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The Vegetarian Food Fair Manual Project Hosted by Follow these links to learn more about VUNA and IVU:
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Vegetarian Food Fair Manual Draft Part III Section 22: Collecting information from attendees A vegetarian food fair is the perfect place to gather names and contact information for a variety of purposes. You should create a standard sign-up sheet and make a packet of copies for the food fair. Arrange sign-up sheets together in a separate area near your information booth, and be sure to anchor papers and pens securely to the table. Provide a clear explanation for each sign-up sheet that explains the purpose of collecting information and how the information will be used. Keep petitions and action alert sign-ups to a minimum and focus on events and memberships. You can always follow up with interested parties later to ask them to participate in specific campaigns and actions. Following are some suggestions about collecting fair attendee information. New memberships Because you are the organizers of the food fair, your organization will gain visibility and credibility, and people who attend the fair may be interested in finding out more about your mission and activities and how to become a member. Samples of your newsletter should answer many of the questions people have, but you should also have a sign-up sheet for those who would like more information. This list will create a ready-made bulk mailing that may yield new members. You should also be prepared to process new members at the fair, and if resources allow, you could encourage new members by offering a free t-shirt or other premium to those who join that day. TOP Potlucks or other vegetarian-related social activities Many vegetarians have a desire to get together socially for potlucks, recipe exchanges, or other activities related to their diets. A vegetarian food fair is probably the easiest place to determine whether there is interest in these kinds of activities. By providing sign-up sheets to collect information for these kinds of events, you can find out if local vegetarians are interested in getting together or if there are individuals who are interested in organizing, planning, and running such an event. TOP Campaigns, action alerts, and petetions If your organization has a specific campaign for vegetarianism that has received media coverage, you might collect information from fair attendees who are interested in getting involved (for example, a vegetarian food bank or co-op). If you are emphasizing health, environment, or animal rights, there may be specific events or campaigns coming up for which you need volunteers or support. There may be community events, such as health fairs or community environmental celebrations, in which your group is participating and for which you are seeking interested volunteers. Many vegetarians are also activists, so the food fair presents a unique opportunity to find these people and get them involved in your actions. Keep the focus of these sign-up sheets specific, and make sure the tie-in to the fair is clear. Important: Too many sign-up sheets and petitions are overwhelming, and those who sign a general interest sheet can be informed of specific campaigns in the future, so it's best to collect signatures for a few events and network from there. TOP |
