Since starting the One Kind Thing initiative a few people have asked me, “What qualifies as a ‘kind thing’?” At first I thought it was a silly question – surely everyone knows what a ‘kind thing’ is, don’t they?

But after several people asked me, I had to reflect on it and I came to the conclusion that it’s actually a good question. Many things potentially fall into the ‘kind thing’ category, but some things don’t. With that in mind, I tried to come up with a clear, easy to remember guideline for people to follow.

One thing that immediately came to mind is doing things that would be considered ‘good manners’ do not qualify. I realise that in 2011 ‘good manners’ has a different definition than when I was taught how to be a gentleman, so some things I consider to be basic ‘good manners’ would probably qualify as ‘kind things’ to some people. I have more thoughts on good manners but I’ll save that for another post.

So… In the context of The Initiative,

“Kind Thing” means an unnecessary act performed specifically to help another person with no expectation of reward.

I know that’s a pretty general description but I think it neatly sums up the idea of The Initiative. Let’s break it down into its key parts:

“unnecessary act” means it’s not something you are required to do, but includes a host of things that, in my mind, you should do. Let’s look at a couple of examples:

1. You notice that someone drops a glove as they get off a subway train. It’s not required that you should pick it up and chase them down to return the item. And some people will argue that it’s not even something that you should feel obligated to do. So if you took a few seconds to return the glove, that would qualify as your One Kind Thing.

2. You notice a lady with a push-chair (stroller) at the bottom of a flight of stairs. There’s no requirement that you offer to help her carry it to the top of the stairs. If you are able (have the strength) and you take the time to help, that would qualify as your One Kind Thing.

3. You hold the door for someone as you walk into a building. This falls into the ‘good manners’ category and would not qualify as a Kind Thing.

4. You give up your seat on a train/bus for an elderly, pregnant or disabled person. This falls into the ‘good manners’ category and would not qualify as a Kind Thing.

“performed specifically” means doing the act is not part of something you were already doing. It’s something you consciously thought, “hey, it would be nice if I did something for that person” and then acted on it.

“to help” means to provide some sort of assistance.

“another person” means exactly that – someone else. The unsaid part of the rule is “in person”. While it’s a great thing to do and we support it whole-heartedly, donating money to charity does not meet this criteria. You should be able to ‘see the whites of their eyes’ while performing your act. This is key and should not be overlooked. It’s the personal contact element of the Kind Things that makes them so powerful for everyone involved.

“with no expectation of reward” means you do it because you genuinely want to help someone else, not because you think you’ll get recognised – financially or otherwise – for it.

Essentially “kind thing” means whatever you want it to mean. If it feels like a kind thing to you, then it probably is!

Just get out there and do something!!

What have you done today?

This article has been reprinted in full from One Kind Thing.Org. Please visit their site to learn more about “The Kindness Movement.”

Did you know that being nice to others can actually be good for you?
My mother always chided me to be nice.  Sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn’t.  After all, we all get grumpy from time-to-time and take it out on those around us. We can see that being nice to others is good for them, but did you know it is in your best interest too?  Recognizing the personal benefits of being nice might motivate us to do it a little more often like when that person cuts us off in traffic.

What does it mean to be nice?
Niceness is rather vague.  What exactly does it mean to be nice?
Well, in my mind, it means being kind, generous, agreeable, pleasant, respectable, friendly, forgiving and tactful.  It means going out of your way to treat others in the way that you want to be treated.
The best portion of a good man’s life – his little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and love.  ~William Wordsworth

Being nice when you get cut off in traffic, means that instead of assuming the driver is an insane jerk and giving them the bird, you give them the benefit of the doubt.  Maybe they didn’t see you or maybe they were late for a very important meeting or maybe they just made a mistake.  Why not just smile and let it go?  It is good for you to be nice in these situations. Being nice also means doing kind acts.  It means volunteering, donating and pitching in to make your home, neighborhood and community a better place. It means offering yourself to a cause that you believe to be worthwhile.  This might be something big like saving the environment or little like helping your spouse carry in the groceries.

Nice is such a small word, but it has big implications.  It takes a little time and effort, but it is all so incredibly worth it. How being nice is good for you, let me count the ways First, let me say, that I don’t mean to turn being nice into something selfish.  We should certainly strive to be nice for altruistic reasons alone, but knowing the personal benefits might motivate us to be nice a little more often.  That’s my intention here.

Here are ten ways that being nice is good for you:

1. Being nice leads people to like you
It is much easier to like someone that is nice.  We all want friends that are kind, giving and considerate.  We want and need people in our lives that support us and that will be there for us when we need them.  The old saying, “Be a friend to have a friend” really holds true and research shows that those with a greater social network are often happier, healthier and more productive!

2.  Kindness promotes confidence and optimism
Doing kind acts and being nice builds one’s confidence and optimism.  It just makes us feel good about ourselves when we do things for others.  Giving of ourselves to others builds up our positive self-image.  It also gives us a sense of hope.  We feel more powerful and in control when we make a positive difference in the life of another.

3.  Niceness makes you feel good about yourself
Haven’t you heard that it is better to give than to receive?!?  In fact, studies have shown that the giver usually has a bigger boost in positive emotions than the receiver!  Being kind and nice really is good for you.  It gives you that warm, fuzzy feeling all over.  Of course, these positive feelings carry over into all areas of your life causing a general improvement in well-being.  This translates into feeling good about yourself.  What a bonus!

4. People will reciprocate in your time of need
From time-to-time, we all face challenges, disappointments and losses in our lives.  When you’ve been nice to others during their struggles, it is more likely they will return the favor during your time of need.  This is just human nature.  Most of us feel really motivated to help those that have helped us.  Stephen Covey described this as the emotional bank account.

5.  Doing good deeds adds meaning and significance to your life When you donate money to further a good cause or volunteer your time to help build a house for an underprivileged family or go visit a friend in the hospital, your life suddenly becomes much more meaningful and significant.  You are making this world a slightly better place with your acts of kindness.  This is valuable and it makes us feel important which is something we all want.

6.  Being a volunteer can help you discover hidden talents
Volunteering is a great way to be nice.  It can also help you to uncover talents you didn’t know you had.  They say that necessity is the mother of invention.  Well, when you put yourself in a position to see the needs of others, you might rise to the occasion and discover capabilities that you never knew you had.  This can be fun and exciting!

7.  Being a do-gooder relieves stress and guilt
Being nice and doing good deeds is a less stressful way to live.  It creates less conflict and avoids feelings of guilt over bad behavior.  In addition, the act of doing something nice for another generates those great feelings that seem to trump all that stress that we build up from daily living.

8.  Helping others will make you feel thankful and advantaged
When we engage in assisting others in their time of need, we often walk away feeling better about our situation.  We naturally compare our lives to those that we are helping.  This comparison can leave you feeling more grateful for the life you have.  You’ll be able to see just how advantaged you are!

9.  Being nice fosters a greater sense of family and community
Your niceness will lead you to meet all kinds of people and get involved in a plethora of worthwhile activities.  This builds a greater sense of togetherness.  Even within your own family unit, you can foster an increased sense of connectedness and fondness toward one another by being extra thoughtful.  Being nice has a powerful effect!

10.  Engaging in generous acts distracts you from your own troubles
Doing nice things for others can serve as a useful distraction from the the challenges you face.  If you are trying to quit a bad habit, then generously engage yourself in helping others to keep your mind off of smoking or eating or biting your nails.  This is an excellent strategy that profits you and others!

Go be nice and you’ll experience many positive benefits!
As you can see from the list above, being nice has many benefits.  Wouldn’t the world be such a better place if we were all just a little nicer today?  We would all feel so much better about one another and ourselves too!  I challenge you to increase your effort at being nice and see for yourself what it does for your attitude and happiness.

This article first appeared on the Blog My Supercharged Life
It has been re-printed in full.

The answer is an overwhelming “yes!” A number of scientific studies show that Acts of Kindness result in significant health benefits, both physical and mental, for those who perform them.

One of the most compelling studies of altruism was performed by Allan Luks and documented in his 1991 book, The Healing Power of Doing Good: The Health and Spiritual Benefits of Helping Others. Luks is the former executive director of the Institute for the Advancement of Health and executive director of Big Brothers/Big Sisters of New York City.

Luks’ study involved more than 3,000 volunteers of all ages at more than 20 organizations throughout the country. He sent a 17-question survey to these volunteers, asking them how they felt when they did a kind act. A total of 3,296 surveys were returned to Luks, and after a computerized analysis, he saw a clear cause-and-effect relationship between helping and good health. In a nutshell, Luks’ concluded, “Helping contributes to the maintenance of good health, and it can diminish the effect of diseases and disorders both serious and minor, psychological and physical.”

The volunteers in Luks’ study testified to feeling a rush of euphoria, followed by a longer period of calm, after performing a kind act. This feeling, which Luks calls “helper’s high,” involves physical sensations that strongly indicate a sharp reduction in stress and the release of the body’s natural painkillers, the endorphins. This initial rush is then followed by a longer-lasting period of improved emotional well-being.

This reduction in stress is vital to the health improvements reported by so many study volunteers. (In fact, more than 90 percent of Luks’ volunteers reported that regular volunteering produced feelings which are a powerful antidote to stress.) Why is stress reduction so important? Because stress can be the root cause of so many maladies, according to Hans Selye, a Hungarian physician who wrote a groundbreaking book called The Stress of Life in 1956.

In this book, Selye coined the term “stress,” describing it as a physiological response to external experiences and traumas. Stress causes a racing heart and increased breathing rate, and also sparks the adrenal glands to pump adrenaline into our bloodstream, giving us extra strength. In addition, corticosteroids — which are powerful hormones — and adrenaline work together to release fatty acids into the bloodstream, where they become energy for our muscles.

This arousal, if prolonged, shifts from a source of strength and energy into a cause of deterioration. For example, corticosteroids will, over a prolonged period, suppress immune-system functioning. Increased adrenaline and corticosteroids can aggravate diabetes. And as the adrenaline-produced fatty acids needed for energy stay in the blood, the liver converts them into cholesterol, which can lead to arteriosclerosis. A speeded-up heart rate, if prolonged, will increase the risk of high blood pressure, stroke and heart disease.

In his book, Selye actually called for a new way of life that would reduce the negative effects of stress — a way of life he dubbed “altruistic egoism.” This way of life would require us to adopt behaviors that involve “the creation of feelings of accomplishment and security [in ourselves] through the inspiration in others of love, good will and gratitude for what we have done or are likely to do in the future.” Selye’s fundamental remedy was to do good for the self by making the effort to do good for others.

Selye’s findings on stress are cited by Luks because many of his study volunteers had stress-related health problems that improved after performing kind acts.

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A kind heart is foundations of gladness, making everything in its vicinity freshen into smiles. Kindness is a golden chain by which society is bound together. Kindness can create a significant wave of change around you. Kindness is a golden chain by which society is bound together.

Kindness can make us happier. It will not only make you happier, it might just help you live longer. Little deeds of kindness, little words of love, help to make earth happy, like the heaven above.

It makes no difference to your happiness if you help a loved one or a stranger, but it may have different results. A small anonymous act might make you feel like a good person. But a big kind act to an acquaintance may have social consequences: you might make a new friend or be generously thanked.

Paying for a stranger’s coffee may give you a temporary buzz, but helping an elderly neighbor to shop may help you forge a better relationship.

Being kind is good for your health. Those who regularly help others have better mental health and lower rates of depression. Helpful people are less likely to fall ill from chronic disease and tend to have better immune systems. A strong correlation exists between the wellbeing, happiness and health of people who are kind.

A new theory called “survival of the nicest” says that because of kindness, the human race prospered as a species. Kindness is a key component of the survival of communities. Groups with many altruists tend to survive. Altruists cooperate and contribute to the well-being of fellow group members. In other words, we have an in-built capacity to help others, especially those close to us, to ensure the survival of our community.

Kindness is essentially a recognition of the fact that we’re all human, an acknowledgement that we’re all in this together. Most of what makes life worth living depends on at least some of us being altruistic some of the time.

It is easy to train ourselves to be kinder. People should simply do more acts of kindness than they usually do, and do them on a regular basis. Kindness is just a matter of choice – an attitude you carry with you that you can make a difference, however small, in someone else’s life.

Every major religion has love as a universal principle. Kindness takes love to a gentler and more accessible level that most people feel comfortable with. Showing a little bit of kindness to people recognizes that everyone around you is just like yourself.

Read more at: Bukisa.com

Random acts of kindness are things we do for others for no other reason than to be kind, helpful and nice! They are best done with no fan fair and no praise is needed nor expected.

The first time I ever heard of such a thing was from my neighbor, Jodi. We were talking one day not to long ago and she told me of an experience that she called “Random Acts of Kindness”.

Many of us will go out of our way for family or a good friend. It seems more and more in our rush rush dash to get everything done we neglect to show kindness to ourselves much less strangers. (ie road rage, flipping off people or honking long and loud when someone sits at a green light, etc)

If a friend or relative got sick we might be willing to go to their house take soup or cookies, maybe even water or feed their plants or animals while they were gone. We know then, we feel generous and we are in our comfort zone. We know they will appreciate it and do the same in kind when we need them, right!?

This is RANDOM ACTS, I am speaking of here. You do it not knowing the person or expecting Thank you’s or praises. If given you don’t stick around and gloat in the attention but say thank you and move on.

It shouldn’t be planned, and you should try not to be found out.

For instance;

You are in the bank waiting to make a transaction. An older person comes in not real steady on their feet and you let them take your place and move to the back of the line. Or you just give someone you spot just out of kindness because they have their hands really full, or just simply to be nice.

You are waiting for a parking place up close and it is about to become available.Then you see a woman with a small child also looking or maybe the handicap spots are taken up and you allow a handicaped person to have your nice close spot. It might mean that you have to make a few more circles around the lot, but what did it hurt?

Your co-worker is having a really bad day. You go at break and bring them back something with out them asking. Or you pick up a flower during lunch break and place it on their desk.(Don’t expect any money for the offering)

You can leave a batch of homemade cookies and a small note saying; Have a nice day, welcome to the neighborhood, hope you feel better soon, Or leave a card.

The whole point is to help others and to share a smile, assist someone with a hard day or just be nice for once. It hurts you not at all and will actually make you feel better! I have found that through these random acts, even when I am having a bad day that somehow I feel better inside just in the doing.

I challenge you to find your own kind of Random Acts and put them in force if not everday at least once in awhile. Watch how it brightens someone else’s day. Watch how you feel just a little lighter too!

I doubt if any child ever wanted to grow up to be a grouch, or thoughtless, or unkind, but it happens. Many a sweet child becomes the adult they never planned on. By consciously deciding to be a kinder, better, person and by taking some simple actions everyday, each one of us can be someone that child would be proud to be like when they grow up.
Read more: How to Be a Kinder Person

