At The Vegan Society, we believe that there is strength in unity. This is what the Community Network is about.
It is made up of people who care about veganism, and our mission – to make it easier for more people to go vegan and stay vegan. We believe a veganism that is well supported by the right legislation, the right options, and the right agricultural systems is the most accessible. If you agree with us, then the Community Network is for you.
Influencing people often starts with introducing concepts and answering questions about a living a vegan life. Institutionally, we do work such as encouraging high street shops to provide more vegan options through our Vegan on the Go campaign. In terms of legislation, we do a lot of work with MPs and other policy makers to influence laws that will make it easier to go vegan, and stay vegan, forever, like Catering for Everyone.
There are two ways you can get involved with our network, through organising, and advocating. Organisers work directly with staff to carry out local actions throughout the year, with Advocates coming along and supporting those actions to get the best outcomes we can. You can read the full role descriptions below.
Please note: All volunteering that takes place as part of the Community Network will function within the parameters of the Government guidelines for social distancing and other restrictions related to Covid-19. For the time being most tasks will be able to be completed remotely, and from home.
Current Community Network volunteering opportunities:
The Role
Are you passionate about changing the way we treat animals? Do you want to help reduce damage to our environment? Do you want to get people to enjoy healthy vegan food that looks good and tastes great?
The Vegan Society makes veganism more accessible and an easily adopted approach by supporting individuals, policy and decision makers, caterers, manufacturers, health care professionals and the media.
Why do we need you?
As the vegan community grows, and veganism itself becomes better understood, more and more people are looking to The Vegan Society to find out what it’s really all about. Local communities are starting to see the vegan movement as something real, and something that’s happening in their area. From new business to families, many people need support in finding the right information, and learning all about our work and veganism. Local issues are often distinct and more varied than national issues, having people from local areas is vital to communicate our messages and campaigns in the most effective way. Research tells us that people are far more likely to trust information from a peer rather than an outside expert, so community based volunteering vastly increases the validity of our messages to a wide range of people.
We are building a network of committed vegans across the country who are willing and able to help us in our work. The Vegan Society is organising various campaigns and outreach activities to increase awareness of the benefits of veganism, and influence for change on 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.
Advocates form the front line of our voice in the community, and ensure that we have a range of stories and inputs on our messaging. More feet on the ground mean we can build a stronger presence in local communities, and you would form a vital part of this work.
What does the role involve?
Being an advocate for veganism with The Vegan Society will mean doing a lot of communicating with people in your local community, expressing to them the range of benefits of a vegan lifestyle. You will form a part of a local group, with is headed by a local organiser, who liaises directly with the society staff. You just need to stay in touch with them and bring your passion. Activities can range from manning a stall, to giving a talk at an employee event, or it could be writing to a local newspaper or MP. Our mission statement also covers ensuring people have what they need in order to remain vegan, so there will be campaigns focused on getting more vegan options available, opportunities to support people who might be struggling with a vegan diet, and lots of other opportunities to support our work. When acting as an advocate, we expect you to act in line with The Vegan Society’s branding and messaging guidelines, and this will be guided by your local organiser. Another key part of being an advocate is reporting any issues you have to either your organiser, or to staff if your organiser isn't available/suitable.
What training and support is available?
On joining, you will be provided with a full induction from your local organiser, who will introduce you to the group and the actions that are ongoing. All ongoing training and development will be provided via your organiser, and you can always ask for specific training on any areas that you feel could use some development. Through volunteering, there is the opportunity to start taking on more responsibility, and to move into organising for the society.
What skills would be useful in doing this role?
- Ability to stay motivated in order to achieve the best possible outcomes
- Committed to veganism, and the mission of The Vegan Society
- Ability to stay calm if confronted with differing opinions or challenges
- Good communicator, with the ability to be persuasive
- Confident in communicating with people from a range of backgrounds
- Public speaking experience
- Experience of campaigning/influencing people
- Any experience in talking with members of the public through customer/public service would be helpful
- Awareness of current affairs, especially those that relate to veganism
- Regular availability and willingness to stay committed to actions
- Good team player
What does my availability need to be?
For advocates, we ask for people to engage in around 3-4 actions a year, with each action taking no more than one day. So in total, we ask for 3-4 days a year, plus any meetings that are required to plan for actions, to be coordinated by your local organiser.
Who does this role report to?
