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15 minutes of your time can give a voice to animal suffering... here's how. Productive ideas for when you're short on time.
Quick Ideas: Make a difference for the animals in just 15 minutes

Everyone certainly knows that life if filled with time constraints! That's why it is important to get the maximum affect for a minimal amount of effort. Below are suggestions with a high percentage of effectiveness, yet small amount of time and effort.

Remember to never speak in a judgemental tone. To be the most effective, only offer your opinion and whatever facts that you are aware of. Don't ever exxaggerate facts because that will make it appear as if the issue doesn't hold up on its own, which it does. As long as you are polite, well thought out, and don't use overly emotional language in making the points, your message will be well received.

1) Send an email Letter to the Editor. Newspapers accept email submissions so take advantage of it! Reach thousands of people with the effort of writing just one email.

Newspapers prefer Letters to the Editor to be emailed so that they don't have to retype your letter. While mailing postal letters to legislators and corporations has the advantage of showing more concern for the topic because you put more time into it, emails are preferable for Letters to the Editor. This is the perfect medium for a quick (but thought out) email.

Letters to the Editor pack a lot of punch for a minimal amount of effort. You could leaflet for a whole afternoon and not reach even a small percentage as you can with one Letter to the Editor. Plus, Letters to the Editor have the added bonus of being a mainstream method, so a higher percentage of people actually consider what is being said instead of brushing it off.

If your letter doesn't get printed, was it a waste of time? NO. Newspapers receive many more letters than they can print. But if there are several with the similar concerns, they are more likely to print at least one or two of them. So even if your specific letter doesn't get printed, it let the newspaper know what the concerns of the readers are. Even if your letter doesn't get printed, it may have helped another animal advocate letter to get printed. Though it would be nice to always have your letter printed, getting the message into print is the most important thing and is much more important than being concerned about whose specific letter was printed.

Do Letters to the Editor really make a difference? YES. Too often the public doesn't make compassionate choices when they eat out, shop at the grocery store, or go out for entertainment because it never even occurred to them that animals are mistreated by these industries.

Lack of education outnumbers lack of compassion as to why people continue to patronize animal-use industries. Many people probably never even gave animal suffering any thought at all. Most people are very compassionate and caring once they find out some facts about animal-use industries, but a large number of people haven't ever been exposed to this. Your words can open their eyes and make them think about it.

Take a look at the online list of newspapers.

It's great to address any animal-use topic that you are motivated about. If you choose to write about animals used in circuses, Animal Awareness has 7 Key Points that will assist you in getting your letter out quickly.

You don't have to wait until you have time to write an elaborate letter. You can always send another letter next month when you have time for something elaborate and well researched. But for now, at least get something short and to the point sent out. If you don't have time for research, then don't use specific facts. As long as the letter is polite, well thought out, and doesn't use overly emotional language in making the points, it will be well received.


2) Talk to a friend about the issues. Your friends trust your views and input. The animal movement needs to be able to spread education through respected mainstream channels of communication. Never doubt how important seemingly random conversation can be. What starts off as small-talk can change someone's life forever by opening their eyes to the various ways that animals suffer in our society. But don't just overwhelm them with the depressing aspects. Try to lift their spirits by reminding them of the various ways they can help to improve the situation: become vegetarian and strive to one day become vegan.

Common Questions:

"Will I change someone's mind immediately?" No, probably not, but that's okay and it's to be expected.

"But if I don't change their mind how is it an effective way to help animals?" You'll be doing the vital first step that is necessary. You are making them aware that a problem exists. The more someone hears something, the more likely they will be to finally have it sink in. Even if your words are just someone's first exposure to animal suffering, that's incredibly important. That means you've set the stage so that the next exposure will have them thinking, "Hmmm, maybe there is something to this."


3) Include literature or stickers in the envelope when you pay your monthly bills. Each month you sit down to pay your bills anyway, so this suggestion doesn't take any additional time on your part. Have a variety of leaflets or brochures on hand that discusses an animal-use issue that you care most about. Place a leaflet into the envelope so that the person who opens it can receive a message of compassion. If they are receptive, they might even share it with their officemates.

Where to get literature? Most animal rights groups do offer a variety of literature. Ask about discounts if you're a student or a low-income animal advocate:


4) Post messages of compassion on local community bulletin boards. Just about every community has bulletin boards somewhere, so take advantage of them. Stay alert and notice where they are. Often, your local library, grocery store, or university has a place where people can post messages. Usually the messages involve items for sale or seeking a roommate, but why not post a message of compassion? Each time you go to that grocery story or library, make sure to have with you a printed or neatly written 8.5" x 11" notice that promotes an animal message that you care about. Whether you're reminding people to adopt a pet instead of buying from a breeder or you're encouraging people to not go to circuses that use animals, potentially hundreds of people every day can see your message. And, all it takes is the minimal effort of checking to see that your message is still on the bulletin board every now and then. Some people who are very interested in the topic may take the sign home with them to show a friend or family member, therefore they may need replacing periodically. It's also a good idea to change the sign periodically depending on the season. For example, you may choose to encourage people not to give rabbits as an Easter present or to cook a vegetarian holiday dinner.

Choose from our ready-made signs, which you can print out yourself. Click here to see the signs.


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