1. The Sun Always Rises
   Most people have probably heard about practicing random acts of kindness and about paying it forward, but unless you make kindness a priority, and work on being a kinder person everyday, your life will continue on in the same fashion it always has and you will have missed countless opportunities to help others, to ease someone’s troubles, or to make the world a better place. There are things you can do no matter who you are, where you live, or what your life circumstances are, to be a kinder person, so you really don’t have any excuses.
2. Smiling is powerful
   Everyday kindnesses are those little thoughtful acts that we all know we should do, but sometimes we just can’t be bothered. Maybe it seems like too much trouble to help your neighbor carry in her groceries or to stop along the freeway to help someone change a tire. The opportunity to help this person will never come again, and you are there for a reason, so go beyond your comfort zone, at least once each day and do something for someone else, just for the heck of it, with no expectations, no desire to be appreciated, and no money to be gained on your part. Another super easy kindness we can all do every single day is smile at the people we see, including our own families. Studies have shown the power of a smile to be far greater than previously thought. A genuine heartfelt smile has even saved a life or two, by giving someone who was suicidal hope and the courage to go on.
3. Helping Others
   If the thought of being kind to everyone and in every circumstance is a little overwhelming then start small. There is an organization that promotes the idea of doing one kind act per day. So, if you let someone go ahead of you in a busy line at the store for example, there’s your one kind act for the day and you’re done. One kind act a day adds up to 365 kind acts a year though, and there’s nothing small about that number.
4. Suggestions
   For some suggestions for doing some good in the world, through your daily acts of kindness, check out the web sites listed in the resources section below. There are some very interesting ways that people have figured out to be kind to someone else. For example many people have given a dollar to a homeless person, but what about the lady that carries small backpacks full of supplies for the homeless in her car everyday. The backpacks are full of things like toothpaste and toothbrushes, food that doesn’t need to be cooked, and socks. All valuable items for the homeless, and it doesn’t cost her much. She hands out the backpacks instead of money when she sees a homeless person.
5. Kind Words
   Kind words cost you nothing and many of us can really use some lessons concerning our unkind speaking habits. Practise speaking more positively to everyone you meet. Learn to speak more kindly to yourself also. That rude, judgmental, voice inside your own head is doing you a lot more harm than you realize. Turn it off and cultivate an inner voice that speaks to you in a kinder, gentler, fashion than you may be used to. You would probably be horrified if anyone else spoke to you so unkindly, so stop speaking to yourself that way.

Resources:

• Helping Others
• One Kind Act
• Dare To Be An Angel
• Extreme Kindness

Read more: How to Be a Kinder Person | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_4437310_be-kinder-person.html#ixzz0yNIc9OdS

When my youngest son was growing up, he went through this phase when he was about 9 years old or so, where he would do these Random Acts of Kindness and then he would say “I got you with a Random Act of Kindness” and he would run off laughing.  This was a game he loved to play.

My youngest son, always had a very generous nature.  We are Native American Indian and generosity is a prized virtue among our tribe and many tribes across the United States.  Our ancestors would save their best/most valuable items so that they could give it to someone else that needed it.   To horde stuff and not pass it along when someone else can use it, was something we didn’t understand.  Our belief is that life is a circle and when we give something away, something we need will come to us, and we’ll have room for it.  We’ll be ready to receive it.  It is the way the circle of life flows.

Perhaps, part of my son’s generous nature came from our culture beliefs, and family beliefs.  I think these beliefs just help to amplify his true generous spirit.

Four years ago I lost my son.  He was killed in a car accident.  This was one of the hardest things I have ever had to deal with in my life.  But like many difficult things in life, there are hidden gifts that emerge when we are ready for them and open to them.  I had several gifts emerge through the loss of my son, that I never dreamed would happened.  One of the gifts that emerge for me occurred close to the time of my son’s first birthday after his death.  I was struggling with the fact that he would not be here in physical form to celebrate his birthday with his family.  I thought to myself that this was going to be a really hard day and how would I get through the day.

As I struggled with my son not being here for his birthday, I started to explore the various memories I had of my son.  When the memory of him playing this game of Random Act of Kindness emerged, the memory was so vivid and joyful, that I couldn’t let it go.  I could see my son performing some Random Act of Kindness (RAK) for someone and then saying to them “I got you with a Random Act of Kindness” and then he would run off laughing with great joy and pride at his accomplishment.  I was sudden filled with great joy as this memory played out in my mind.

Then, an idea popped in my mind (or perhaps was placed there – smile).  I thought it would be a good idea to perform a Random Act of Kindness for someone on my son’s birthday.  This would honor the memory of my son and help me to focus on something else besides grief and loss.  Maybe, I could even celebrate his life.

The more I thought about it, the more I was pulled to do a RAK.  I thought I should let my family and friends know about my idea and invite them to participate in the Random Act of Kindness day (my son’s birthday) as a way of honoring him and helping them to deal with their own grief and sense of loss him.

