Project summary

Vegan Georgia is excited to introduce the "Vegan Challenge," an innovative one-month program designed to promote veganism, animal rights, and environmental sustainability within our local community. This initiative aims to engage a diverse audience, from curious individuals to health-conscious consumers and animal welfare advocates, and inspire them to explore the benefits of a plant-based lifestyle.

The primary goals of the "Vegan Challenge" are twofold: to turn more people vegan and to raise awareness about the importance of adopting a compassionate, sustainable diet and lifestyle. We recognize that many people have preconceived notions about veganism, often viewing it as restrictive or difficult to maintain. By inviting participants to step outside their comfort zones and experience veganism firsthand, without the pressure of long-term commitment, we hope to challenge these misconceptions and foster a deeper understanding of the positive impact that can be made through dietary and lifestyle choices.

Throughout the one-month challenge, participants will have access to a comprehensive suite of resources and support, including recipes, meal plans, and nutritional guidance to help them discover new, delicious plant-based foods. Additionally, the program will feature a launch event and an online platform where participants can engage with a community of like-minded individuals, share their experiences, and receive encouragement from our team of experts.

By participating in the "Vegan Challenge," individuals will have the opportunity to explore new culinary horizons, improve their health, reduce their environmental impact, and support animal welfare. Most importantly, they will become ambassadors for the vegan movement, sharing their personal journeys and inspiring others to adopt a more compassionate, sustainable lifestyle.

With your support, the "Vegan Challenge" will empower the people of Georgia to make a meaningful difference in the lives of animals, the environment, and their own well-being. Together, we can create a more just, equitable, and compassionate future for all.

What we could achieve with minimum and maximum funding:

With the minimum funding of $5,000, the "Vegan Challenge" project would be able to implement a more limited version of the program. This level of funding would cover the basic costs of hiring a part-time project coordinator, creating essential participant resources like recipe booklets, and hosting a small launch event. However, the project's reach and impact would be significantly constrained and would engage much less people. Although, even with minimum funding, project would be well spread through the social media and would make good ground for future stronger development of the project.

In contrast, the full funding would allow the project to execute the "Vegan Challenge" to its full potential. This would enable the hiring of a dedicated team, including coordinators, community engagement specialists, and mentors, as well as support robust marketing, a comprehensive online platform, and enhanced participant materials. With this level of resources, the project could realistically reach 3,000 people, engage 450 participants, and convert an estimated 45 new vegans.

What are this project's goals? How will you achieve them?

The primary goals of the "Vegan Challenge" project are:

1. Promote Veganism and Plant-Based Lifestyles:

The project aims to encourage more people to explore and adopt a vegan lifestyle, challenging misconceptions and inspiring lasting change. By providing a supportive and accessible one-month program, the project seeks to turn more people into vegans.

2. Improve Health and Well-Being:

The project will educate participants on the health benefits of a vegan diet, helping them discover new foods, improve their nutrition, and enhance their overall well-being. The provision of meal plans, recipes, and nutritional guidance will empower participants to make sustainable dietary changes.

3. Raise Awareness about Animal Welfare and Environmental Sustainability:

The project will foster a deeper understanding of the ethical and environmental considerations surrounding animal agriculture. By highlighting the positive impact of a vegan lifestyle on animal welfare and environmental sustainability, the project aims to inspire participants to make more compassionate and eco-friendly choices.

To achieve these goals, the project will:

1. Implement a Comprehensive Program Structure:

The "Vegan Challenge" will be structured around weekly themes and focus areas, providing participants with a step-by-step journey to explore veganism. This will include meal plans, recipes, educational resources, and a supportive online community.

2. Leverage Effective Outreach and Engagement Strategies:

The project will utilize a multi-faceted approach to reach a diverse audience, including social media campaigns, partnerships with local organizations, and a launch event to generate interest and awareness. The involvement of 20 volunteers will further amplify the project's reach and engagement.

3. Offer Personalized Guidance and Support:

The project will employ experienced mentors to provide participants with individualized guidance, addressing their concerns, offering accountability, and fostering motivation throughout the challenge. This personalized support will be crucial for helping participants overcome barriers and maintain their commitment to the vegan lifestyle.

By implementing these strategies, the "Vegan Challenge" project aims to achieve its goals of promoting veganism, improving health and well-being, and raising awareness about animal welfare and environmental sustainability. The estimated reach of 3,000 people, with 450 participants and 45 new vegans, demonstrates the project's potential to make a meaningful impact in the community.

How will this funding be used?

The funding for the "Vegan Challenge" will be used to support the key components of this one-month initiative aimed at encouraging more people to explore a vegan lifestyle. The budget covers the personnel needed to coordinate the program, engage the community, develop the online platform, and manage the marketing and outreach.

Specifically, the funding will go towards hiring a Project Coordinator, Community Engagement Coordinator, Web Developer, Audience Targeting Specialist, and Social Media Manager for the duration of the program. It will also provide stipends for three mentors to offer guidance and support to participants.

In addition to the staffing costs, the budget allocates funds for marketing and promotional activities, including social media ads, flyers, and other materials to raise awareness of the challenge. The launch event, which will kick off the program, is also accounted for in the budget, covering venue rental, catering, and event supplies.

