Pay It Forward Day invites good deeds
Howard Lake | 28 April 2016 | News
Today is Pay It Forward Day, on which individuals and businesses are encouraged to do a good deed for the day in return for good deeds received, thereby creating “a chain of positivity”.
The Pay It Forward idea is simple: it involves passing on acts of kindness to others, often strangers, who then ‘pay it forward’ through their own act of kindness to another.
The idea became the foundation of a movement in the USA with the Pay It Forward Foundation created in 2000 by Catherine Ryan Hyde, author of the 1999 book ‘Pay It Forward’, which has also been made into a film.
Pay It Forward UK (PIF UK) is a not for profit initiative set up in 2012 by Becky Wells, who was invited to represent the movement on this side of the Atlantic after sharing her own experience online.
Wells said:
“What makes this form of charity so special is it’s not just about giving to someone else, but about them passing the good deed on and helping another person too. It’s a ripple effect made up of small deeds that can have a huge impact.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BEvEOcqL6x1/?taken-by=lpquk
Restaurant chain Le Pain Quotidien is taking part in this year’s campaign. Throughout this week, when customers purchase their meal, they are invited to buy someone else a coffee, a tartine, a meal for two, or even a baking class. They can also donate £5 to Foodcycle for every baking class purchased as part of the scheme.
Jolly Good Causes, a press and communications agency specialising in helping small charities, is also involved. They are inviting large charities, businesses and individuals to contribute towards their Pay It Forward scheme by sponsoring one of their standalone services, which can then be claimed by any small charity in need of communications support.
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Buy someone a coffee, a meal or even a baking class (£5 goes to @foodcycle) to make their day! #LPQPayItForward pic.twitter.com/zlrl79gl0N
— Le Pain Quotidien UK (@LPQUK) April 28, 2016
Good deeds
PIF UK has suggested the following simple good deeds to do:
- If you’re buying takeaway food, grab an extra meal for someone homeless
- Next time you shop, pick up a couple of extra tins or some non-perishable goods to donate to your local food bank
- Cooking a meal? Make an extra serving for an older neighbour or someone in need near you, or invite a lonely neighbour for lunch
- Become a donor – give blood, or join a register
- Offer your seat to someone on the bus, train or tube
Wells added:
“There are so many simple things each of us can do to make a difference to another person’s life. And when someone wants to repay you for a kindness you have done for them, just ask them to ‘pay it forward’ to someone else instead and help spread the kindness.”
Main image: heart of dominoes by Danm12 on Shutterstock.com
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.