50 Things You Can Do for Animals and The HSUS

I have been conducting Town Hall meetings around the nation, and next week, I hit San Francisco and Los Angeles. The week after, I visit Cleveland, Columbus, and Cincinnati.

I truly enjoy meeting our members, giving them the latest updates on our progress, and hearing from them about issues of importance.

One of the most frequently asked questions is, "How can I be involved and what can I do to help The HSUS and animal protection?"

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I tell them that neither The HSUS nor the larger cause of animal protection can succeed without their active involvement in the cause. Each one of us can and must act, often in a variety of ways.

With such people in mind, I am updating and republishing a list of 50 potential action items for those who want to become more involved in our work—whether or not you come to one of my Town Hall meetings. Please take some time to go through the full roster. Print the list and check off the items over the next few weeks and months, or even over the next year, making your way through as much of it as you can.

We'll succeed as a movement when we have millions of our supporters who take these and other positive actions for animals. When we act in a collective way, we are a powerful force in our communities, in the political arena, and in the marketplace. And we can all pitch in to raise funds to support the vital work of The HSUS and allow it to grow and be a more powerful and effective force.

HSUS Engagement Activities

In Your Community:

• Write letters to the editor on our issues and encourage radio and television talk shows to present animal issues (humanesociety.org is a great resource for information).
• Ask your local radio and television stations to air HSUS public service announcements and our new Shelter Pet Project PSAs.
• Distribute HSUS literature at events and stores.
• Work to engage your church or place of worship with animal protection issues. Our Faith Outreach program website offers many resources.

Personal Behavior:

• Follow the 3 Rs of eating: reducing your consumption of meat and other animal-based foods, refining your diet by avoiding animal products derived from factory farming, and replacing meat and other animal-based foods with vegetarian foods.
• Purchase cruelty-free cosmetics and household products.
• Adopt a friend for life from a local animal shelter or foster an animal waiting for a home.
• Learn about non-lethal methods of managing urban wildlife around your home.
• I.D. your animals and encourage others to do the same. And keep your cats safe indoors.
• Establish a pet care trust to ensure your animals’ future.
• Prepare a disaster kit for your animals.
• Sponsor a “Stop Puppy Mills” billboard in your community.
• Ask your local restaurants and grocery stores to switch to cage-free eggs, and to protect seals by boycotting Canadian seafood.
• Visit our pages on Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, YouTube and other online networks.
• Add an HSUS banner or video to your website, blog or social networking page.
• Sign up to receive text message alerts from The HSUS on your cell phone.

Get Training—Get Activated:

• Participate in Disaster Animal Response Team training and sign up to be an NDART responder.
• Attend or help organize a Lobby 101 training program in your community.
• Train to become a humane educator, develop outreach programs in your community.
• Attend The HSUS’s Animal Care Expo (location varies), Taking Action for Animals conference (Washington, D.C.), or the Genesis Awards (Los Angeles), or volunteer at an HSUS event.
• Take a workshop or online course through Humane Society University.
• Organize a Spay Day USA event in your community.

Volunteer to Help Animals:

• Volunteer to monitor property with The HSUS’s Wildlife Land Trust.
• Volunteer for egg addling or other humane wildlife control programs for Canada geese or other species targeted by wildlife officials.
• Volunteer time and skills with your local animal shelter or rescue group.
• Explore volunteer opportunities with our Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association Field Services program.

Political Activities:

• Determine which elected officials represent you at local, state and federal levels.
• Contact your federal and state legislators about animal protection issues.
• Sign up for our email alerts to get involved in helping to pass state and federal legislation.
• Study our legislative priorities and attend lawmakers’ town meetings to urge them to support these issues.
• Register to vote.
• Gather signatures for and help pass animal protection ballot initiatives. We may be launching ballot initiatives in Missouri and Ohio in the coming weeks, so please let us know if you live in one of those states and if you’d like to help.

Work with Local Schools:

• Work to get The HSUS’s Kind News adopted in local classrooms.
• Sponsor humane education programs through Humane Society Youth (our humane education division for K-6 students).
• Recruit young people (under 21) to participate in Mission Humane.
• Work to get your local universities or your child's schools to join our "Cage-Free Campus" campaign or to add vegetarian options to their menu.
• Book and sponsor HSUS staff for lectures at schools and universities.

Shop with Our Corporate Supporters:

• Obtain an HSUS credit card through Bank of America (a portion of the proceeds go to The HSUS).
• Order personal checks through our website and custom gifts from Zazzle, including stamps and cards.
• Purchase magazines from The HSUS Magazine Store.
• Purchase products for pets and the people who love them through Humane Domain.
• Purchase a pet health insurance plan.
• Join our Dog Lovers Wine Club, or send a gift membership to friends or family members.

Fundraising and Networking:

• Make a personal annual gift or sign up for an automatic monthly pledge on your credit card.
• Make a memorial gift in honor of a friend or animal companion or give gift memberships to friends or family members.
• Host a house party through our Philanthropy department, and have an HSUS executive or subject expert speak at the event.
• Arrange coffee or lunch dates to introduce The HSUS and our programs to people who care about animals.
• Ensure The HSUS is eligible for giving programs at your workplace.
• Sell books from Humane Society Press to raise funds and spread the message.
• Donate your used vehicle to benefit The HSUS.