What is the 7 Days of Giving?
The 7 Days of Giving is one week dedicated to random acts of kindness. Basically, we want people to feel better and be happier.
When does the 7 Days of Giving occur?
The 7 Days of Giving lasts all day, beginning Tuesday, August 18th through Monday, August 24th. After that, giving happens forever.
What are the guiding principles of the 7 Days of Giving?
- We want people to feel better and be happier
We aren’t trying to change the world. The idea is really simple. We just want to spread happiness to others, whether it is short-term or long-lasting. Hopefully, those people will turn around and extend the goodwill to other people, as well.
- Everyone and anyone can be involved
You don’t have to be in St. Louis to participate. People in Los Angeles have already decided to take part in the 7 Days of Giving. We want everyone to be involved.
- The purpose is not to boost our own egos
The 7 Days of Giving isn’t about building our reputations. It’s about giving to others. We want our names to remain as disconnected as possible. The focus is on giving, not on us.
- Giving does not stop after 7 days
Even though the project involves doing acts of kindness for 7 straight days, we are going to keep giving after the week is over. You can always give someone else a hug or offer a nice complement. Compassion doesn’t have to be a planned affair. You can always give. It doesn’t just fit in a 7 day window.
What are we going to do for the 7 days?
We haven’t decided exactly what we’re going to do, but we have definitely started brainstorming. Here are some of our ideas so far.
- Verbal compliments
- Share our umbrellas to use when it’s raining
- Wash peoples’ car, home, or business windows
- Pump peoples’ gas
- Gather shopping carts in parking lots and return them to the stores
- Play board games in the park to entertain kids
- Give away free candy
- Take peoples’ restaurant pagers and let them walk around, call them when the table is ready
- Open doors for people
- Make balloon animals
- Load cars with groceries
- Help people move in at a local college
- Shout out the current time
- Free car washes
- House to house work offering all kinds of services (lawn mowing, moving, computer issues, etc)
- Offer designated driver or free taxi service at night
- Pick up people at the bus station and take them where they want to go
- Free courier service
- Stand in line for someone waiting at Wal-Mart to make a return so they can keep shopping
- Take pictures for people and email them for free
- Offer to take pictures for people when they are in groups
- Refill toilet paper at restaurants
- Clean bathrooms all over the place
- Free lemonade stand
- Pick up trash in parks and other public places
- Free hugs
- Hand out clipped coupons
- Hand out free stickers
- Drive-by flowering
- Write a positive letter to people who have made an impact in your life
- Hand people food to feed the birds/fish (parks, zoo, etc.)
What are the lingering questions?
Help improve the 7 Days of Giving by helping us with some of the lingering questions we are dealing with. Please comment on the blog as much as you like. We welcome all suggestions!
- How should we decide which giving activities to do?
- How should we respond to people who aren’t receptive or react negatively to the 7 Days of Giving?
- How do we get more people involved?
Thank you to everyone who has read the blog, helped us plan, participated in some of the giving, smiled at someone, given someone a hug, or done something nice today. You are making the world a little bit better one gift at a time.
1 comment:
1.) How to decide what to do?
Someone once asked Rev. Heng Sure a similar question, and he said, "Do what is hardest on your ego."
2.) How to react to the negative or unreceptive?
They receive your goodness whether they are able to acknowledge and accept it or not. If they are not ready, wish them well and find someone who is ready.
3.) How to get more people involved?
Generally, those with affinity with what you are doing will be drawn to you anyways. Specifically, share stories, stories, and more stories! Let your targets also know if and when you're doing something in the future that they can join in. When you involve people not so close to you, make sure you end with a reflection session to help people digest the experience properly because its important that they understand to enjoy.
Good luck!
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