Calculated Acts of Kindness: Putting Thought into Giving Back

Earlier this month, an anonymous donor using a Twitter account encouraged people to sit in the lobby of the cafeteria at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center and commit “random acts of kindness.” People showed up. They brought gifts for children, small cash donations and snapped pictures with the patients. Heartwarming, right? Our faith has been restored in humanity, again!

It is no secret that social media has changed the way we help out causes we believe in. From useful crowd-funding websites like Kickstarter to the viral videos of Upworthy that leave us with a lump in our throats, we are now more engaged and more connected with our community — or at least it seems that way. We certainly are sharing more videos of police assisting Alzheimer’s patients and Pope Francis blessing a disabled woman (both actual links shared in our Facebook feeds.) And Twitter accounts, such as the earlier-mentioned Houston-based account and a national @HiddenCash account are giving away money in envelopes hidden around cities.

There is something about “random acts of kindness” that appeals to us. Something that makes us want to click that share button or perhaps start a Twitter account where we hand out money to strangers. It’s heartwarming, unique, kitschy and it makes us feel good. But does it ACTUALLY do anything? Shouldn’t we spend our time, if we actually cared as much as we say we do, planning a bit more?

In the case of asking people to show up at M.D. Anderson on a whim, people actually had to be turned away because it could possibly put patients with compromised immune systems in danger. Random acts of kindness may make YOU feel good, but we’re here to tell you that the power of social media can be used to create real change and make EVERYONE feel good. All you have to do is be a bit more calculated.

1. Find out who NEEDS help.

Social media can be a great starting point to dig in to what organizations or causes need assistance. Many nonprofits and social organizations will ask for help or donations through Twitter and Facebook, and their website should have an area with information on volunteering. The worst thing you can do is try to help an organization that, well, simply doesn’t need the help. Focus your attention elsewhere — time is precious.

1. Reach out to the organization you want to partner with.

This seems like a no brainer. But for some (see the M.D. Anderson example), it just isn’t. Many organizations will have restrictions on how you can help, some of them legal. For instance, you shouldn’t gather a group of people to show up at an elementary school unannounced to give away free school supplies. You would run into problems with FERPA, a law meant to protect student’s information, not to mention volunteers often require background checks. Look for a point of contact at the organization you want to help. Many of these groups NEED your help, but the help will be much more successful if there are open lines of communication.

1. Ask the organization what THEIR needs are.

If might be great that you want to show up at 9 a.m. on a Tuesday to donate teddy bears for the children’s charity, but guess what? They are closed on Tuesdays and they just received a lifetime allotment of teddy bears from Toys R’ Us. Beggars can’t be choosers, we firmly believe this, but there are ways you can help more efficiently if you work with the organization collaboratively on what help best suits their needs. Approach them with an idea, get input and we can almost certainly guarantee your efforts will be 10-times more effective than going at it alone.

1. Use social media to spread the word and gather volunteers.

Once you have met with the organization, assessed their needs and developed a collaborative game plan, the real magic of social media can come to play. Social media, in many ways, has become the new community bulletin board. Utilizing the proper channels to gather a group through your own personal network and other engaged citizens in the community is how social media can become useful in this sense. You’ve got your plan, now assemble the troops and activate!

We realize that “random acts of kindness” have their place. They remind us of our humanity, inspire us and, on occasion, initiate change. But we shouldn’t rely on the, dare we say it, LAZY, the attitude of simply posting an inspiring link or tossing a few quarters in the donation jar at a gas station counter.

It’s time to get working. It is time to seek out inspiration. And it is time to plan some acts of kindness. Only this time, those acts will be a little less random and a lot more POWERFUL.