One good deed, picked for you
Tell us how much time you have and who is with you. We draw one deed you can do today, from a five-minute message to an afternoon of volunteering. DO GOOD International is a volunteer-run 501(c)(3) nonprofit in Los Angeles, and this is our way of making the first step small.
- ideas to draw from
- 40ideas to draw from
- sizes: 5 minutes, 30 minutes, a few hours
- 3sizes: 5 minutes, 30 minutes, a few hours
- deeds that need no money
- 34deeds that need no money
- no account or sign-up
- Freeno account or sign-up
Draw a deed
Time
Who is involved
Cost
Nothing ticked yet in this browser. Pick one and do it.
All 40 deeds
Every idea on one page, from five minutes to a few hours. Pick one, or draw one above.
5 minutes
Send a two-sentence message
Pick someone you haven't heard from in a while. Tell them you thought of them and why. Don't ask for anything back.
Make it easier: Mention one specific thing you remember about them.
Thank someone whose work goes unseen
Choose a cashier, driver, cleaner or mail carrier. Look at them and say what exactly made your day easier.
Make it easier: Use their name if it is on a badge.
Let someone go first
In the next line, offer your place to the person with fewer items or less time. A smile is enough.
Make it easier: Offer before they have to ask.
Write one honest review
Pick a small local business you really like. Write two specific sentences about what you experienced, based only on what actually happened.
Make it easier: Name the dish, the repair or the person's first name.
Put your phone away for one conversation
Next time you talk to someone face to face, leave your phone out of sight. Give the whole conversation your eyes and ears.
Make it easier: Say "I'm putting this away" so it feels like a gift, not a mystery.
Pick up five pieces of litter
On your way somewhere, pick up five pieces and put them in a bin. Use a bag or a glove. Skip anything sharp, wet or unclear.
Make it easier: Keep a spare bag in your jacket pocket.
Ask how someone is really doing
Ask once, then wait through the pause. Listen until they have finished, without fixing or comparing.
Make it easier: "And how is that for you?" is a good second question.
Compliment a choice, not a look
Notice something a person decided or did well: a joke, a question, a clean solution. Tell them what you noticed.
Make it easier: Specific beats big. Vague praise slides off.
Return a stray cart or bin
Wheel a loose shopping cart or recycling bin back to where it belongs.
Make it easier: Do it when no one is watching. It counts the same.
Introduce two people
Think of two people who would enjoy knowing each other. Ask each if they are open to it, then send a short intro with one line on why.
Make it easier: Ask first. A warm intro always starts with a yes.
Apologize for something small
Think of something that has been sitting unsaid. Write one sentence of apology without a "but" and send it.
Make it easier: Don't ask them to say it's fine.
Answer the message you keep postponing
Reply now, even if only in three lines. A short answer today is kinder than a perfect one next week.
Make it easier: Get to the point in the first sentence.
Learn a neighbor's name
Greet someone you pass often and ask their name. Say it back once, then save it in your phone.
Make it easier: Use it the next time you meet.
Offer to carry something
If someone struggles with bags, a stroller or a door, ask "Can I take that?" once. Accept a no gracefully.
Make it easier: Let them decide how you help.
30 minutes
Write a handwritten note
Write three sentences to someone: what you value in them, one memory, one wish. Hand it over or post it.
Make it easier: A plain card is enough. The handwriting is the gift.
Cook one extra portion
Cook a bit more tonight and take a portion to a neighbor or friend. Ask about allergies first.
Make it easier: Put a note on the container listing the ingredients.
Pass on clothes you don't wear
Pick out clean clothes you haven't worn in a year. Check what your local donation point actually accepts before you go.
Make it easier: A quick look at their website or a call saves a wasted trip.
Fix one small thing for someone
Ask a friend or neighbor what small thing has been bothering them: a loose shelf, a flat bike tire, a stuck drawer. Fix it together.
Make it easier: Offer a specific time, not "sometime".
Call an older relative or neighbor
Call and ask for a story, not an update. Listen without hurrying.
Make it easier: "What was your first job?" opens many doors.
Write a specific recommendation
Write a recommendation for a colleague, teacher or helper. Describe one real situation where they made a difference.
Make it easier: Say what changed because of them.
Give a carer an hour off
Offer to take over for an hour for someone who looks after a child, a pet or a relative. Ask what would help most.
Make it easier: Name an hour in your offer. Open-ended offers are rarely taken up.
Tidy a shared space
Weed, sweep or water a shared garden bed, stairwell or bench. Check first who looks after it.
