place an order.
• Jazz up the check-out table with a bake sale, featuring irresistible vegan goodies. You can even include a free sample treat with each purchase from the garage sale!
• Place a can on the check-out table for extra donations. Let guests know that the profits from the sale will go toward helping farm animals.

Parties and Gatherings. Mix some punch, prepare to mingle, and dance it up for the animals!

• Special Species Party: Choose a specific farm animal to be the star of the day! For example, host a party to celebrate an upcoming holiday “icon,” such as rabbits and chicks during Easter season and turkeys during Thanksgiving season. Alternatively, choose a lesser-known animal holiday to observe. March 1 is National Pig Day, September 29 is Goose Day, and July features both Cow Appreciation Day and National Chicken Day! (Find more animal-related holidays here.) If a holiday in honor of your favorite species doesn’t exist yet, start a new tradition!

• Be inventive with your theme. On Cow Appreciation Day, host a classy party with a black-and-white dress code. Or, celebrate National Pig Day with pink, pink and more pink!
• Speak to your guests about the sentience and unique attributes of the species in focus, and discuss how members of the species are exploited for food agriculture.
• Provide literature about the specific species, and spotlight Farm Sanctuary’s Adopt-A-Farm Animal Project. Encourage your guests to adopt a special individual from the special species!

• Peace for All Beings Gathering: Take a humanitarian angle with your party and appeal to a wider audience. By focusing on animal and human suffering, you’ll address the all-too-common question as to why animal advocates are concerned about animals when so many humans are suffering from malnutrition, poverty and war. Demonstrate that compassion isn’t finite and we can advocate for humans as well as other animals.

• Discuss the connections between excessive production and consumption of meat in affluent nations and rampant hunger in poorer nations.
• As always, provide relevant literature and resources for further information.

ARTSY ACTIVISM

Craft Projects. Being crafty has never been more fun — and it’s easier than you’d think!

• Research quick and easy crafts in books or online for inspiration and then create a list of ideas. Next, invite friends over for a “crafternoon” of fun. Make crafts, discuss the latest animal protection campaigns and issues, and enjoy vegan munchies!
• If the final creations turn out well, take them to the public! Use websites such as Etsy and Veganica to promote and sell your crafts, or set up a cruelty-free booth at a local crafts fair. Be sure to include literature with online orders and at the booth.

Here are some creative ideas to get you started:

• If you know how to knit or crochet, organize a cruelty-free knitting circle. During meetings, exchange ideas and information about the wool industry, as well as vegan alternatives to wool yarn and other animal-sourced clothing materials.
• Up-cycle! There are so many ways to turn unwanted items into masterpieces: bottle caps, cans, light bulbs, T-shirts, you name it! Search online for ideas, reinvent what would otherwise have been discarded as garbage, and sell your crafty creations online. Or, if you’re feeling generous, wrap your crafts and give them as nifty, thrifty gifts to family and friends. Pair the finished crafts with literature about factory farming’s impact on the environment.
• Use found items from nature to fashion crafts with an organic feel, and create an outreach project. Collect fallen tree branches after a storm, cut them into small discs, and buy inexpensive magnet strips — now you can design farm animal magnets! Or dry out gourds and make cute, crafty birdhouses. Then, sell or distribute your goods with information about the featured animal and how these animals are exploited by factory farming.

Music. Put the karaoke machine and air guitar aside. Sing and play your way to a more compassionate world!

• As a musician and an activist, a great way to promote your cause is to hold a benefit concert. Team up with other compassionate musicians, find a venue, and rock out for the animals. For more tips on organizing a benefit concert for Farm Sanctuary, check out our Guide to Rockin’ Out for Farm Animals.

If you’re too busy to plan and play a benefit, make noise with your talent in other ways:

• Many nonprofit organizations need original music to be featured in documentaries, public service announcements and other productions. Contact farm animal protection organizations to ask what they need and how you can use your musical skills to help. Be sure to also mention that you’re available to perform at events. Farm Sanctuary is always looking for compassionate musicians to help make our events fun, lively experiences!
• If you have recorded music and sell an EP or album, donate a portion of the proceeds to a farm animal advocacy organization. Or, distribute free samples of your music and include printed literature about factory farming.
• Another great way to fuse music and activism is on the air waves. Especially on college stations and local public radio, it isn’t difficult to find available time slots and try your hand at hosting a radio show. Lead a Compassionate Radio Hour, including music by compassionate artists, interviews with local activists (or, if you’re feeling ambitious, more widely known activist-celebrities), and live performances of your own songs! You also might be able to sell on-air advertising spots to local veg-friendly businesses. This would not only bring in donation money for farm animal causes, but it would also promote vegan businesses and products among your listeners.

Photography/Visual Art. There are a number of wonderful ways to use photographs, paintings and illustrations as tools for activism. The easiest way is to sell your artwork and donate the proceeds to a farm animal advocacy organization.

• Hold a gallery show. This is the perfect opportunity for you to show off your artistic talents, raise money for a cause and educate others about factory farming. If you can’t find a venue that is willing to showcase your work, transform your home into a gallery for an evening of meet-and-greet over art and vegan hors d'oeuvres.
• Use your artwork as a tool for restaurant outreach. Find a local coffee shop or café — or, better yet, a restaurant chain — that displays local artists’ work. Be sure to include a note on your pieces or business cards that identifies the work as cruelty-free, made exclusively using products that are not tested on animals and free of animal by-products. You can also speak with the restaurant owner about adding or expanding veg-friendly options on their menu.
• Create a journey with your artwork! Travel across the country photographing animal shelters and vegan cuisine. Keep a blog of your travels, including teaser images and information about places you visit. Ask farm animal advocacy organizations, family and friends to promote your journey; aspire to build up a fan base. At the end of the trip, hold a benefit show to display your artwork and celebrate the project.
• Sell your pieces online. This is one of the quickest, easiest and most successful ways to get your work out there. Donate the proceeds to a farm animal protection organization.
• Donate your artwork to a charity auction. Many organizations hold auctions at events or online to raise money for their work. Before acting on your vision, find out if the organization has guidelines for the pieces it accepts for its auctions.

ATHLETIC ACTIVISM

Stay in shape while you spread the word! Sports events are a great way to promote a healthy and cruelty-free lifestyle.

• Organize a tournament for basketball, bowling, golf, softball, volleyball, or any sport that would make for an entertaining and successful benefit! Match the sport with the season. For example, host your own March Madness for Farm Animals basketball tourney, or set up a charity Super Bowl scrimmage during the week of the big game.
• If you lean more toward individual sports, take inspiration from superstar Farm Sanctuary member John Merryfield, whose three-day Stand Up Paddle for Farm Animals raised more than $3,000 for Farm Sanctuary! Or, emulate Herbivore Clothing Co. co-founder and Farm Sanctuary supporter Josh Hooten, who embarked on a 600-mile bike ride from Oregon to our Orland, California Shelter — and raised more than $12,000 in the process!
• For any physical event, strive to highlight vegan nutrition and health for spectators. Be sure to have information on vegan nutrition and recipes available. Draw more people to the event by asking local businesses for donations and gift certificates to be awarded to tournament winners.

These ideas are just hints of how far you can go if you apply your individual interests and unique talents to activism. The possibilities are endless! For more ideas, remember to join Farm Sanctuary’s Advocacy Campaign Team. As a member of the team, you’ll have the opportunity to get to know other activists and exchange ideas, as well as stay up to date with outreach opportunities in your area. Once you have designed an original and exciting new way of advocating for animals, let us know!