Current Volunteer Opportunities

Vegetarian Outreach Events

If you’re interested in tabling for TVA at any of the following events, please email Barbi Lazarus, Donor and Volunteer Resources Coordinator, using the following template:

Name of Event:
Shift(s) Interested In:
First Time Volunteer? (yes/no) (If yes, please include your phone number)
Have you received training from TVA?

• Niagara VegFest
• Raw Vegan Festival
• Veggie Fest Hamilton
• Pride Toronto
• Become an Outreach Specialist

Niagara VegFest

When? Sunday, June 2nd

Shifts Available: 10 am to 2 pm, 2 pm to 6 pm

Where? Market Square (91 King Street in St. Catharines)

Tell me more: The popularity of vegetarianism is spreading outside the GTA! This year’s Niagara VegFest is going to be even bigger and better than last year’s. They’ve got a fantastic lineup of speakers so it’s worth the trip for the day! Check out niagaravegfest.com for more information on their festival.

Raw Vegan Festival

When? Saturday, June 8th and Sunday June 9th

Shifts Available: Saturday, June 8th – 10 am to 1:30 pm, 1:30 pm to 5 pm, 5 pm to 8 pm

Sunday, June 9th  – 10 am to 1 pm, 1 pm to 4 pm

Where? 918 Bathurst Street (a couple blocks north of Bloor and Bathurst)

Tell me more: Toronto’s growing summer festival full of raw and vegan food and equipment to sample and for sale. Help out by staffing our special vegan cookbook store at this great event! Click here for more info.

Veggie Fest Hamilton

When? Saturday, June 15th

Where? Marritt Hall at the Ancaster Fairgrounds, 630 Trinity Rd S (Hamilton)

Tell me more: Hamilton’s first vegetarian, vegan and raw festival of it’s own! Featuring an array of vendors including restaurants, chocolates, bakeries, non-profits, cooking equipment and more. Click here for more info.

Pride Toronto Street Fair

When? Saturday. June 29th and Sunday, June 30th

Shifts Available: Morning, afternoon or evening on each of Saturday and Sunday.

Where? Exact location TBD, but in the Yonge/Wellesley area.

Tell me more: The Community Fair and Marketplace educates, entertains and intrigues with an exciting array of artisans, retail vendors, community organizations and much more. Volunteers in the past have raved and ranted about the exciting energy and enthusiasm at this event.

Want to take your volunteering to the next level? Become an Outreach Specialist!

Description: Outreach specialists are trained and experienced volunteers in the outreach program who act as mentors to new volunteers, and lead other volunteers on their shifts, ensuring everyone is aware of the goals of the event and that all volunteers are motivated to reach those goals. They also play an important communication connecting link between staff and other volunteers, passing on messages to fellow volunteers and keeping staff informed about events they volunteer at.

Expectations/Qualifications: Outreach specialists should have strong leadership and communication skills, be outgoing and personable, and have completed at least 3 TVA outreach shifts. They are expected to volunteer at least once every two months for a 3 hour shift, although are encouraged to volunteer more frequently or take on a full day table captain shift from time to time.

Outreach specialists must complete the Online Key Messages and Programs Training, as well as a mentor shift with another outreach specialist.

Next Steps: If you’re interested in taking your volunteering with TVA to the next level and becoming an outreach specialist, email volunteer@veg.ca describing your interest in the position and your experience volunteering with TVA.

**Note: If you just began volunteering with TVA and are still interested in becoming an Outreach Specialist, that’s no problem! Let us know of your interest, volunteer for a couple of outreach shifts and we can chat again about becoming an outreach specialist after you’ve volunteered a few times.*

Committees and Teams

Veggie Challenge Team

Are you a tech-savy, self-starter who’s passionate about inspiring people to go vegetarian? We’re looking for enthusiastic people to join our Veggie Challenge team to help take the program to the next level and get more people than ever signed up to try a vegetarian for one week, and beyond!

Description: The Veggie Challenge is an online program where people sign up to try a vegetarian diet for one week. The Veggie Challenge is one of the Toronto Vegetarian Association’s most impactful programs. The Veggie Challenge Team will meet bi-monthly to discuss visioning and ideas for expanding the program and tracking it’s success. Examples of tasks team members may take on include maintaining the website, inputting and contacting program participants, updating content of emails, providing support and answering email inquiries from program participants, and coordinating story submissions and prizes.

Qualifications and Expectations: We are looking for passionate and enthusiastic self-starters with leadership skills, who are willing to take ownership over the projects they take on.  Being tech and web-savy would be an asset. Veggie Challenge Team members should be vegetarian and all team members will be asked to sign up for the Veggie Challenge and complete the program themselves as part of the orientation. Meetings are typically 2 hours in length, and take place in downtown Toronto. Team members will be expected to take on tasks in between meetings based on their skills and interest of an additional 2-6 hours per month.

Application: To apply, please send a your résumé along with a letter describing your interest in the position and any relevant skills, education or experience to: Steve Leckie, Veggie Challenge Leader steve@veg.ca.

Fundraising and Membership Development Committee

Are you an experienced fundraiser who keeps up with the latest trends in direct mail and donor relations?  Do you enjoy planning special events or writing grant proposals? Are you interested in helping the Toronto Vegetarian Association recruit hundreds of new members to support our work?