A Community Network Organiser with support from our Community Network Volunteer Coordinator
Who can I contact to find out more?
You can contact Rich Hardy (Community Network Volunteer Coordinator) on [email protected]
How do I apply?
To apply fill in our Community Advocate application form.
The Role
Are you passionate about changing the way we treat animals? Do you want to help reduce damage to our environment? Do you want to get people to enjoy healthy vegan food that looks good and tastes great?
The Vegan Society makes veganism more accessible and an easily adopted approach by supporting individuals, policy and decision makers, caterers, manufacturers, health care professionals and the media.
Why do we need you?
As the vegan community grows, and veganism itself becomes better understood, more and more people are looking to The Vegan Society to find out what it’s really all about. Local communities are starting to see the vegan movement as something real, and something that’s happening in their area. From new business to families, many people need support in finding the right information, and learning all about our work and veganism. Local issues are often distinct and more varied than national issues, having people from local areas is vital to communicate our messages and campaigns in the most effective way. Research tells us that people are far more likely to trust information from a peer rather than an outside expert, so community based volunteering vastly increases the validity of our messages to a wide range of people.
We are building a network of committed vegans across the country who are willing and able to help us in our work. The Vegan Society is organising various campaigns and outreach activities to increase awareness of the benefits of veganism, and influence for change on 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.
Organisers form a vital part of this work, enabling us to have the most impact possible by making the best use of resources. We have a network of Advocates working across the countries, and Organisers will work directly with staff to deliver messages and arrange local actions.
What does the role involve?
You would be the point of contact between staff and Advocates in your area, providing support and organisation to your local group. Staff will be in regular contact with you to ensure you have everything you need, and in return we would look for you to let us know of any issues you’re having, any updates from people in your group, and fill us in on any ideas you have for new forms of outreach or campaigning.
This role also involves being responsible for reaching out to new Advocates in your area, helping them get involved and set up with any actions or activities. As the first port of call for Advocates, this role does require some awareness of safeguarding and data protection procedures and policy. There will be full training on your role in this, as well as ongoing guidance and support.
Once set up, you’ll stay in regular contact with your group to ensure everything runs smoothly and organise regular meetings to plan for any upcoming events. How you want to organise this is up to you, just let us know of any support or resources you need. A part of this rule is that you will be the primary contact for health and safety for the group. Society staff have full training on this, and there is a rigid support and supervision plan, but for each action you will need to liaise with staff to ensure everything is safe and compliant. We do expect that as an Organiser, you will ensure any resources or actions undertaken are in line with our branding and messaging guidelines, and make sure that all Advocates understand this also.
As part of the supervision you will receive from staff, we will ask for a report every year summarising your actions and highlighting any key events or stories from your work. Staff will always be on hand to support on anything you need, and we expect Organisers to be proactive in coming to us for anything you are unsure on.
What training and support is available?
As with all of our roles, 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, to be done remotely from wherever you are. Along with this, we will provide a full pack of resources that cover a range of work that we do.
From there, there will be regular 6-month reviews, at which point we can discuss other training requirements outside of the development of tasks within the role. Staff are always available to Organisers for any acute needs, via phone or email.
What skills would be useful in doing this role?
(In addition to those listed for Advocate)
- High level of personal organisation
- Experience of managing/supervising people
- Experience of working to specific dates and deadlines
- Good time keeping
- Ability to work independently
- Ability to motivate people around a specific topic
- Understanding of the importance or organisational branding
- Ability to judge briefs and translate them into actions depending on your environment
- Experience of reporting on activities
- Excellent knowledge of vegan issues
- It would be beneficial for this role to have access to a vehicle, as some actions may involve resources being sent out to you
If you are interested especially in outreach, the following skills would also be advantageous:
- Willingness to be contacted by members of the public
- Good public speaking skills
What does my availability need to be?
This role does require more time than being an Advocate, so we expect Organisers to be able to commit around 2-3 days a month for general support, spread out across the month, as well as the availability required of advocates.
Who does this role report to?
This role will report to the Community Network Volunteer Co-ordinator.
Who can I contact to find out more?
You can contact Rich Hardy (Community Network Volunteer Co-ordinator) on communitynetwork@vegansociety.com.
How do I apply?
To apply fill in our Community Organiser application form.
If you experience any difficulties submitting your form, please email web[at]vegansociety[dot]com with a screenshot and details of the issue. We aim to get back to you within 10 working days.
