Tabling or Leafleting for Veganism HOWTO

Contents

1. What is tabling/leafleting?
2. How effective is tabling/leafleting?
3. Where should I table/leaflet?
4. What equipment do I need?

What is tabling/leafleting?

The act of distributing informational pamphlets is certainly not a novel idea, but it is a revolutionary one. Throughout history, activists fighting for or against particular causes have written out their grievances, printed them, and distributed them to the masses. As so much of animal oppression is both physically hidden from view and considered socially acceptable, the dissemination of anti-oppression literature can be vitally important to bringing about global change: people first need to realize it is happening before they can be motivated to speak up or act out against it.

Tabling or leafleting for veganism involves one or more activists handing out printed materials in opposition to animal oppression at a specified location. We have leafleted or tabled at schools, malls, movie theaters, busy street corners, festivals, and concerts. The locations chosen depend primarily on crowd receptivity and crowd size, though other considerations — such as security or weather — also come into play.

How effective is tabling/leafleting?

It can be difficult to assess the effectiveness of handing out literature since the majority of interactions never include any sort of follow-up. Many LOVE members have leafleted with a number of different animal advocacy organizations, and most of us felt some discomfort with the notion of leafleting, often wordlessly, to tens of thousands of people without ever knowing if the information shared was received, absorbed, or acted upon. Furthermore, some animal welfare organizations suggest only leafleting to particular segments of the human population; this also generated some discomfort, as if not every person is willing or able to stop oppressing other beings.

In that spirit, LOVE respectfully makes the following suggestions for optimal leafleting or tabling:

• Do your best to connect with people. Some of the most productive moments in our lives as activists have been during lengthy conversations on the street with people who had received and read a leaflet. While leafleting or tabling, be approachable and understanding; make yourself available for questions and discussion from the people to whom you are leafleting. This connection can help to clear up misunderstandings, assuage fears about transitioning to veganism, and solidify the vegan argument far beyond what can be done with generic words, albeit powerful ones, on paper.
• Don’t focus on the numbers. We found that we are more effective when not acting as nameless, faceless automatons trying to get as many brochures into as many hands as possible; instead, we advocate a quality over quantity approach to activism. After spending years handing out tens of thousands of brochures, Jenna found that one of her most effective days of advocacy occurred on a day during which she distributed fewer than 100 brochures. The important part, for us, is being able to clearly and powerfully advocate for veganism — not get rid of the pamphlets we brought with us as quickly as possible.
• Don’t underestimate your audience. We are continually surprised at how receptive people can be to the vegan message. It is important to not make assumptions about anyone, and even moreso to always stay true to yourself and your experiences. Don’t try to sell a message you don’t understand or don’t believe in; people will recognize this right away and will have a much easier time disregarding your message. Know your materials, have a variety of resources available to which you can direct interested parties, and don’t be afraid to share your personal experiences.
• Say what you feel. Beyond statistics, beyond soundbytes, the most important tool we have at our disposal is our personal experience. Many of us have felt uncomfortable trying to regurgitate facts and figures while leafleting, especially when those figures or theories don’t match up with what we feel in our hearts. Talking sincerely with people about the problems we’ve encountered, the struggles we’ve faced, and the emotions we’ve felt as vegans and activists can be infinitely more effective than any glossy brochure.

Where should I table/leaflet?

While both leafleting and tabling are effective forms of vegan advocacy, one type of activity may work better than the other depending on the venue. Below is a short list of places at which we have leafleted or tabled.

Colleges
High schools
Concerts
Festivals
Street corners
Libraries
Malls
Bus stops, train stations
Restaurants
Grocery stores and food co-ops
Farmers markets
Speaking engagements and lectures

Some things you may want to consider when deciding whether you should table or leaflet:

• Are there security considerations? (Is it public or private property? If an event, is it open to the public?)
• Will I need to pay a fee?
• What will the weather be like? (It is difficult to keep pamphlets dry when leafleting in the rain.)
• Will I need to provide my own table?
• Do I have any help (for set-up/break-down, taking breaks, etc.)?

Many of the people on the ”contact” page are experienced leafleters and tablers and will gladly answer any questions you may have.

What equipment do I need?

Leafleting can be as simple as an individual distributing flyers that they printed at the local library. LOVE has anti-oppression pamphlets for use during your leafleting and tabling events. You can bring as many copies of these as you think you can hand out, or as many as your budget will allow you to print.

Tabling is often a more involved process, for which you may be required to provide your own table and chairs. The goal is the same as a leafleting event — connect with people — but is often done in a more structured setting (i.e. during a festival or at a campus fair). Some other materials you may want to include when you table:

• Tablecloth
• Pens, pencils, clipboards (to get people’s contact information and build a local activist community)
• Merchandise to sell (if you need to raise money to pay for the cost of tabling or printing)
• LOVE will shortly have t-shirts and bumper stickers available, or you can make your own! You may also want to make/buy buttons, posters, books, cookbooks, or DVDs.
• Portable DVD player or laptop (to play video or sound) and power supply