52 Good Deeds to Make a Difference in 2020

One good deed can lead to another, but you don’t have to wait until International Good Deeds Day on March 29 to begin. Performing just one act of random kindness every week can start a revolution of kindness and make the world a better place.

Big or small, there are always things you can do to make someone smile and brighten their world. Here’s a list of some we thought of at Goodnet but there are many more.   

1.     Start a mitten tree in a local school to keep little hands warm in the winter
2.     Donate the free gift you get with your cosmetic purchases
3.     Give diapers to your local food bank
4.     Bring flowers to a senior in a nursing home  
5.     Put your change in a donation box 
6.     Bring old blankets to an animal shelter
7.     Talk to someone on a chat bench
8.     Feed the birds
9.     Shovel snow for an elderly neighbor
10.   Sign an organ donation card  
11.   Give an extra-large tip for your server
12.   Leave a bottle of cold water (made from recycled plastic) for your mailman
13.   Smile at a stranger  
14.   Give-up your seat on the subway to a pregnant woman (or the elderly)
15.   Donate books to literacy organizations       
16.   Give someone a lift to a doctor’s appointment
17.   Always round-up at the register
18.   Leave your car home and take public transportation
19.   Send your child’s teacher a thank you note
20.   Use reusable cutlery instead of plastic  
21.   Pay off a child’s school lunch debt
22.   Bring holiday cookies to your local fire or police station
23.   Help organize a blood drive (and donate yourself)
24.   Buy a flow reducing showerhead to save water
25.   Buy a meal for a homeless person
26.   Add your name to a bone marrow registry
27.   Sort your recycling into papers, glass, plastic, and metals
28.   Offset the carbon when you fly
29.   Return someone’s cart to the store
30.   Share your umbrella
31.   Donate a toy tor Toys for Tots
32.   Bring get well cards to strangers in the hospital   
33.   Leave a nice note in a library book
34.   Water a neighbor’s plants when they are away
35.   Give money to UNICEF on Halloween
36.   Change a flat tire for a stranded motorist  
37.   Pay it backward and buy coffee of the person behind you in line
38.   Collect soda can tabs to donate to Ronald McDonald House
39.   Ask for the recipe for a homemade goodie
40.   Hold the elevator door
41.   Write a LinkedIn recommendation for a co-worker
42.   Give a compliment to someone you don’t know
43.   Donate the toothbrush and toothpaste from your dental visit to a homeless shelter
44.   Let someone with only a few items go ahead of you at the supermarket
45.   Go Plant a tree  
46.   Call an old friend just to say hi
47.   Pick-up trash in a park 
48.   Contribute to crowdfunding to help pay for medical care
49.   Like and share on social media
50.   Organize a prom dress or costume exchange
51.   Thank a police officer or a firefighter for their service
52.   Participate in International Good Deeds Day

Goodnet was initiated by Shari Arison and is operated by The Ted Arison Family Foundation. Shari Arison is also the initiator of Good Deeds Day.