Just Days Left for Double-Doubling!

Thanks so much to everyone who has raised money for Team Vegan's Double-Doubling!

Many, many more people will learn about the hidden horrors behind the standard American diet – and the steps they can take to live true to their values – because of your fundraising efforts!

This opportunity to magically multiply money runs from now through 11:59pm Wednesday, June 2. In case you missed earlier emails, more details can be found here.

Please consider helping however you can. Thanks!

Thanks!!

Hey there!

Been busy around here -- dozens and dozens of folks have contributed to the double-doubling, and we're trying to get everything up as quickly as possible. Team GreenBall is also back in training (Ellen took some time off after track season).

We're also trying to keep up with events on the official VO blog and Facebook page.

But we wanted to take a moment and thank everyone for helping raise money for VO's work, especially since it will go so far! So --- thanks!

Wow! Doubled Doubling!!

Huge News!

Another donor has come forward to help Team Vegan change the world!  Any money donated to a member of Team Vegan from TODAY (May 24th) through and including June 2nd will be doubled immediately by this donor.

That's right – every dollar donated between now and June 2nd will immediately be doubled, dollar-for-dollar, by the same amount from our anonymous donor – up to $1,000 per team member!

And all the money contributed – including the doubling by this anonymous donor – will again be doubled by John and Fany in August!   It is win-win-win* for the animals!

Among others, Team Vegan includes such outstanding leafleters as Michelle Cehn, Phil Letten, Darina Smith, Jim Hillman, The Animal Awareness Project  – all of whom would greatly appreciate your support!!

Any questions? Please contact us!  

* Example – Uncle Eddie and Aunt Nora contribute $50 to VO via your page. An additional $50 also goes up at the same time! Then, in August, John and Fany will donate and additional $100 to Vegan Outreach. $200 worth of booklets reach new people!! So please take advantage of this opportunity!

More from Kellie!

Finishing up Kellie's fundraising suggestions:

·         Do something that is outside your comfort zone.  If you can currently run a 5k, say you’ll run a 10k.  Or instead of doing one big thing (running a marathon), do two smaller things.  Do a leaflet-a-thon and walk a 5k.  Donors are more likely to give to people who stretch their limits (but not so much that they can’t complete the task).

·         If appropriate, invite potential donors to come to your race or other event so they can see you complete your task!  Donors always like to see follow through and know that it was the right thing to give money to you and Vegan Outreach.

·         Give an incentive: do you bake?  "Free vegan cookie with every donation!"

·         Have a fundraiser such as a vegan bake sale. Contact vegfund to see if they would be interested in funding the sale (provided you meet specific requirements).

·         Portray veganism in a light that appeals to each person you’re asking.  If you know people who are into the environment, educate them on the environmental aspects of veganism along with the animal ones. The same thing with workers’ rights, world hunger, etc.  Make vegan outreach an organization that everyone can relate to and has a stake in.

·         Blog about your fundraising along the way.  You can use this as a gentle reminder to friends who have yet to give.  The more passion they see from you along the way, the more they will take you seriously and want to help you out.  On the same note, if someone gets an update seeing that you only need to raise $200 more to reach your goal, they might be inspired to give that final $200.

·         Reciprocate!  When asking friends for donations, remind them that if they ever need a similar favor in the future (provided the organization is animal-friendly), you would be happy to oblige. Or if you have already donated to one of their causes, remind them of that.

Thanks so much to everyone who is raising money for Vegan Outreach. As you might have seen, we’ve reached over half a million students this semester – with your help, we’ll reach even more next term!

Wow!

Congratulations! 12 ... and a half! Unbelievable!

Vegan Power!!

Wow -- Jurek sets new record!

"Scott Jurek, a [vegan] Seattle physical therapist and ultramarathoner, broke the American record in the IAU 24-Hour World Championship run Friday in Brive, France, by covering 165.7 miles in the one-day run. Jurek, 36, broke the previous U.S. mark of 162.46 miles set by Mark Godale of Aurora, Ohio, in 1999."

Tips from the Top!

Team Vegan’s current leading fundraiser, Kellie C, has agreed to offer up some of her best fundraising tips. Only 13 days into Team Vegan 2010, Kellie has gotten $1305 for Vegan Outreach’s work!

Here are some of her tips – we’ll share more later.

 Start with your inner circle and work your way out - first contact close friends, then social friends, then acquaintances, then people you used to work with, etc.

 Be sure to remind people that all donations are matched, dollar-for-dollar!

Ask for a donation as an early holiday or birthday present.

Ask people/groups that may not be vegan but have a general love for animals (i.e. Rescue groups, wildlife groups). Even if they don’t donate, they might look at Vegan Outreach’s website.

Ask your mom and dad's friends - they can't say no to someone’s child!

 Use social networking - facebook, myspace, favorite message boards. Don’t just ask friends on those sites, but post messages to groups you belong to (meetups, facebook groups, etc)

Write up an e-mail about your fundraising campaign and ask your friends and acquaintances to forward it to people they think would be interested.

When asking non-vegans for donations, emphasize why Vegan Outreach is special.  Sometimes non-vegans get hostile or intimidated by animal rights organizations, so I like to emphasize Vegan Outreach’s friendly, non-abrasive, well-researched approach to education. You can show them the booklets Compassionate Choices and/or Even If You Like Meat.

As always, please contact us (veganoutreach (at)gmail (dot) com or anne (at) veganoutreach (dot) org) with any questions or comments.

Thank you so much for your dedication to making a better world for everyone!!