To equip participants with the resources they need, the funding will be used to create recipe booklets, meal plans, and nutritional guides. Finally, a portion of the budget is set aside for miscellaneous expenses, such as office supplies, travel, and any unforeseen costs that may arise during the implementation of the "Vegan Challenge."

By allocating the funding in this manner, Vegan Georgia aims to provide a comprehensive and well-supported program that will effectively reach the target audience, from curious individuals to health-conscious advocates, and inspire them to explore the benefits of a vegan lifestyle.

Who is on your team? What's your track record on similar projects?

Our Team
We have not big, but very powerful and brave team. Vegan Georgia is complected with people with very diverse life background, creative mindset, high competence and astonishing stories in animal rights activism. We are deeply inspired and proud of each other’s phenomenal experience in the common field. Meet some of us:

- Nini Turiashvili - President (Chairman). Master degree in Criminal law by profession and long term animal rights activist. Nini has a lot of experience and skills on organizing different kind of events and campaigns, doing public lectures/trainings and working on legislative initiatives. She is also human rights activist and Winner of the Best Fundraiser Panel at CARE Conference 2023.
- Oleg Ozerov - Vice-President. Former journalist with a degree in management, Oleg has been holding animal rights activities for a dozen of years. He participated and organized animal advocacy / vegan promo events not only in Georgia, but also in Russia, Belarus, Armenia, Israel and Spain. He worked as the Open Cages volunteers coordinator in Minsk and was also a founder of Kiwi Cafe, the first vegan restaurant in Georgia which successfullyoperates up to the present day.
- Mikhail Berezin - Technical Director. Mikhail has years of expertise in web development and generally in IT sphere. He was key member in NGO Alliance for Animals in Russia, and currently works for Vegan Georgia. Mikhail is also passionate about public speeches, volunteering, environmentalism and zero-waste lifestyle.
- Julia Yesina - Campaigning Coordinator. Having lots of experience gained by organizing events and long term projects in Voices For Animals, Julia takes care of fundraising, strategical planning and international communications issues.
- Ana Lazarashvili - Campaign Coordinator. Ana has a huge experience in organizing events, social center work, vegan outreach and volunteering. She was one of the key managers of Vegan Basement social center in Tbilisi.
- Katie Davies - Media and Communications coordinator. Katie is the fiction books writer, a chief editor of Georgia Today news website and long term Vegan Georgia activist together with her three kids who grow up true animal rights advocates often attending at the demos and making banners for them.

Partnerships and Collaborations
- Our organization has successfully collaborated with “Animal Save Movement” (ASM) in 2023, when Vegan Georgia with ASM organized “International Animal Rights Gathering” (IARG) in Izmir, Turkiye.
- We have organized different kind of events in Georgia, which included dozens of partnerships with “Plant Based Treaty” (PBT), which is our strategic partner locally.
- In 2023, Vegan Georgia with partnership of “Anima International” held “Buneba Fest” – 1st large scale event in country, dedicated to veganism, animal rights, environmental protection.
- Vegan Georgia has received grant supports from “ProVeg” and “Thrive” foundations.

Our Events and Achievements
- Campaign against animal ritual sacrifices in Georgia since 2016, which included legislative initiative, dozens of rallies, street artistic performances and strong media coverage.
- Campaign against using animals in circuces, dolpiniarium. Combined with legislative initiative, street actions and big public involvement.
- Campaign “Future Food” for veganizing university canteen menus and raising awareness about plant-based foods.
- Lectures and trainings regarding animal rights and veganism.
- Internation Animal Rights Gathering – which was held several times in Georgia and in also in Turkiye.
- Vegan artists’ exhibitions, combining paintings, performances, sound/video art and poetry.
- Anonymous for the Voiceless street activism.
- Supporting basic human rights defence during critical periods by organizing charity art auction and vegan food-give aways. Raising awareness about sameness between human and animal opression.
- Vegan food give-aways, street rallies, marches, movie screenings.

What are the most likely causes and outcomes if this project fails?

While the failure of the "Vegan Challenge" project is highly unlikely, it's important to consider the potential causes and outcomes should such a scenario occur. The most likely causes of potential failure would be a lack of participant engagement, insufficient resources and support for the program, or ineffective outreach and partnerships.

If these challenges were to arise, the primary outcome would be a missed opportunity to turn more people vegan and raise awareness about the benefits of a plant-based lifestyle within the local community. Additionally, a failed project could potentially damage Vegan Georgia's reputation and credibility, making it more difficult to secure future funding and support.

However, it's important to note that even in the event of some challenges, the organization is confident that the "Vegan Challenge" will still achieve a meaningful level of success. Through careful planning, effective community engagement, and the allocation of sufficient resources, Vegan Georgia is well-positioned to overcome any obstacles and deliver a transformative program that inspires positive change.

Ultimately, the organization's commitment to the vegan movement and its belief in the power of this initiative to drive lasting impact means that some degree of success is virtually guaranteed, regardless of the specific challenges that may arise. With the support of the grant fund, Vegan Georgia is poised to make a significant and lasting contribution to the lives of animals, the environment, and the people of Georgia.

How much money have you raised in the last 12 months, and from where?

10.000$ from ProVeg.