You’ve campaigned in the hallways at school, stickered up everything in sight, and shared videos on Facebook—but you’re still aching to do more to help animals? Sometimes the best way is to hit the streets and hold an old-fashioned protest, and no one does those better than PETA!

Organizing a protest is a piece of cake, but you’ve gotta do the following:

• Order materials: Make sure to order three to four weeks ahead of time.
• Read: Check out our “What NOT to Do: At Protests” blog post ASAP!
• Check it off: Make a checklist of everything that you need (posters, leaflets, stickers, videos, etc.), and be sure to take it all with you.
• Be there: … early! Arrive at least a half-hour before your protest is scheduled to start. And don’t forget to visit the location beforehand to scope out parking and all that fun stuff.
• Know your rights: In the U.S., you are totally within your First Amendment rights to protest, leaflet, and talk to people in front of a place of business, such as McDonald’s. Just make sure that you are standing on a public sidewalk and that you’re not blocking any doors or walkways. With the exception of the sidewalk directly in front of the store’s doors, all the surrounding sidewalks are almost sure to be public property.

At the protest, make sure that you’re polite, professional, and ready to answer questions (seriously, we can’t stress this enough). Don’t yell, be obnoxious, or act rudely. Have fun, and stick up for animals!