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As you set up tables and distribute leaflets, you’ll meet people who feel the way you do about society’s abuse of animals. Although it’s not absolutely necessary, you can increase your effectiveness by joining forces with an existing group or forming your own group. A group can have more clout than one person. The media, the government, and the public will usually give more serious consideration to the views of a group. CHOOSING YOUR ISSUES A group can start with two people. The important thing is to decide from the beginning which issues you will work on. Then choose a name for your group that reflects that focus. Do you want to work primarily on animal rights issues or animal welfare issues? Realistically, you won’t have the time, energy, or money to do both effectively. You can stick to animal rights education, organising, and lobbying and refer individual cruelty cases to the appropriate agencies in your community that should be equipped and trained to deal with them or you can start a programme that helps improve the plight of bullocks and other animals used for work or any other, similar, endeavor. TAKING THE FIRST STEP Before you get a group together, educate and organise yourself: Get an answering machine, and be sure you can change the message. Keep a spiral notebook near the machine to record messages. Use a card file to keep important telephone numbers organised and easy to find. Get a post office box mailing address at a local post office. Get stationery printed as soon as you have a P.O. box and a telephone number. It will make you look more professional. Open a bank account. You’ll need to keep accurate financial records from the start, so decide on a recordkeeping system. At the minimum, record the date and amount of all donations, and the name and address of the donor. Also keep a record of how money is spent, including the date, amount, and purpose. Save all your receipts and write on the back of the receipt the item you bought and the date and reason you bought it, e.g., “display, 18/9/01” or “school talk, 24/1/02.” Discuss with your post office and/or courier service the possibility of getting a discounted mailing rate or some other benefit. Prepare a form welcome letter and information pack to send to new members. Print several hundred copies so you can respond quickly to requests. Also print a form thank-you letter for donations you receive and make sure you acknowledge them quickly. It is tempting to answer inquiries with a personal letter, but you can better spend that time reaching new people. You can add a handwritten, personalised postscript at the bottom of the page. Make up a “phone tree” — a calling system so that one person doesn’t have to spend an entire evening on the telephone calling each member. For example, when you need to make a number of calls, you call three people who then call three others, who in turn each call three more people, and so on. Prepare a media list of newspapers and TV and radio stations with their addresses, telephone numbers, and deadlines to save time when you need to publicise an event. Do some long-term planning. Set up a tabling schedule or leafletting plan for the next three to six months. 
Organise your home office. Set up a filing system for issues, financial records, media lists, etc. Insert reference materials and a factsheet under categories such as: CIRCUSES, FACTORY FARMING, FISHING, FUR, HUNTING, RODEOS, VEGETARIANISM, ZOOS, etc.Get a computer or word processor as soon as you can afford it, or ask businesses or members to donate one. This should be one of your earliest priorities, because using a computer makes it so easy to get — and stay — organised. As a small and new group, prioritise your activities. Member newsletters, for example, should be a low priority. Your money will be more wisely spent on educational materials, leaflets, and campaigning. Remember that newsletters relate what a group has already done — they shouldn’t be used as a replacement for action. The Animal Welfare Board of India and the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment can guide you in obtaining nonprofit status and may give you a grant. Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) Third Seaward Road Valmiki Nagar, Thiruvanmiyur Chennai 600 041 Phone : 044-4454935, 4454958 Fax : 044-4454330 E-mail : awbi@md3.vsnl.net.in Maneka Gandhi Ministry of Culture Room no. 501, C Wing Shastri Bhavan New Delhi 110 001 Phone: 011-338-1539 Fax: 011-338-5115 THE FIRST MEETING Decide how you want to operate. Should you meet once a month or call meetings as you need them? If you have regular meetings, they should be held on the same day and time each month to make them easier to remember and schedule. Can you find a room at the library or a local school, college or religious hall? Avoid meeting in people’s homes — you’re better off in neutral territory. LEADING THE GROUP Expect to be the leader of your group and to do most of the work, even if you have hundreds of people on your mailing list. As the leader, it’s your job to prepare an agenda for each meeting. Make sure each person will leave the meeting with something to do. It may seem tedious to do this but people feel useless and drop out if they don’t feel needed. Find out what kinds of things people are good at: who has a typewriter or access to a copy machine, who is good at designing posters, and who enjoys tabling. Don’t insist that people be vegans, vegetarians, or abolitionists before they join; as they learn, they will probably change. Just set a good example. Don’t let meetings become strictly social affairs — keep on target. Avoid the “pot-luck supper” trap. Many new activists will suggest having them frequently. But people have a limited amount of time and energy, and it’s more important to spend it on activism than on cooking. Make sure your meetings are friendly enough that people feel comfortable offering their feedback and ideas. Having a “work party” to prepare posters or write letters can do wonders to boost spirits. Always be on the lookout for potential leaders to share responsibilities. Most groups are held together by one or two strong people, with short-term volunteers working only when convenient. Let people move (and move on) at their own pace, and accept the fact that people will leave the group. Be grateful for every contribution, no matter how small, and never publicly criticise or embarrass anyone. Never make people feel guilty for not doing enough. You won’t encourage them to do more; it’s more likely they’ll stop working completely. People’s activism thrives on encouragement and recognition rather than criticism. It’s very important to avoid fighting within the group. Avoid criticising others, even if you’re speaking confidentially — your words may come back to haunt you. If it’s really necessary, criticise the act rather than the individual. Despite its differences, the animal rights movement needs to present a unified front to the public and to our opposition. Be open to new ideas and encourage people to express themselves. Have regular brainstorming sessions. Ask each person to think of several ideas, and write down every one, no matter how offbeat. Discuss the ideas only after you’ve finished listing them all. Don’t allow people to disparage others’ input. Everyone is special in some way, and even outlandish suggestions can lead to creative planning. Ask questions and listen attentively. WHAT SHOULD THE GROUP DO? 
Your group’s activities will probably fall into three categories: public education, seasonal or “reaction” events, and long-term campaigns.Every group should try to sustain a minimum schedule of public education work. This includes tabling, leafletting, displays, and letters to the editor. Seasonal or “reaction” events are another valuable activity. These include leafletting or picketing leather stores in response to advertised sales, or demonstrating when a circus comes to town. In smaller towns where you are likely to get publicity, these one-time events can be especially effective. The easiest way for local groups to work on long-term campaigns is to join one that has been initiated by a national organisation. You can bring important issues to your community and have the benefit of the national group’s literature and resources. You may eventually want to take on a purely local campaign to shut down a lab, animal breeder or zoo. This kind of campaign will most directly involve the local community and can be one of the best ways to bring people into the movement. Be aware, however, that this requires much more time and money than the one-shot seasonal events. The chapters on research, media, and campaigns will help you prepare. Above all, your group should be visible. Get into the public eye often, and always try to get media coverage for your events. |
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