CAA's 2008 Annual Review

You can also download the final print version of the 2008 Annual Review.

The year was vital for the continued growth of our organization as we proceeded to engage the community and make room for change. We leafleted at dozens of concerts, events, and college campuses around Minnesota, in addition to staffing informational tables at a variety of high-traffic venues with information on food choices and factory farming. In doing so, we provided individuals with the chance to consider where the food that ends on up their plate comes from.

These outreach programs remain crucial not only for CAA, but for the animals that our organization serves to protect. By appealing to younger individuals on college campuses, our efforts will, with any luck, pay off with second thoughts on the consumption of animal products. Leaflets provide that constant reminder of what goes on in factory farms, and the suffering caused by consumer demand. Using literature to spread awareness of these issues, CAA attempted to strengthen and grow public interest in vegetarianism and animal protection.

To get people started in their journey towards a more compassionate lifestyle, CAA received upwards of 7,000 requests for Vegetarian Starter Kits from all across the country. The starter kits discuss not only where animal products come from, but also how to stay healthy on plant-based diets and delicious animal-friendly recipes. Our VegGuide.org website, which provides resources for veg-friendly dining throughout the world, received over 413,000 unique visitors, and 1.5 million page views from people interested in finding veg-friendly food. In addition, our resource-packed website, ExploreVeg.org, received some 136,000 unique visitors, with 414,000 page views. The magnitude of this response demonstrates that there is a growing movement opposing the cruelty being committed toward vulnerable animals.

In addition to providing resources for potential vegetarians and vegans, CAA also helped broaden a community of animal activists. We invited speakers, including Jim Mason and Gowri Koneswaran, to provide free and informative presentations on how our food choices impact animals and our environment. We had dozens of other top speakers at our first annual “Their Lives, Our Voices” conference including Gene Baur, Colleen Patrick-Goudreau, and Paul Shapiro, who inspired the 180+ attendees. In addition, we held three volunteer appreciation parties, a fundraiser banquet, a camping trip, and welcomed dozens of new volunteers and interns. CAA hosted ten dine-outs at veg-friendly restaurants throughout 2008, along with five potlucks, and two food giveaways. These functions brought thousands of community members and animal advocates together for the purpose of promoting compassionate vegetarian foods and protecting farm animals

Veg Week, as usual, was a great success, and included a jam-packed schedule of events, including a cooking class, a vegan potluck, a screening of “Emotional World of Farm Animals,” a couple of dine-outs, a visit to Chicken Run Rescue sanctuary, and a special kick-off presentation with famed animal rights author Jim Mason, who spoke to an overflowing audience of over 400. The best news that came out of Veg Week was the over 780 people who pledged to go vegetarian or vegan for the week, almost 200 more than the previous year. In the precursor to Veg Week, almost 1,500 people enjoyed delicious samples of vegan foods at our annual Fall Vegan Food Showcase!

Shortly after Veg Week, CAA held Outreach For Animals Week, kicking off in mid-October. That week, CAA raised more than $3,000 from generous donors and dozens of volunteers. People from all over the country made time for animals and each other, and we are keen to believe that they went home to their own communities refreshed, revived, and all the more ready to make a difference. Conference topics put emphasis on addressing the plight of farmed animals, in particular. Workshops considered the current issues associated with several particular animals industries.

CAA closed October and came out strong in November, hosting a huge Turkey-free Thanksgiving Feast with over 200 attendees enjoying animal-friendly versions of traditional Thanksgiving fare. With November also came a CAA-inspired, campus-wide vegan dinner served by the residential cafeterias at the University of Minnesota. Volunteers staffed informational tables and passed out leaflets and recipe booklets to patrons who enjoyed the meals.

In sum, 2008 represents another wonderful year in our ambitious goal of creating a compassionate and respectful world. The movement, thanks to the efforts made by our many volunteers, has a broad range of support and is producing a strong community of conscientious eaters, which will realize a brighter future for all. Based on previous years, and how our outreach has grown, we project the next year and the next decade, to be one full of possibilities, success, and concrete victories.

2008 By the Numbers

• Held our first-ever “Their Lives, Our Voices” animal advocacy conference. Over 170 participants engaged with prominent national speakers, enjoyed great vegan food, and met fellow activists.
• Introduced our message of compassion to 30,000 youth across Minnesota through leafleting and tabling.
• Organized over 22 community-building events, including potlucks, dine-outs, cooking classes, and celebrations for our volunteers and donors.
• Received 780 pledges during Veg Week from people committing to be vegetarian or vegan for a week.
• Had 400 people attend "The Ethics of What We Eat" lecture by Jim Mason, kicking off Veg Week.
• Mailed out over 7,000 vegetarian starter kits.
• Received over 1,130 unique visitors per day and 3,200 new entries on VegGuide.org.

A Letter from the Board

Dear Supporters of Compassionate Action for Animals,

We'd like to thank our volunteers and donors for continuing to support us this past year. Despite the economy, 2008 was a good year for the animals and for CAA. More and more people believe that animals deserve respect and consideration and are taking action on that belief. Because of your support and the work of our volunteers and staff, CAA reached out to more people in 2008 than ever before. Of course, we still have a lot of work ahead of us, so don't think we're resting yet!

On the national front, we saw a huge victory with the passing of California's Proposition 2. This ballot initiative, approved by an overwhelming 63% majority, created a new statute in California banning several forms of intense confinement for farmed animals. The ban prohibits veal crates, gestation crates for sows, and battery cages for hens. While gestation and veal crates have been banned in other states already, California is the first state in the country to ban battery cages. Clearly, we can see that mainstream America cares about animals and does not condone the horrible abuses that factory farming engenders.

The question is, then, how do we turn that concern into movement towards a vegan lifestyle? Our outreach and education work is a very effective means of doing so. Outreach and education expose people to the cruelties of factory farming, and are great ways to convert opposition to cruelty into real results for the animals.

For CAA, this past year was one of our best ever. We handed out huge numbers of leaflets, brought in Gowri Koneswaran and Jim Mason as speakers, and saw a record number of Veg Pledgers during the 2008 Veg Week. We also hosted our first-ever animal advocacy conference, Their Lives, Our Voices (TLOV), to great acclaim from attendees. We're already planning our second TLOV conference, along with a host of other events for 2009. Another first in 2008 was Outreach for Animals Week, our first "leaflet-a-thon", a combination outreach/fundraising event.

We'd like to take a moment to reflect on Their Lives, Our Voices. It was so exciting for all of us at CAA to host this event. TLOV challenged our organizing capacity and gave many volunteers an opportunity to work together to create a successful event. We were also excited to see so many people take time out of their busy schedules to learn how they can help animals. People really do care, but sometimes they need a clear opportunity to learn more and get involved.

Despite our relatively small budget, CAA continues to provide the effective outreach, education, and community building that the community knows, while also continuing to grow and introduce new people to the idea of compassionate food choices. Thanks to generous volunteer and donor support, CAA has reached many people and helped them realize that animals deserve to live their own lives. While this is positive news, we will not relax our efforts. Instead, we will work even harder to build a more compassionate future for all.

Looking forward to 2009, we're hopeful that we can keep growing in spite of the economic downturn. There are still so many animals suffering, and as long as that suffering continues, as long as animals are treated like things, our work is not done. We will continue to urge people towards veganism, politely but unhesitatingly. We hope that you will continue to support our work in 2009!

Sincerely,

Matt Mackall, Ivan Martino, Casey Nielsen, David Rolsky, Suzy Sorensen

CAA Board of Directors