As a follow-up to Activist Appreciation Month, we’re excited to feature this story and special gift from In Defense of Animals and activist Stephanie Gray, who shares why she created an Animal Activist Organizer for fellow activists below.

Activism has always been a part of me. I’ve spent many years writing letters, calling Congress, signing petitions and attending an occasional protest, mostly for environmental concerns and women’s rights issues. When my husband and I started a hobby farm complete with goats, chickens and ducks, I started to see the true horrors of animal agriculture. Although our farm was spacious, clean and loving, everything in me screamed, “This is wrong!” on “harvest day.” I went vegan immediately once I saw what “harvest” really meant.

In my research to become plant-based, I found an amazing cast of characters on the internet who gave me great recipes and taught me about animal exploitation. As my activism shifted to animal rights issues, I struggled to keep organized with contact info, websites, follow up dates, upcoming actions and more. I never felt I was doing enough. I felt far more productive and inspired when I started to write everything down. I created a format to keep me organized and as effective as possible. If I needed this, I wondered if it might help others too. My hope for this project is to inspire more people to engage in activism, to stay inspired, keep emotionally healthy and encourage others to do the same.

Enjoy a free, downloadable version of Stephanie’s Animal Activist Organizer here.

For a print version, please contact Stephanie at activistorganizer@gmail.com.