Influencing people often starts with introducing concepts and answering questions about living a vegan life. Here are some examples of the work we do through volunteer roles:
Asking high street shops and restaurants to provide more vegan options through our Vegan on the Go campaign.
Lobbying MPs and other policy makers to influence laws that will make it easier to go vegan and stay vegan, through campaigns such as Catering for Everyone.
Educating the public on how inexpensive a vegan diet can be, through our Live Vegan For Less campaign. This is especially important in the cost-of-living crisis. Giving out our mini recipe leaflets is an impactful outreach activity.
Promoting the health benefits of a vegan diet, dispelling the myth that vegans are weak and deficient. Our Vegan and Thriving campaign showcases world record breaking athletes, busy parents and business owners. These inspiring individuals show what can be achieved when you remove animal products from your plate and thrive on a vegan diet.
Our network of committed local vegans across the country is growing! The Vegan Society organises various outreach activities to influence change in every level of society. There are a range of activities going on all the time, from general educational stalls at events to meeting with local policy influencers.
What does the Organiser role involve?
Every month, you will be sent a collection of tasks to choose from. We create these from our programme of campaigns. You would be the point of contact for Advocates in your area, sharing these tasks and coordinating activities, such as stalls and lobbying councillors. We will provide you with a campaign toolkit and be in regular contact with you to ensure you have everything you need. You will also be invited to our private Facebook group and WhatsApp chat.
We would expect you to provide any updates from your group and give feedback on each task. It's vital that we measure the impact that we are having, in terms of positive conversations and leaflets handed out. You can also give us ideas you have for future outreach tasks or campaigning. Many Organisers find a huge sense of satisfaction, improvement in self-esteem and enjoy the social side of volunteering in this role.
You will also be responsible for welcoming new Advocates in your area. We will let you know when somebody new applies, and you will help them to get involved with any activities. As the main contact for Advocates, this role does require some awareness of safeguarding and data protection procedures and policy. You'll also be the health and safety contact for your group. There will be full training on your role in this, as well as a handbook and ongoing guidance and support.
As an Organiser, you will ensure any resources or actions undertaken are in line with our branding and messaging guidelines and make sure that Advocates understand this too.
Great organisational skills
Experience of coordinating people
Experience of working to specific dates and deadlines
Good time keeping
Ability to work independently
Ability to motivate people around the topic of veganism
Ability to stick to branding
Ability to read emails in a timely manner and translate tasks into actions quickly
Ability to report back on activities
Excellent knowledge of vegan issues
It would be beneficial for this role to have access to a vehicle, as some actions will involve taking resources to events or visiting MPs’ offices. However, this is not mandatory as the campaign toolkit can be carried in a backpack.
Around your local area of your choice, such as your nearest town or city
There will be a full induction to the role, with a gradual introduction of new tasks and responsibilities. To start with, we will provide an initial training session to cover the basics of community organising, communication skills and event planning. This will be done remotely from wherever you are. Along with this, we will provide a full pack of resources that covers a range of work that we do.
From there, there will be regular conversations and reviews, where we can discuss other training requirements. Staff are always available to Organisers for any questions, via phone or email.
We provide expenses.
Here are some quotes from our wonderful volunteers here at The Vegan Society:
“Everyone is very friendly and appreciative of what I do. It's a great cause to volunteer for.”
“I love sharing ideas with other activists.”
“I enjoy meeting like-minded people and feeling less isolated in my beliefs. I also like learning how to campaign effectively.”
“I’d definitely recommend that any potential volunteers interested give it a go!”
In our Volunteer Impact Report 2023, we also found that 96% of the volunteers surveyed feel highly valued by their main contact.
Enquiries are welcome! Please contact Katy Malkin (Volunteering Coordinator) on communitynetwork@vegansociety.com
