Outreach Cards
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Introduction
This article discusses outreach cards, how to use them, and how you can have your own cards printed.
Outreach cards are useful not only for street outreach, but also for discussions with friends, family, and acquaintances. They are the standard business card size—small enough that you can carry them with you at all times.
Using a Card
After someone expresses an interest in veganism and you've had a discussion, don't just give them the card and leave it at that. Show them the back of the card and point out the beginner web page, specifically designed for those interested in pursuing the topic further. Ask them to consider looking over the beginner pages, which are:
- An Introduction to Veganism
- Getting Started with Going Vegan
- Helpful Resources
- Replies to Objections
The back of the card also contains two areas for you to write in suggestions for searching—one for searching on the wiki and one for searching on the internet. These areas let you customize the card depending on the concerns and interests of your interlocutor. For example, if they mentioned vitamin B12, write "B12," to help them go straight to the article on B12.
If you mentioned a movie or video, for example, write the name of the movie in the second area to remind them to search for the movie. Chances are slim they will remember the name of the movie, or anything else you mentioned, without this aid.
By doing this, even if they don't look at the card again you have shown you take enough of a personal interest in them to go to the trouble. The seed is planted.
Tip: Most ballpoint pens are prone to smearing on coated cards. But we have found that the Forma 1.0 ballpoint pen and Sharpie Ultra Fine Point both work well.
Real-World Example
As an example of how this card was part of an outreach, Greg Fuller shared this story on social media:
"I was picking up a to-go order of Tacu Tacu at a Peruvian eatery in Emeryville today when the guy behind the register said, 'I remember you; I haven’t eaten meat in 8 days'.
"I remembered that over a week ago when I was asking which items were vegan, he asked if I was vegan. So I answered, then asked if he was. He said no, so I asked him if he had ever considered it. Yes he had, but he was concerned about protein.
"After discussing protein, vegan athletes, and other related topics, I whipped out an outreach card. On the back of the card there is a pointer to beginner articles, and there are two places to write stuff.
"I pointed out the beginner articles, then in the first spot, 'Search on JusticeForAnimals.org,' I penned in Protein, and in the second slot, 'Search on the Internet' I penned in The Game Changers, and told him it would be available soon (it is now), and suggested he at least watch the trailer."
It's impossible to say exactly what part the card played in his change of behavior, but it seems likely it helped.
Getting the Cards Printed
You can download the files for the front and back and place an order for the cards from a company named Vegan Printer. You can also order the cards from other printers, of course, but be careful because printers have varying layouts for margin and bleed areas.
Below are direct links to the full-sized (1125 x 675 pixels) cards. Make sure you have downloaded the full-sized cards, as the system stores various sizes. You can download the card by right-clicking, (or control-click on a PC, command-click on a Mac) and follow the instructions to save the image.
You can email Vegan Printer at info@veganprinter.com for their current pricing, which we have found to be very competitive. Then you can send them your order with the front and back of the cards attached to the email.
Downloads
Front:
Back:
