Impact Over Activity

In our advocacy, we should try as much as possible to focus on impact over activity.

Activity means doing things and being busy and crossing items off of a to-do list.

Impact means animals saved, and animals helped.

Activity means "look at how many things I got done."

Impact means "look at the results—look at how the world is a better place because of what I did."

Of course, when we're trying to change society, it's not always so easy to point specifically at our impact. When a documentary is released, and a million people watch it, what is the impact of that on animals? It's extremely hard—or even impossible—to say. Sometimes, measuring activities and their immediate effects (like documentary viewership) is the best we can do. We can theorize about what comes after using good evidence, and we should, but we can't see it directly.

Also, getting to impact takes a lot of action, and a lot of hard work—the right activities are essential.

But as much as possible, we should remember to take action not for the sake of activity itself, but for the impact it's going to have. And if our advocacy activities don't eventually lead to impact for animals, then maybe we should reevaluate taking them and refocus our efforts on something that will have an impact.