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by Brent, University of California, Santa Barbara

Brent Robinson, a vegan of two years, is the advocacy coordinator for Vegan Interest, Vegan Outreach—the biggest and best (and only) vegan advocacy group at UC-Santa Barbara. He enjoys long walks on the beach and on occasion has been known to call for the downfall of KFC.

So, you want to throw a delicious, nutritious, and especially populous vegan potluck at your campus?

Great idea! Vegan potlucks are a wonderful way to get people in your college community to try out veganism without needing to worry (yet) about the intricacies of shopping for and preparing a vegan meal. Plus, by providing the pleasant company and a comfortable environment, you're helping people to associate veganism with good, positive values. That helps to ease them into the transition to a healthier, sustainable, and truly humane lifestyle, which is the first step any of us can take toward saving the world! More importantly, by throwing a vegan potluck, you're taking the powerful next step toward developing a thriving and ever-expanding vegan community at your campus!

Of course, potlucks are no cakewalks, and throwing a successful potluck requires one part planning, three parts publicity, and a dash of effective persuasion. Here are six easy and effective steps you can take to ensure that your potluck is the talk of the campus:

1. Decide what you are going to cook! It is important to pick dishes that are relatively easy but that would appeal to both vegans and, more importantly, nonvegans. If you have copies of PETA's "Vegetarian Starter Kit" or Vegan Outreach's "Guide to Cruelty-Free Eating" on hand, use one of their delicious recipes so that, when people ask for the recipe, you can give them a copy—plus even more veganism-inducing goodness!
   
2. Find a suitable location! Your first few potlucks will probably only attract a handful of people, but future ones may well bring dozens of people out of the woodwork. Plan accordingly.
   
3. Plan it so that you can give people a week's notice! Simply put, some people like to plan ahead, so give them that option.
   
4. Publicize the event to whoever might listen! That means your local animal-advocacy group, your local natural- and health-food stores, your campus paper, your local environmental groups, etc. If you think there's a group of people who might be interested, let them know! The more potential vegans, the better!
   
5. Create a Facebook event! Make sure you use upbeat, tantalizing descriptions of the event and what is on the menu so people can't help but salivate in anticipation. Remember, you need to entice people to come, so feel free to sound like an infomercial! For an example, check out this events page for my last potluck: http://ucsb.facebook.com/event.php?eid=11869185575.
   
6. Invite your friends—all of them! It doesn't matter if you do it on Facebook, and it doesn't matter if they probably aren't interested. Just give them the option, and they might just take you up on a New and Improved Vegan Lifestyle!

Follow those steps, and you should have a thriving and well-attended potluck in no time! Of course, be sure to check out http://www.GoVeg.com/effectiveAdvocacy.asp for tips on how to handle the conversation should it turn toward veganism—no point in alienating people after all that work!

Other than that, just remember to have a good time! If you play your cards right, soon you'll have a regular and rapidly growing event where people come from all over to try a lifestyle that can save the world! And it will be all thanks to you. Well done!