| VUNA
VIEWS - July 1998 |
| Running
a Local Group the Low-Cost, Low-Work Way |
Introduction
Typically, starting or maintaining a local vegetarian society
involves a large time commitment from volunteers and requires
a fair amount of money for postage, rental fees, and newsletter
expenses. Also typically, the difficulty of finding volunteers
means that a couple of people may be doing most of the work.
If they move, burn out, get sick, or die, the local group will
probably die, too. But does it have to be this way? Toronto
Vegetarian Association board member Lisa Rogers here describes
the low-cost, low-work approach adopted by Ontario's Forest City
Vegetarian Association. Not only did FCVA stay alive when death
seemed imminent, it is thriving. If time and money stresses are
threatening your group's existence, consider adapting FCVA's
approach instead of giving up.
Running a Local Group: Maybe You Don't Really Need Much
Time or Money
by Lisa Rogers
For most people the thought of starting a vegetarian group
is overwhelming. Hosting events, writing and producing a newsletter,
maintaining a membership database and financial records--it all
seems incredibly daunting, and rightly so. The Forest City Vegetarian
Association (FCVA, located in London, Ontario, northeast of Detroit)
knows how demanding this kind of work can be. In 1992 when the
FCVA was created, they welcomed this challenge, and by end of
1995 they had seventy-five paying members. Members received a
monthly newsletter and invitations to monthly potlucks that featured
various natural health practitioners. However, with each of the
five executives volunteering from five to twenty hours per week,
the workload eventually overwhelmed them, and they decided to
pass on the reins.
In December of 1996, Greg Millar, one of the founders, attended
a FCVA potluck only to discover that the group had shrunk to
two members. The second executive group had also been overwhelmed
and decided to discontinue the newsletter and guest speakers.
As a result, members didn't renew and people stopped attending
the potlucks.
The two remaining members (the Roswells) and Greg decided
that the FCVA was too important to abandon, so they developed
a "low impact" approach. By focusing on their goals
and the best way of achieving them, FCVA discovered an efficient
and effective way of running a vegetarian group: it's all about
staying focused and exploring alternative solutions, and it can
inspire us all.
Their first decision was to make the monthly potlucks a priority.
Greg and the Roswells felt that the potlucks were the cement
that kept the group running, and by inviting interesting guest
speakers and giving updates on vegetarian-relevant information
they could be sure to attract new people. ’’
Previously the potlucks had been held at various members'
homes, which was found to be too difficult to arrange and confusing
to attendees. Thanks to the Roswells, who offered to host the
potlucks, FCVA now had a consistent location.
The newsletter was another item that had to be considered.
It demanded the most time, and without it the workload would
be manageable and the costs minimal. At this point Greg and the
Roswells looked at the idea of free membership. Eliminating paid
membership and the newsletter abolished their costs and the need
for fundraising and record keeping (the few costs that they do
incur are covered by Millar and the Roswells).
Promotion consists of distributing about twenty event flyers
four times a year to the central library, which then distributes
them to each branch for free. Also, thanks to Bell Canada, they
have their own web site: http://www.communityexpress.org/ce/express/fcva/index.asp
Since they refocused their efforts FCVA has become increasingly
popular, with anywhere from 20 to 35 people at their potlucks--50%
of whom are first time attendees. Recently a full-page story
appeared in the local paper featuring FCVA, an incredible boon
for any group. Congratulations and thank you to FCVA for this
creative and inspiring approach!
Note: The Toronto Vegetarian
Association is ready to provide support and "how-to"
information to all new groups. Thanks to Istvan Nemeth, our Resource
Centre manager and Communications Secretary, TVA has been able
to help many groups get their start.
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