50 Ways to Give Back This Holiday Season

• Making Time for Gratitude and Good Deeds •

The holiday season is officially underway! And this year, we are kicking off our company wide “Random Acts of Holiday Kindness” campaign, focusing on random acts of kindness during the month of December.

We are encouraging our teams and customers to share all the different ways they are spreading kindness in their local communities this holiday season by using the hashtag #realikind on social media platforms.

Even in these unprecedented times, there are always opportunities to make new traditions with friends, family, and neighbors — and just as many opportunities to spread a little holiday cheer and give back. With this in mind, let’s take a look at some of our favorite ways to give back.

50 Ways to Give Back This Holiday Season

1. Make gifts for residents in an assisted living community
2. Increase your tips for baristas, servers, and more
3. Donate your family’s gently used toys, clothes, and books
4. Lend a helping hand to your neighbors (raking leaves, carrying in groceries, etc)
5. Leave a basket of goodies on your doorstep for your delivery drivers to grab from when they need a quick pick-me-up
6. Pay for the person behind you in the drive-through line
7. Donate food to your local shelter or food pantry (here’s a list of what to donate and what to avoid)
8. Leave cash in unexpected places (inside a box of diapers or under the lid of a formula can)
9. Give up a good parking spot
10. Feed someone’s parking meter
11. Let someone cut in front of you in line at the grocery store
12. Run an errand for someone
13. Pay for someone’s meal at a restaurant or send dessert to their table
14. Bake holiday cookies or candies and share them with neighbors
15. Leave a note of cheer with a small gift card on someone’s windshield
16. Sign up for a local charitable 5K in your neighborhood
17. Bring a box of new and unopened toys to the children’s hospital
18. Know parents who could use a night out? Offer to babysit for free
19. Do a task for your partner that they hate doing
20. Donate blood
21. Donate toys, blankets, towels, and/or food to your local animal shelter
22. Adopt or foster a shelter animal over the holidays
23. Bring holiday treats to the office to share with your coworkers
24. Write a note to someone who has positively impacted your life
25. Put together a care package for troops who are stationed overseas and away from their families during the holidays
26. Donate your time by serving food at shelters, building homes, or offering job training for those in need this season
27. If you’re hosting a holiday party this season, ask your guests to bring canned goods for donation instead of bottles of wine or an appetizer
28. Pack lunches or rent a food truck for service workers, such as nurses, police or firefighters
29. Contact your local municipal offices and volunteer to help clean up a local park, beach, or other public space
30. Visit a nursing home and spend time with residents who may not have family nearby
31. Shop for an organization that will deliver gifts to children in need
32. Put your unique skills to use, whether it’s designing artwork or helping to organize an auction to raise money for a local charity
33. Volunteer at your local animal shelter
34. Volunteer as a tutor to help kids with their homework or to study for final exams (bonus: this can be done virtually, as well!)
35. Have a LinkedIn account? Write a recommendation for a coworker or connection
36. Ask friends and family to donate to a cause of your choosing this year, rather than physical gifts
37. Leave positive online reviews for your favorite local shops and stores
38. Create a giving tree for a family in need
39. Build a little free library or giving box in your neighborhood
40. Start a family holiday donation jar, where your kids can contribute part of their allowance or do special chores to earn money to add to the jar — then, match their donations
41. Set up a recurring monthly donation to go to a non-profit organization
42. Pack stockings for the homeless, filled with snacks, toiletries, warm gloves, socks, and more
43. Make a blanket for someone in need
44. Purchase your holiday gifts from a company that gives back
45. Organize a food drive in your neighborhood, school, or workplace
46. Give on “Giving Tuesday” (the Tuesday after Thanksgiving)
47. Pass out coffee or hot chocolate to the crossing guards or security guards on your morning commute
48. Wash someone’s car (with their permission of course)
49. Check to see if you can donate points you’ve accumulated in rewards programs, which charitable organizations can use for a number of different causes
50. When you hear that discouraging voice in your head, tell yourself something positive — you deserve kindness too!

How are you going to give back?

Often, some of our best ideas for giving back come from seeing what others are doing. Don’t forget to share how you’re giving back on social media using the hashtag #RealiKind and follow our social channels on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter. We can’t wait to see what you come up with!