This Saturday, April 30, is National Animal Advocacy Day! We know many of you are fighting hard for stronger animal-protection laws all year long, and there’s nothing that we like more than recognizing the great work of animal advocates who are making a difference! If you have a success story you are proud of, please share it with us via our Share Your Story form. Your story might just be the inspiration a new advocate needs to get involved!

Regardless of whether you have years or advocacy experience or are just starting out, in honor of National Animal Advocacy Day we are encouraging animal advocates to find out how to maximize their advocacy efforts to make their work for animals even more effective. Animal-lovers like you can make a huge difference when it comes to the welfare of our four-legged friends. Check out tips below from ASPCA insiders to help you be the best, strongest voice for animals that you can be, this Saturday and every day of the year.

Register to vote—and actually vote!
Legislators want to stay in office, which means they want to hear from the people who actually determine whether they get to keep their jobs: the voters. When you email your elected official, staff will often cross-reference your information with district voting records to see if you’re a registered voter. They want to see that you’re engaged in the political process, which means registered voters have more value to them than someone who asks for things but who has no voting record.

Sign up to receive e-newsletters from your federal and state legislators.
Almost all state and federal elected officials will send out periodic emails updating their constituents on their work and whereabouts. When legislators receive an email, their staff will often look to see how engaged you are with their office by checking your email address against their internal lists. Not signed up? Find your federal and state legislators here, then visit their sites and opt in for emails.

Join the ASPCA Advocacy Brigade and take action on our Advocacy Alerts.
Our friends in the Legislature tell us all the time that they really do pay attention to constituent calls and emails! By joining the ASPCA Advocacy Brigade, we’ll let you know when animal-friendly legislation is pending where you live, give you specific actions you can take, provide talking points to use with your elected officials and our web alerts let you quickly and easily contact your members of Congress on a bill’s behalf.

Love horses? Join the Horse Action Team.
Join our Horse Action Team to protect horses and help us pass the Safeguard American Food Exports (SAFE) Act, which would ban horse slaughter in the U.S., as well as the export of American horses for that same purpose. As a member, you will work directly with our advocacy experts to educate your community and legislators on the need to eliminate this vile practice for good. Join the team!

Want to be a community leader? Apply to be an ASPCA District Captain.
The ASPCA District Captain Program is a special opportunity for key advocates to become leaders in their communities for important animal issues. Our volunteer District Captains receive extensive training and work with our Government Relations team to help advance animal welfare legislation and policy. Does this sound like the opportunity you’ve been waiting for? If so, you might be our next District Captain—please apply today!

Now that you’re armed with these tips, we hope you’ll get active in the legislative and policy-making process and become an even stronger voice for the causes that matter to you!

Thank you for taking the time to make a difference for animals on National Animal Advocacy Day! If you have any questions or ideas for advocating for animals, please email [email protected].