After letting my family and friends know about the RAK day, it was amazing to me how many of them embraced the idea and decided they would participate.  The guidelines that we use were these:

• Perform an unexpected Random Act of Kindness – it could be someone you know or a total stranger – your choice.
• It had to be an act that the person receiving it, would perceived as an act of kindness.  Something that holds meaning for them, not just you.  So, this also means not to give something that is mean less and useless to the person.  If you do this, you haven’t really given anything.  This is a hollow gesture.
• No strings attached to the RAK.  The RAK had to be given freely.  No expectation of receiving something in return.  The  RAK had to be given and done for sole purpose of freely performing/giving a kind act to someone.
• The RAK could be something small or something large.  It could be as simple as being loving and kind to someone who was in need of this (who couldn’t  use more of this).  It could be money that someone really needed.  It could a gift you made or bought.  It could be a phone call.  You might cook dinner for someone.  Go visit someone who needed their spirits lifted.  Clean someone’s house.  Go swimming, or hiking or a walk or a bike ride. The idea was for you to look around in your life/world and see what RAK you could do/give to someone.

I have done a variety of things for my RAK, but one year, I had bought a book on the internet and when the book arrived, it wasn’t what I was looking for.  When I contacted the seller, they gave me instructions on how to go about returning the book and how I would receive a refund.  I informed them that I didn’t want a refund, that I what I wanted instead, was for them to do a kind deed for someone else.  They couldn’t believe what I was saying and what I was doing, but in the end, they agreed not to give me my refund and to do a RAK for someone.

A few weeks later, I heard from the book seller.  They told me what kind deed they had chosen to do for a total stranger and they just wanted me to know they had done a kindness for someone and they seemed really happy about the whole RAK interaction they had experience.  I was glad and I wonder how far their RAK would rippled out to creation and I wonder if it is still moving today.  Hmmmmm.

I believe in doing service work and being generous.  What we do in life, ripples through out this great life.  It is like throwing a pebble in a pond and watching the waves from it ripple out.  The pebble is the act (hopefully a good and kind one) and the waves are the effects it has on life.  So, remember to be mindful of the pebbles you are throwing into your part of the pond.

I would like to invite anyone who is interested to participate this September 4th for a Random Act of Kindness day. You may have a loved one you have lost.  This would be a good way to honor their memory and to celebrate their life or you may want to do this for the pure joy of doing a Random Act Kindness.  I have always felt great joy and pleasure when performing a RAK.  I think you will to.

The following 13 meaningful ways to do community service online have been approved by We, The World (a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization), to qualify as community service credit.  All programs are documented online so that the person that assigned your service hours can actually see your work.  Upon completion of your service time, you will receive a stamped letter as well as a certificate of completion from We, The World.  Please verify with the person that assigned your service that you can receive credit for online service prior to starting.  If you have any questions or concerns, please contact arlan@wetheworld.org.

13 Meaningful Ways To Do Community Service Online:

1) PIF Mentor:  After a 30 minute online chat, the protege is sent the online script with directions on how they may now be a PIF Mentor too if they wish. You will also receive a free web page on this site. To see a sample web page click HERE.   PIF Mentors that are doing community service will receive one hour credit for each complete mentoring session.  A complete mentoring session is as follows:

a) Arrange to do a 1/2 hour online chat with a friend, family member, co-worker, or anyone who wishes to learn their purpose, organize their passion, volunteer their gift and engage their heart.

b) Go to any online chat room and go through the 30 minute chat process.  This time, you will be the mentor and they will be your protege.

c) You must make a copy of the chat and send a copy to your protege as well as a copy to aunitedworld@gmail.com.  *Note* As soon as we have our new website www.pifmentor.org completed, this process will be done automatically.

d) Send a follow-up letter to your protege as well as a copy to aunitedworld@gmail.com.

2) PIF Research Director: After a 30 minute online chat, the community service provider contacts the charitable organizations (of interest to them) in their community and provides We, The World (WTW) with the nonprofit’s mission along with the volunteer coordinators name, phone number, email address and fax number.  In addition the community service provider will let the volunteer coordinator know that while they are doing research for WTW, they may also be interested in helping that organization online too.  Often, other charitable organizations may want to recognize their current and past volunteers by emailing certificates of appreciation that they can then download and hang on their wall.

