50 ways you can help animals

There are many ways you can choose to help, such as adopting a pet, volunteering with The HSUS or with your local animal shelter, or writing letters to your editor on issues that affect animals. Photo by iStockphoto

One of the questions I often get asked by supporters is, how can they get more involved with The HSUS and with the cause of animal protection? I want to offer some broad strokes on how advocates, including you, can help advance our cause.

There are many ways you can choose to help, such as adopting a pet, choosing products that not tested on animals, participating in Meatless Mondays, volunteering with The HSUS or with your local animal shelter or rescue, or writing letters to your editor on issues that affect animals. People who take these actions can become a powerful force in their communities, in the political arena, and in the marketplace. When lots of people join in, they can exert a tremendous, collective impact on the lives of animals.

I have one more request: as you look through this list, please also share it with family and friends interested in advocating for animal protection issues.

Connect with us

1. Sign up for our email alerts and subscribe to my daily blog, A Humane Nation, and receive text message alerts from The HSUS on your cell phone to stay updated with our work and the latest animal news, and to get involved in helping to pass state and federal legislation.
2. Visit our pages on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, and other online networks.
3. Sign up for emails from our international arm, Humane Society International, to learn more about their work around the world; and from Animal Sheltering, to keep up on issues relevant to humane shelters and rescues.
4. Add an HSUS video to your website, blog, or social networking page.
5. Attend To the Rescue! New York gala on November 10^th, The HSUS Animal Care Expo (in 2018 we are in Kansas City, Missouri), Taking Action for Animals conference in Washington, D.C., or one of our other events.

Be an advocate and spread the word

6. Write letters to the editor on our issues.
7. Post flyers and spread the word about our puppy mill and animal fighting rewards and tip linesand distribute HSUS literature at events and stores.
8. Sponsor a “Stop Puppy Mills” billboard in your community.
9. Ask your local restaurants and grocery stores to add more plant-based options and to switch to cage-free eggs.
10. Gather signatures in Arizona, California, or Ohio to qualify landmark ballot initiatives for the November 2018 election. You can collect signatures for the Arizona ballot initiative even if you’re not a resident (contact us to find out how).
11. Organize a World Spay Day event in your community.
12. Arrange coffee or lunch dates to introduce The HSUS and our programs to people who care about animals.
13. Work to get your local universities or your child’s school to participate in Meatless Mondays or add vegetarian options to their menu.
14. Book and sponsor HSUS staff for lectures at schools and universities—contact us if you’re interested.
15. Contact our HSUS wildlife staff to engage your local community or animal care and control entity on learning to live with wildlife.

Raise funds for our work

16. See how you can raise funds for animals at MyHumane.
17. Make a personal annual gift to The HSUS or sign up for an automatic monthly pledge on your credit card.
18. Make a memorial gift in honor of a friend or animal companion or give gift memberships to friends or family members.
19. Host a house party through our philanthropy department, and have an HSUS executive or subject expert speak at the event.
20. Ensure The HSUS is eligible for giving programs at your workplace and explore matching gifts from your employer.
21. Donate your used vehicle to benefit The HSUS.
22. Include The HSUS as a beneficiary in your will.
23. Shop The HSUS Store within The Animal Rescue Site for HSUS apparel, accessories and more.
24. Sign up to be a panel member on Survey Monkey Contribute, and help animals with every survey you take.
25. Shop through AmazonSmile and a portion will be donated back to The HSUS to help protect animals.
26. eBay for Charity makes buying and selling online easy, and you help our cause at the same time.
27. Make a big impact for animals with your spare change at a Coinstar kiosk near you.
28. The greatest threat to wildlife is habitat loss. Work with the Humane Society Wildlife Land Trust to protect your land for animals.

Help animals in your everyday life

29. Purchase cruelty-free cosmetics and household products.
30. Participate in Meatless Mondays, and visit our page with delicious recipes to find your next meal.
31. Adopt a pet from a local animal shelter or rescue group.
32. Support compassion in fashion, consulting The HSUS’s list of fur-free retailers, designers, and brands and our guide on how to tell real fur from fake.
33. Encourage your office to implement dog-friendly policies. Our book “Dogs at Work: A Practical Guide to Creating Dog-Friendly Workplaces” provides step-by-step advice.
34. Turn your outdoor space into a backyard sanctuary and find humane ways to deal with unwanted wildlife.
35. I.D. your animals and encourage others to do the same. And keep your cats safe indoors.
36. Prepare a disaster kit for your animals.
37. Learn what legislation is now pending in Congress, and contact your federal and state legislators.

Get involved in your community

38. Help cats in your neighborhood with our Trap-Neuter-Return resources.
39. Work to engage your church or place of worship with animal protection issues. Our Faith Outreach program website offers many resources.
40. Encourage your local officials to find long-lasting, nonlethal solutions to conflicts with deer, coyotes, beavers, and other urban wildlife.
41. Provide for your animals’ future in case you can’t care for them.
42. Participate in Animal Rescue Team training and sign up to help animals in crisis.
43. Attend or help organize a Lobby 101 training program in your community.
44. Determine which elected officials represent you at local, state, and federal levels.
45. Study our legislative priorities and attend lawmakers’ town meetings to urge them to support these issues.
46. Work for the passage of local ordinances in your community, for example to protect chained dogs or improve the lives of dogs in puppy mills, and end the use of wild animal acts.
47. Register to vote.
48. Volunteer for the HSUS District Leader Program or County Leader Program and become a leader for animal protection in your community.
49. Volunteer or intern with The HSUS.
50. Participate in Humane Lobby Days to talk to your state legislators about making laws that protect animals.