- Hold the door open for the person behind you.
- Introduce yourself. Make new colleagues, classmates, etc. feel welcome.
- Clean out all your old clothes and donate them to someone in need. Your old is someone else’s new.
- Write a positive Yelp review about a local business you like.
- Listen intently to people’s stories without trying to fix everything.
- Donate blood. One pint of blood can save up to three lives. Locate your nearest blood drive.
- Volunteer at a hospital, homeless shelter, nursing home, etc. Get outsideof yourself and help others. Check out Volunteer Match.
- Buy house warming gifts for new neighbors.
- Inspire others online.
- Share your umbrella with a stranger on a rainy day.
- Check up on someone who looks lonely.
- Let someone with only a few items cut you in line at the grocery store.
- Spread good news.
- Replace what you’ve used. For example, fill up the copier or printer with paper after you’re done using it or start a fresh batch of coffee.
- Give words of encouragement to someone about their dreams, no matter how big or small they are.
- Stop and buy a drink from a kid’s lemonade stand.
- Help someone get your parking space in a crowded parking lot when you’re leaving.
- Babysit for couples or single parents who don’t get out much so they can have some alone time.
- Look for ways to save a few extra bucks a month and then donate it to a good cause or charity.
- Shop at your local charity thrift store. The money you spend there helps others.
- Help someone get active. There’s a coworker or acquaintance in your life who wants to get healthy, but needs a helping hand. Offer to go walking or running together or join a gym together. Check out your local Activeactivities.
- Spend a few clicks of your time at Free Rice.
- If someone you love really likes something (a meal, a favor, etc.) give it to them when they least expect it.
- Make a difference in the life of a child. Give them your time and undivided attention. Read Raising Kids Who Will Make a Difference.
- If you shop online, make your purchase through Give Back America.
- Pay for the person in line behind you.
- Drop off your old eye glasses at your local LensCrafters as a donation to the OneSight program.
- Create a care package and send it to an active duty military unit.
- Redirect gifts. Instead of having people give you birthday and holiday gifts, ask them to donate gifts or money to a good cause.
- The next time you see someone pulled over with a flat tire, or in need of assistance, stop and ask how you can help. Read How to Be an Everyday Philanthropist.
- Become a mentor or tutor to someone in need.
- Help the weary shopper in front of you who needs that extra two or three cents to avoid breaking a 20-dollar bill.
- Come to the rescue. If you realize someone is sick, bring them some hot tea, soup, etc.
- Be a courteous driver. Let people merge in front of you.
- Put some change in an expired parking meter (where it’s legal).
- Offer your seat to someone when there aren’t any left.
- Listen to someone’s pain and help them find a path through it.
- Hug a friend. Let them know how important they are.
- Think twice before you throw something away. As Jack Johnson once said, “Reduce, reuse, and recycle.”
- Help an entrepreneur with a Kiva donation.
- Bake cookies or brownies and share with a neighbor or colleagues.
- If you have a good book you’ve read that’s just sitting around on a book shelf, give it away to a friend.
- Become a member of Freecycle, and participate.
- Clean up litter in a park or open space nearby.
- Look into co-housing.
- Borrow and lend things in your neighborhood by using Share Some Sugar.
- Send a nice email or handwritten card to someone you know, unexpectedly.
- Leave encouraging post-it notes in library books and other random places.
- If you see a couple taking a self-pic, offer to take the picture for them.
- Setup a donation box at your school, work or place of worship and ask others to make canned/dried food contributions. Then deliver the donations accordingly.
- Join efforts to preserve and protect the environment.
- Donate cat and dog food to an animal shelter. Call and ask what is needed.
- Compliment someone who deserves it.
- If there’s been an accident or a potentially hazardous situation presents itself on the road, report it to the local authorities. Your phone call could save a life.
- Collect and donate prom dresses for underprivileged youth. Check out thePrincess Project.
- When you’re getting fast food, buy an extra meal for a homeless person.
- Stand up for someone. Lend your voice. Often the powerless, the homeless, the neglected in our world need someone to speak up for them.
- Take the time to teach someone a skill you know.
- Teach others how to make a difference in this world by setting a good example every day. Read 29 Gifts: How a Month of Giving Can Change Your Life.
- When someone wants to repay you for something, ask them to pay it forward.