Make it easier: Bring gloves and a bag for the clippings.
Share books
Pick ten books you won't reread and bring them to a little free library, school or community center that takes them.
Make it easier: Check what they want first.
Teach one thing you know well
Choose one skill and show someone for 20 minutes, hands-on: a recipe, a spreadsheet trick, a knot. Let them do it.
Make it easier: You will talk less than you think you should.
Leave a thank-you for deliveries
Put a cold drink and a note by the door for the person who delivers or collects there.
Make it easier: Write that it is for them, so they know they may take it.
Clean up one stretch of street
Take a bag and gloves and clear a short stretch of street or park. Leave sharp objects, needles, chemicals and broken glass alone.
Make it easier: Report hazardous items to the city instead of touching them.
Look before you give
Before donating to an organization, read how it reports, who runs it and whether it explains where gifts go. Email one question and see how it answers.
Make it easier: Ask the same questions of every cause, including ours.
Collect three memories for a friend
Ask three people for one memory with a friend and send them all to the friend, with a short note from you.
Make it easier: Do it before a birthday or a hard week.
A few hours
Sign up for one volunteer shift
Choose a local organization and book one shift, not a long commitment. Ask what the real need is.
Make it easier: Go the first time with an open mind. Ask questions afterwards.
Join Sunday Service on Skid Row
Every Sunday at 10:00 AM, meet at 531 Towne Ave (5th & Towne) on Skid Row in Los Angeles. You bring nothing, all ages are welcome (children with a parent or guardian), and no experience is needed.
Make it easier: Come as a neighbor first. Listen before you help.
Host a table for someone who would eat alone
Invite one person who might otherwise eat alone to a simple meal. Don't make it a big production.
Make it easier: Ask about foods they can't eat.
Start a neighborhood swap
Invite neighbors to swap clothes, tools or books on one afternoon. Nothing is sold, and leftovers go to a donation point.
Make it easier: Pick a date and a doorstep. The rest follows.
Give someone an afternoon of muscle
Help a friend or neighbor with a move, a paint job or a clean-out. Show up on time and ask where to start.
Make it easier: Bring your own gloves and water.
Take a certified first-aid course
Find a course from a recognized provider in your area and sign up. It prepares you to help when it counts.
Make it easier: Ask a friend to come along so you both go.
Show up for someone having a hard time
Offer to bring a meal and stay an hour with someone going through something difficult. Ask what a good hour would look like.
Make it easier: Don't try to fix it. Being there is the gift.
Organize a book or toy drive
Ask friends or your workplace to collect new or clean used items for a local organization. Ask the organization first what it can use.
Make it easier: Announce a clear end date.
Gather a clean-up crew
Invite five people to clean a park or street for two hours. Check local rules, bring gloves, bags and water.
Make it easier: Leave sharp and hazardous items alone and report them to the city.
Read with a child
Ask a school or library how to volunteer as a reading buddy. Give one child your full attention for an hour.
Make it easier: Ask what the teacher or librarian actually needs.
Repair something and pass it on
Fix or clean a bike, a lamp or a chair you no longer use and give it to someone who needs it. Ask in a local group first.
Make it easier: Offer it to a specific person rather than a pile.
Show a newcomer your neighborhood
Walk with someone who is new in town and introduce them to three people or places that matter in your life here.
Make it easier: Ask what they miss from home.
Questions about the generator
What is the Good Deed Generator?
A free page that draws one good deed from a list of 40. You choose how much time you have, who is involved and whether it should be free, and the page picks a deed that fits. The ideas are general suggestions written for this page.
Do I need an account, and what does the page store?
There is no account. The only thing the page saves is the list of deeds you ticked as done, and it stays in your own browser. Nothing about you reaches DO GOOD.
Do the deeds cost money?
Most are free: 34 of the 40 need no money. A few may cost a little, such as a stamp, a meal or a course fee. Choose "Free only" to see just the free ones.
Are these deeds DO GOOD programs?
No. They are ideas for anyone, anywhere, and you can do most of them on your own street. One deed, joining Sunday Service on Skid Row in Los Angeles, is a DO GOOD program.
Is this professional advice?
No. Deeds like cleaning up a street or taking a first-aid course are ideas. Check local rules, follow the safety note in each deed and use recognized providers for training.
Do one together
Sunday Service on Skid Row runs every Sunday at 10 AM at 531 Towne Ave (5th & Towne) in Los Angeles. You bring nothing, and all ages are welcome.