In today’s world, where self-interest often takes precedence, the essence of generosity can be the glue that binds communities, healing divisions and forging a path toward the radically generous society we all want to live in. By coming together, supporting one another, and nurturing a culture of giving, we have the power to bridge gaps, mend fences, and create a vibrant, united community that reflects the values we hold dear. As GivingTuesday approaches on December 3rd, it offers us a unique moment to catalyze this transformation.
Here are ten creative ways to inspire your neighborhood, town, or city with the spirit of generosity.
Create a Pop-Up Generosity Shop
Create a Pop-Up Generosity ShopTake a page from GivingTuesdayUkraine! Set up “shop” in a public space where you’ll get a lot of foot traffic and create a space for passersby to try their hand at giving! Organize activities for attendees to do like packing up essentials bags to give to a houseless person, writing letters to the incarcerated, making blankets for the elderly, or stuffing welcome bags for newly arrived migrants. You’ll give them a taste of what it’s like to use their power of generosity, plus you’ll be connecting them with organizations where they can go deeper!
Build a Generosity Wall
Create a simple but impactful display of all the ways your community gives! Invite neighbors to write ideas on Post-It Notes for acts of kindness or the most generous thing anyone’s ever done for them. Try to fill that wall by GivingTuesday and show off how much your community is powered by generosity! You could install your wall in a municipal building, library, school, mall, or outside a business.
Organize a Flash Mob of Kindness
Challenge your city’s residents to do acts of kindness throughout the day. You could add a contest element to it: the person who posts the most kind actions on GivingTuesday wins the title of Most Generous Resident and they get an article in the newspaper or the key to the city.
Here are 50 ideas for acts of kindness to get you started. This is a great activity for students and young people!
Marshall a Community-Wide Walking Tour
This idea comes from the GivingTuesday Germany team! An ecological organization hosted a walking tour to teach neighbors how to live more sustainably within their town. They toured the recycling facility, learned how to separate their recycling, learned where the bike rent stations are in the town and how to use them, and visited the second-hand thrift stores. We can envision all kinds of iterations of this walking tour ideas around a variety of cause areas or topics. Consider organizing a social good walking tour on GivingTuesday! Visit a few local nonprofits and at each stop, have participants do a small volunteer activity or learn about what type of generosity is needed to move the needle on the issue.
Commission Some Public Art
Commission Some Public ArtPublic art has a remarkable capacity to ignite behavior change by weaving powerful narratives into the fabric of our everyday lives. Commission local artists to craft compelling art installations, such as vibrant murals, captivating sculptures, or thought-provoking paintings. These creations, strategically placed within your community, have the potential to inspire a collective shift towards kindness and generosity, reminding us all of the positive change we can bring about when we come together.
Uncover Hidden Generosity Through a Scavenger Hunt
In Missouri, United States, one person created a scavenger hunt to spread generosity and connect the community. Seekers will find a tin, including a Springfield sticker, $100, and a congratulatory note. You might leave cash in the tins, gift cards, or little gifts from local businesses.
Make It Easy To Volunteer
Navigating the landscape of volunteer opportunities can indeed be challenging, often resulting in missed chances to give back to their communities. Create an event on GivingTuesday or a virtual hub where neighbors can readily access information about local volunteer opportunities, learn how to get involved, and connect their skills and energy with needs in the community. This initiative not only simplifies the process but also strengthens the bonds within the community, fostering a culture of shared giving and unity.
Create Random Acts of Kindness Kits
Create Random Acts of Kindness KitsThis idea comes from the GivingTuesday India crew! Create Random Acts of Kindness kits and hand them out to strangers. The kits could contain little notes of inspiration, supplies for an act of kindness, and ideas on how to pay it forward! Pass along 10 kits or 100! Get a team together and encourage volunteers to create kits from their homes. Kits can be passed out as a group in a chosen location or…..randomly!
Write #LoveNotes to your Neighborhood
Get out your chalk and get creative! Take over the sidewalks of your city or neighborhood with #LoveNotes to brighten everyone’s daily walk by spreading the love. Thank first responders and teachers, say hello to your neighbors, and write a quote or a friendly message for those on their daily walks. The sidewalks of your community will be lined with all the love on GivingTuesday!
Host a Community Connection Event
Offer free food from food trucks and a chance to shop at a “free closet,” a bookmobile/free book table. Have people on hand to help fill out paperwork to get birth certificates and register to vote. Invite nonprofit and community organizations to have a table at the event and make connections to services, jobs, and housing opportunities. Invite policymakers to speak on what they are doing to impact housing or another issue that’s impacting your neighbors. Together, we can use our power of collaboration, networking, and generosity to tear down barriers to access, uplift each other in solidarity, and use generosity to change the world.
Ready to Start Planning?
Check out our GivingTuesday landing page to help you design a campaign to cover your community in generosity on December 3rd! The landing page includes tips on how to build your team, mobilize your community, and get the word out about your activation! Be sure to let us know your plans so we can share your activity on GivingTuesday’s channels!