If so, you’re not alone!  The Toronto Vegetarian Association’s Fundraising & Membership Development Committee is looking for experienced fundraisers to help secure the donations, sponsorships and grants TVA needs to inspire people to choose a healthier, greener, more peaceful lifestyle. As an active charitable organization, we rely on donations, grants and sponsorships to support our programs and achieve our mission.

We’re looking for vegetarian and vegetarian-friendly fundraisers to do hands on work preparing grant proposals, and to help advise and lead our growing organization by joining our Fundraising & Membership Development Committee.

Application: Please email Sharon Naidos with the subject Fundraising and Membership Development Committee Application, with a letter outlining your interest in the committee, along with your resume.

Outreach Set Up and Tear Down Team

Do you want more people in the GTA to learn about the benefits of a vegetarian diet? Do you want to see more people sign up for the Veggie Challenge and Meatless Mondays? And, do you have a car and a few hours to spare each month?

Then join our Set Up and Tear Down Crew for outreach events! Toronto is jam packed with events over the summer months and there’s so many opportunities for TVA to be present. But we can only be there with the help of a driver to transport our materials to and from the TVA office to these great community events.

Description: We’re looking for new people to join our team and help out at an event or two each month this summer season. The role involves picking up materials from the TVA office at a time that’s convenient for you, transporting them to the event on the actual day of the event and setting up the TVA table.

Alternatively, it can be done in the reverse! You can do a tear down shift where you’d pack up the materials at the end of an event, and bring them back to the TVA office at a time that’s convenient for you.

Members of our set up and tear down crew receive a FREE TVA discount card, offering savings at over 80 veg-friendly businesses in the GTA.

Application: Please email Barbi Lazarus with the subject Set Up and Tear Down Team.

Letter Writing Team

Do you have a persuasive way with the written word? Are you motivated to respond to media articles that discuss issues you’re passionate about? Then join our Letter Writing Team and help demonstrate to the public that people do care about animals, and that support for vegetarianism is on the rise. Click here to see letters recently submitted and published by members of the TVA letter writing team.

Description: When you join our letter writing team, we’ll alert you to relevant articles in the paper that discuss vegetarianism in either a positive or negative light, so that you can send in your letter of praise or critique to the editor. There will never be an obligation for you to write, but the more letters sent to the editor in response to any particular article, the more likely it is that one of them will get published. Please note: As a member of the letter writing team, you agree that you will be sending in letters to the editor on your own behalf, and NOT as a representative of TVA.

Next Steps: Send an email to Barbi with the subject “Letter Writing Team” to be added to the mailing list.

Office Help Team

Description: We are always looking for new members of our Office Help Team. The behind the scenes work that is necessary to make our attendance at outreach events possible is critical to us getting our message out to the public. Examples of tasks may be making phone calls to thank new members, applying TVA stickers to literature we distribute at outreach events, and stuffing and mailing envelopes.

Expectations/qualifications: Requests for assistance in the TVA office are sent out to the list as required. Requests may be sent out well in advance, but more often than not are fairly last minute (the week of). Volunteers can take us up on the offer or decline according to their availability. This position is particularly well suited to volunteers available during regular business hours, although some evening opportunities will come about as well.

Next steps: To join the Office Help Team, email Barbi Lazarus at blazarus@veg.ca, with the email subject “Office Help Team”.

Other Volunteer Opportunities

Email Marketing Consultant

Position Description: We are looking for someone to help us make improvements to our eNewsletter, eLifelines, by reviewing the current format and content, conducting an updated reader survey and providing insight into readership behaviour and satisfaction. The email marketing consultant will then use this and other data, knowledge and expertise to create an action plan for any suggested changes for improving the formatting, content and style of the newsletter.

Expectations/Qualifications: We are looking for someone with a background in communications, experience at email marketing, and a proven ability to increase readership and increase effectiveness of the newsletter in reaching specific objectives such as reader satisfaction and conversion targets. Graphic design skills, html and familiarity with various web analytics would be an asset.

Next Steps: Please send your resume and a cover letter outlining your interest in the position to volunteer@veg.ca with the subject “eNewsletter Marketing Consultant.”

Volunteer Gift Recruiter

Are you sales savvy? Like talking to people and building relationships?

Description: We’re looking for a couple of people to help build an inventory of gifts for volunteers by approaching local businesses and asking for donations on behalf of TVA. A sample letter signed by TVA and talking points will be provided.

Expectations/qualifications: Sales or marketing experience would be a definite asset. We will provide a list of businesses to approach, but we’re looking for someone who can take ownership and initiative with this project, approaching the businesses and following up. The expected time commitment is a couple of hours per week for the next month or so, until the inventory is developed. 

Next Steps: Please contact Barbi Lazarus with the subject “Gift Recruiter”.

DIY Fundraising

Description: This is your chance to help TVA raise funds so that we can build our capacity and have a greater impact! While the Toronto Vegetarian Association is a grassroots organization that relies on the support of hundreds of volunteers, we also require funds to put our programs into action. Volunteers are always welcome to organize their own fundraising events, such as bake sales, walkathons, pot lucks, car washes or whatever your creative mind devises!

Next Steps: Click here to download our DIY Fundraising Kit with tips and instructions for getting started on organizing your very own fundraising event for TVA.