So many of us don’t have the opportunity to volunteer, whether it be time or commitment constraints. But you don’t have to go all out with either. There are plenty of kind things we can do for others that are just as helpful as giving your time and money to bigger charity organizations. We’ve seen an example over the holidays this year, with anonymous people paying off layaways for people they don’t even know. And doing good doesn’t have to involve money either.
**Some ideas from marcandangel.com include:
- Contribute time, ideas, or a listening ear to other people’s passions
- Create a care package and send it to an active duty military unit
- Clean the house for someone you know who is too busy to keep on top of it
- Stop for a person waiting to cross the street
- Round up a few loose coins and put them in the next charity box you see.
- Send a letter, email, tweet, or text message out of the blue to someone who would appreciate it.
- Wave to your neighbors.
- Leave an encouraging or positive comment on a stranger’s blog.
- Stop and buy a drink from a kid’s lemonade stand.
**More ideas from randomactsofkindness.org:
- Donate used books to a library
- Give care packs to the homeless
- Help someone whose car is broken down
- Help someone with yard work
- Make a new friend today; introduce yourself to a stranger and strike up a conversation.
- Read to the elderly
- Thank your police or fire department
- Write a letter to someone who made a difference in your life
- Pick up groceries for a neighbor
- Pick up trash
- Leave a generous tip
**Do Some Good is a mobile app you can download that allows you to lend a hand whenever you want, and in just five minutes – from completing a charity survey to taking wildlife photos in your local park. This particular app is for UK organizations, but the USA has plenty of mobile apps that benefit individual charities, and the field for mobile volunteerism is only getting bigger. The president of VolunteerMatch, Greg Baldwin said, “The social and mobile era is here, and new audiences will be engaged and inspired to volunteer without ever opening up a traditional Web browser. We’re excited to help nonprofits more effectively use these tools to get the support they need.”
**And finally, the idea of “guerrilla aid” is the brainchild of Barton Brookes, who says: Just go somewhere and do something. Your contribution to world aid is as simple as that. Anyone can change the world.
So, yes most of our lives have been greatly changed by recent economic woes that are widening the gap between the haves and the have-nots. But we don’t need a whole lot of money, nor do we need a whole lot of time, to help others in need. There are hundreds of ideas of simple things we can do to create a world where positive solutions can come about. And it all starts with us slowing down just enough to recognize the many opportunities around us for making someone else smile. If we all do just one simple act of kindness a day, we are certain to create a lovely world that we all want to live in.
