May 24, 2024
Kim Milligan is a fresh face at Compassionate Action for Animals (CAA). She first heard about us this February, then jumped right in to volunteer as the Logistics Coordinator for the upcoming Twin Cities Veg Fest. She brings her enthusiasm and dedication to the cause, and we are so excited to have her aboard.
Discovering CAA: A “Sign from the Universe”
Kim discovered CAA through a friend who mentioned volunteer opportunities for Veg Fest. Feeling it was a “sign from the Universe,” she joined a CAA volunteer Zoom call that evening. Immediately, she knew she had found the right organization. She could see that she shares the same vision and moral and ethical values as CAA.
Impressions of CAA
Despite her short time with CAA, Kim is deeply impressed by the organization’s genuine desire to raise awareness about animal cruelty. She appreciates how CAA brings people together, strengthens the community through education, and advocates for animal rights.
Her volunteer journey
Before joining CAA, Kim was a Shelter Support Volunteer and Fundraiser Coordinator at Simpson Housing Services for three years prior to COVID. During the pandemic, she delivered meals for Bloomington Meals on Wheels. In addition to her work with CAA, she also serves lunches for People Serving People in downtown Minneapolis.
Kim’s motivation behind volunteering
Kim is drawn to volunteer roles that allow her to make a direct, positive impact on the lives of others, whether it’s supporting humans, animals, or the planet. Volunteering helps her meet like-minded people, gives her a sense of purpose, and allows her to connect intimately with the community.
What Kim loves most about volunteering is the opportunity to show others she cares and to use her skills and expertise to support organizations making the world a better place. She shared: “Volunteering creates the space within me to learn more about myself and to elevate my perspectives, and in turn I have more of myself to give back. Volunteering is a beautiful win-win situation.”
Inspiration for a plant-based lifestyle
Kim is inspired to eat plant-based because it makes her part of the positive force to end animal cruelty. She believes in shifting our collective consciousness towards unity and oneness, where all beings can live in peace and compassion. For Kim, becoming the “change we wish to see in the world” is essential.
Her other interests
When she’s not volunteering, Kim is busy with a yoga teacher training program. She enjoys spending time with her three beloved cats, Winnie, Lu Lu, and Archie, walking around Minnesota’s beautiful lakes, hiking, camping, solo traveling, or curling up with a good book.
Kim is still exploring vegan restaurants in the Twin Cities, but her favorite so far is Reverie Cafe + Bar on 35th Street in Minneapolis. She loves that the 100% vegan menu allows her to choose freely without hunting for vegan symbols, and the food never disappoints. She also highly recommends Plant in Asheville, NC, calling it “Ah-Maz-ing!”
Kim Milligan’s dedication to volunteering is an inspiration. Through her dedication and passion, she continues to make a significant difference for animals and people alike. We are so glad to have her on the team!
The mutual benefits of volunteering for CAA
Volunteers are key to everything we do. They help us to accomplish far more than we can do with our small staff and amplify our impact for animals. In 2023, our staff engaged over 260 volunteers, contributing more than 740 hours, across 96 different activities — a savings of over $12,000 if we had hired them. Learn more about volunteer impact every year in our annual reports.
Equally important is that the volunteers themself benefit from enhanced skills in advocacy and leadership as well as a sense of community. This fits with our theory of change which includes the following cyclical steps: increasing awareness, building community, empowering advocates, and creating change. Volunteering touches on each of these areas.
See all volunteer opportunities here.
CAA’s Theory of Change
Our theory of change emphasizes a welcoming approach, which is recognized as most effective at creating change and models the empathy we want to promote.
The theory explains how we achieve our mission to encourage people to embrace their empathy for animals and move toward a plant-based diet. It also supports our vision of a world where all animals, human and nonhuman, can thrive.
This change theory reflects how we grow our movement. Through our CAA programs, events, and activities, we facilitate a cyclical process of increasing awareness, building community, empowering advocates, and creating change. This process focuses on both individual and institutional change.
What kind of change do we create? Our programs reduce consumption of animal products and improve the lives of farmed animals. In addition, they benefit the well-being of all Minnesotans.
Compassionate Action for Animals’ theory of change was initially developed in 2017 with an online survey sent to key stakeholders, two town hall meetings open to the community members, and a strategic planning meeting attended by staff, core volunteers, and board members.
Get Involved and Volunteer with CAA
If you believe in our mission and our theory of change, we encourage you to get involved too. Sign up for one of our upcoming volunteer opportunities. There are so many fun events and options to choose from. Whatever your talents may be, you can find a volunteer opportunity that’s right for you — from photography to cooking and serving food, helping with setup and cleanup at events, greeting guests, and so much more. We thank you for all the ways that you speak up for animals and help our community!