Step 1: Getting Started

Overview
A veg-a-thon can last from one to eight weeks and you can collect pledges in person, online or both. Veg-a-thon.com offers the information and support you need to prepare for and enjoy your veg-a-thon.

Vegetarian or Vegan?
Decide whether to eat a lacto-ovo vegetarian (excludes animal flesh) or a vegan diet (excludes animal flesh, dairy and eggs) for your veg-a-thon. Note that "animal" includes birds and freshwater and saltwater creatures. Try to limit your consumption of eggs or avoid them altogether as egg production causes the second most deaths of animals in the U.S. and is especially cruel. A vegan diet does the most to reduce animal suffering, and a low-fat, high-fiber vegan diet has been shown to have many positive effects on one's health.

Think of your veg-a-thon as an exciting adventure into the world of vegetarian eating. Don't worry about avoiding small amounts of animal byproducts and derivatives. For best results, be prepared by having an idea of what you are going to eat and be sure to try new foods. Refer to our Resources For Vegetarian Eating guide for help, including recipe websites and cookbook recommendations. If you stray from your veg-a-thon, just add a day to the end.

The Final Details
Decide when, for how long, and for what non-profit organization you will be doing your veg-a-thon. We recommend a 21-day veg-a-thon as some research suggests this is a good minimum amount of time to change one's habits. You may find it easier and more enjoyable to do a veg-a-thon when you are not very busy. Allow time before your veg-a-thon to spread the word about it in order to collect the most pledges.

Step2: Collecting Pledges

Creating a Personal Fundraising Web Page
Visit Change.org and click on "nonprofits" to search for the organization(s) that you would like to collect pledges for. Then click on "Start a Fundraising Page" to create your own web page where people can pledge towards your veg-a-thon. You can personalize your page(s) with a photo or video.

Note that a 4.75% tax-deductable fee will be deducted from donations made by credit card on your fundraising page. This fee is only used to pay for the cost of making these transactions and neither change.org or its donation processing partner, Network for Good profit from these fees.

Soliciting and Collecting Pledges in Person
Print out our pledge form and fill it out with information about yourself and your veg-a-thon. Step 3 offers ideas on soliciting pledges. When collecting pledges, ask for a check or money order. If people insist on giving cash, keep a record of the amount and send that amount to your nonprofit in a check or money order of your own. Many nonprofits have a separate address where donations are processed. See the organization's website or call or e-mail them to find out where to send the donations.

Step 3: Spreading the Word

Tell Your Friends and Family
E-mail people about your fund raising page using the tools provided by the service you're using, or send them your own email with a link to your page. In your message, explain your reasons for doing a veg-a-thon and why the organization you are collecting pledges for is worthy of their donations. Ask them to tell others about your veg-a-thon and to link to your fundraising page on their website or blog. Also encourage them to visit veg-a-thon.com and start their own veg-a-thon!

Make your Personal Fund Raising Page Part of Your Online Presence
Put a link to your fundraising page on your blog or website, in your e-mail signature, in your signature on online bulletin boards and in your profile on social networking sites like MySpace.com. Please link to veg-a-thon.com too!

Work the Neighborhood...Or The Office
Let your neighbors and co-workers know about your veg-a-thon and veg-a-thon.com. Don't be afraid to go door-to-door, though ask a supervisor before going cubicle-to-cubicle or using company email to solicit pledges. When approaching people in person consider offering them some leaflets about your cause and vegetarianism.

Give Updates on Your Progress
Share your experience of doing a veg-a-thon with a blog. This can both help you get more pledges and encourage others to try vegetarian eating. You can allow people to receive updates to your blog via e-mail by using Bot A Blog

Summary
That's it in a nutshell. The most important things to remember when doing a veg-a-thon are to have a flexible plan as to what you will be eating, to see it as an adventure into a new kind of eating, to try many new foods and to not be shy about asking for pledges. Kind Choices plans to introduce new features to Veg-a-thon.com in the future to help people have more successful veg-a-thons. Sign up for our e-newsletter, Kindness for All to be notified when they are added.