Guide for Local Vegetarian Groups

Computers and Local Groups

Making your paperwork less tedious and more accurate; giving your publications a professional look; e-mail, computer bulletin boards, and the Internet

Running a vegetarian society, like running a small business, inevitably involves essential, though tedious, paperwork. You have records to keep, letters to write, labels to print, a newsletter to put out. Though you can rely on a typewriter, notebook, and stack of index cards to get the jobs done, you will work faster, better, and more accurately if you use a computer instead.

Long recognized as an indispensable business tool, computers are now becoming common in homes, as well. Prices of both equipment and software have been in free fall, making a computer affordable even if your budget is tight. In 1995, for example, you could buy a complete used system capable of running Microsoft Windows for under $500. While few vegetarian societies could afford to spend that much for an office computer, you may decide that a computer can now fit into your personal budget, if you have been holding out. Even if you're not ready to plunge into the '90s, there are probably some people in your society with computers who may be willing to help out.

If someone else will be doing the computer work, they should be reliable and honest and likely to be around for a while. Be sure that your computer records and documents are maintained with standard programs and formats that can easily be fathomed by some one other than the person who usually does the computer work. People do move on, get sick, or die, and you must be able to make sense of your records even if the person who maintained them is no longer around. And be sure to back up everything. Print out your mailing list and your financial records, and store the copies at more than one location. Computers can and do fail, and you don't want to lose all your records because you neglected to back them up.

What to buy

If you've decided to get a new computer system and don't know much about computers, seek out a knowledgeable friend or co-worker and do some reading in computer magazines. You will first have to decide whether to go with a Macintosh or an IBM-compatible (PC) system. Macs are easier to set up and use; PCs greatly outnumber Macs, cost somewhat less, and are almost as easy to use if they run Microsoft Windows. Whichever you buy, be sure you can upgrade the memory (RAM), the hard drive, and can add accessories like a modem, CD-ROM drive, and scanner. You will also need a printer. Laser printers produce the best-looking documents and have dropped below $400 (1995) for the bottom of the line. For under $250 you can buy an ink-jet printer, which will produce out put of near-laser quality and may have an option for color printing. An ink-jet page may cost more to print than a laser page, though refillable ink cartridges can reduce printing costs considerably. Least expensive both to buy and to print from is a dot-matrix printer. The print quality is not as good as ink jets or lasers, but it may be acceptable for your needs and allows very cheap label printing.

Software refers to programs that enable your computer to do the jobs you want it to. Software prices have dropped sharply, especially if you buy at discount retailers or by mail order. Programs have also become easier to use. If you don't have much software and would like to get just about everything you need in an easy-to-use, integrated package for under $100, look at "works" programs like ClarisWorks or Microsoft Works. These include word processing, spreadsheet, database (including labels), graphics, and more.

Maintaining your mailing list

Even if you do nothing else with your computer, you will save vast amounts of time and trouble if you use it to manage your mailing list. A properly set up mailing list will contain names, addresses, phone numbers, and other contact information for everyone on your list, will indicate categories like Members, Newsletter Subscribers, Press Contacts, Donors, and Volunteers, will show membership and subscription dates and the date someone went on the list, and can contain important miscellaneous information (interests, special requests, donation or membership history, and personal details like birthdays or family members). A computerized mailing list is actually a specialized database. If you already have database or "works" software, it may come with a template for a preformatted mailing-list database. Many word processors include mailing-list modules. Or you can buy specialized mailing-list manager software for under $50. Whatever you use to maintain your mailing list, make sure that it can print labels in the desired format and the post office's preferred order on your printer and that it can select and show all and only the records that meet your search criteria (such as all memberships expiring this month or all tabling volunteers).

To make it easier to retrieve the desired information from your database, you should decide upon simple codes (such as M for member, S for subscriber, D for donor, V for volunteer, and so forth) and then use them consistently. You will enter these codes in a Notes or Miscellaneous field of your database. It is a good idea to write the codes on paper so that the person maintaining the mailing list does not need to rely on memory, guessing, or a time-wasting search through the database. Inconsistencies in coding could cause your searches, sorts, and filtering to be inaccurate.

Better communications through your word processor

People who participate in your organization want to feel like more than just a name on a list. They appreciate the personal attention that is so lacking in today's fragmented society. But how can you provide it, when you may be dealing with several hundred participants, and that in your spare time? For this seemingly impossible task you can turn to your word processor.

When people send you their hard-earned money, they deserve a personal acknowledgment. When their memberships are due for renewal, a personal letter respects their importance more than an impersonal postcard or coupon. When they have helped with their volunteer labor, they need to know how much they are appreciated. You could hire a secretary to handle these communications--or you can use a word processor.

