How I Learned to Love Shrimp Thom Norman on whether diet change is a counterproductive ask (and what we could do instead)
Jul 2, 2025
Thom Norman, co-founder of FarmKind and former nuclear energy lawyer, discusses the effectiveness of asking for donations over promoting dietary changes in animal advocacy. He explores the complexities surrounding public perceptions of food choices and the challenges of behavior change. Thom shares insights on innovative fundraising strategies that have successfully raised over $100,000, and the impact of AI on animal welfare in farming. He encourages broader engagement in animal advocacy through philanthropy and creative approaches to connect with supporters.
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Diet Change Often Backfires
- Most people agree factory farming is bad but feel powerless to make a difference.
- Asking for diet change alone often causes resistance and disengagement.
Ask for Donations Rather Than Diet
- Ask people to donate to effective animal charities instead of changing their diet.
- Donations can help more animals than diet change due to scaling impact and funding needs.
Donation as Ethical Offset
- A person unable to go vegan for health reasons found donating alleviated their ethical concerns.
- Donations helped link their values and actions despite dietary limitations.