By writing a form letter that you can personalize as needed, you can add a personal touch to all your mail contacts without requiring any more of your time than just one letter would take. When you need a large number of letters (say, you have 50 membership renewals coming up one month), you can do a mail merge with your database, where your word processor automatically inserts the recipient's name and other desired information into a form letter. One letter thus magically turns into fifty! Your software manual or online help will explain how to do a mail merge.

You can also use your word processor to write letters to newspapers, elected officials, and community organizations about issues like the health benefits of vegetarian diets, the environmental effects of meat-based diets, and the cruelties associated with factory farming. If you keep a selection of "boilerplate" text on file in your computer, you will find it much easier to write these letters as needed.

If you create and hand out informational material to the public and your participants, you can easily make changes in your computer file so your sheets are always up to date. For example, if you distribute a list of vegetarian publications, with addresses and subscription rates, you can easily correct the information when it changes. Then you can print the number of sheets you need so that you don't have a large number left over and threatening to become obsolete.

Tracking your organization's finances

However careful we may be when managing our own money, we need to be even more conscientious when handling someone else's. Most of this can be done with a carefully maintained checkbook. However, using financial software can make the job easier and more accurate, especially if you have to keep track of merchandise sales for tax purposes. In addition, financial software can help you check your cash flow at any time and will create instant graphs and reports that can show you where your income comes from and where it goes. The leading financial-management program is Quicken; it is reasonably priced and very easy to use. There are several others, too.

Alternatively, you could use a spreadsheet (like Lotus 123 or Excel) to keep track of your group's finances. Spreadsheets work with rows and columns, like a ledger book. Although a spreadsheet is more versatile than a financial-management program and can be fairly simple to set up and use, most non-accountants find that something like Quicken is easier.

Giving your publications a professional look

People will be more inclined to read newsletters, flyers, and handouts that look attractive. Windows and Mac word processors allow you to combine high-quality graphics with typeset text and can help make your letterhead, press releases, and posters look professional. These word processors may also be adequate for newsletter production.

However, software specifically designed for page layout (desktop publishing) is more capable and easier to use for newsletter, flyer, and poster production. At the high end are the professional programs PageMaker and QuarkXPress. While these programs offers superior precision and control over type, graphics, and color, their high prices and complexity discourage casual users from getting them. At under $100, Microsoft Publisher or Serif's PagePlus may be more reasonable choices, and even lower-priced programs are available.

Don't be misled by advertising hype that promises automatic professional-looking publications. Design is both a talent and a skill. A program is just a tool; it can't make up for lack of design skill or turn a bad design into a good one. You're not entirely on your own, however, because word processors and page layout programs often include templates for newsletters, brochures, and flyers that you can adapt. If you want more ideas, check out the graphic-design section of the library or bookstore. Looking Good in Print by Roger C. Parker or The Non-Designer's Design Book by Robin Williams are good choices to get you started. You won't go wrong if you aim for simplicity, restraint, and clarity. Don't use more than two typeface families on a page. Don't litter your pages with unnecessary clip art. Give your pages some "breathing room" with white space. Is it easy for a reader to navigate through your newsletter without getting lost? Do you use a consistent treatment for page elements like headings, subheads, paragraph indents, page numbers, margins, and rules? Don't be afraid to make mistakes (but do learn from them) and don't agonize over appearance to the detriment of content.

Living in the Information Age

We are living in the midst of a quiet revolution that is changing the way we communicate. By the year 2000, we may see paperless electronic mail virtually replacing "snail mail" (sent in stamped envelopes and delivered in mailboxes). In addition, we will be able to exchange information instantly with people all over the world. If you have a computer and modem, you can do these things right now through the Internet or computer information services like CompuServe or America Online.

The era of worldwide electronic communication is offering unprecedented opportunities for spreading information about vegetarianism and for strengthening our movement by making it easy to be in contact with vegetarians everywhere. In addition, by communicating through our computers, we can cut down on the amount of paper we are forced to use, reducing pollution and saving trees and landfill space.

Blazingly fast fax/modems (they can also send and receive faxes) cost less than $100 and enable you to take part in this communication revolution. Perhaps your vegetarian society may decide to establish an on-line presence by participating in a forum or interest group on a local, statewide, or national computer bulletin board. Such services frequently have "libraries" of computer files, to which you could contribute vegetarian information for downloading by service members. Some groups are establishing Web "pages" on the World Wide Web of the Internet, making information available to Internet users from anywhere in the world.

Computer hardware and software are changing and becoming more powerful at a breathless pace. You don't have to be on the cutting edge, but you don't want to be left in the dust, either. By putting computer power to work for you, you can spend less time as a clerk and more as an advocate for a healthier and more humane world.

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