If a community service provider is interested in this type of service, they will keep a chartshowing the time they initially contacted the nonprofit and the time they finished receiving all of the information.   To see the format for sending in research click HERE.

3) PIF Kindness Judge: After a 30 minute online chat, the community service provider researches people and organizations in their community that are Passing It Forward.  Passing It Forward is performing acts of kindness that do not involve money.  To see examples, go to PIF Programs.  WTW wants to highlight these heroic people and organizations on our website and we need your help.  As you can see from the examples, we are looking for people that are mentoring, creating their own videos about passing it forward, or want to start their own PIF Program based upon their purpose, passion, gift and mission.

If a community service provider is interested in this type of service, they will submit the stories to arlan@wetheworld.org.   A community service provider will be given 1/2 hour credit for each story published.

To see the format for sending in a story click HERE.  To see sample community service completion letter click HERE.

4) PIF Public Relations Developer: After a 30 minute online chat, the community service provider will receive a free web page on the www.aunitedworld.org site based upon their purpose, passion and gift and is encouraged to additionally go to www.neighborhoodlink.com and start their own neighborhood website for the zip code that they reside in and set up a free web page.  This online volunteer will become the LO.V.E. It Forward Ambassador, Pass It Forward Director and or We, The World Charity Consultant of their zip code!  It’s all FREE and the online volunteer can be their own administrator for their site!  See sample HERE.

5) Neighborhood Community Service Ambassador:  When you create a free web page on www.neighborhoodlink.com to promote the PIF Movement, you will receive 1/2 hour online credit.  Subsequently, every online discussion that you participate in (promoting PIF) anywhere on the web, you will receive community service credit as long as copies are sent to aunitedworld@gmail.com.

6) Community Service Online Promotion: This online volunteer can now promote their cause on many social networking sites such as Volunteer Match, Do Something, Create the Good, Facebook, and many more!  A community service provider will receive 1/2 hour credit for each new social networking site web page that they developed incorporating their their purpose, passion and gift while Passing It Forward.

7) Create Video’s and/or start your own Social Networking Sites:  Now you can Pass the L.O.V.E.  Forward by promoting your cause to help people, animals, environment, your school, cancer research, etc. Everyone has a gift, what’s yours?  Check out www.loveitforward.webs.com or www.drop.io/PIFMentor/media to more see samples.  For community service your time involved in creating videos and websites must be documented.  For more information, please contact aunitedworld@gmail.com.

Help PIF Create Online Questions to help improve a person’s self esteem and self confidence, we are asking community service providers to read articles of interest and then answer the questions pertaining to those articles.  Click HERE and choose a question # that is not bold. To see examples see the approved article questions.  We are currently looking for people to create the online questions for each article.  Also look at helping others build character by creating online exercises on self help & self improvement.  You will receive 20 minutes of credit for each new set of 7 questions created per article.

9) Answer Article Questions: Currently there are Judy Wright Articles and Everyday Articles, and Ezine articles that are approved for community service. You will receive 10-15 minutes of credit for each set of questions answered.  Or, you may wish to read articles about Creating a World Where People Act More Ethically and comment on what you read.  You will receive 10 minutes community service credit for each one completed.

10) Watch Video’s on the – Law of Attraction -  Building Self Esteem – Self Growth – 101 Power Affirmations -Human Emotions – 7 Habits – 7 Spiritual Laws – Dealing With You -Assertiveness – Momentum – Winners – Gender and answer questions.  You will receive 15 minutes of credit for each video.  Or you can watch the 43 Values Video’s, 20 Happiness Video’s, Get ur GOOD On Videos, and Self Esteem Online Community Service and comment on each one and send your comments to aunitedworld@gmail.com for community service credit.  You will be given 10 minutes credit for comments that prooved you watched the entire video.  If you can create 7 questions for these video’s you will receive 15 minutes of credit.

11) Search You Tube: We are in the process of creating online exercises to help build a persons self esteem and character.  If you have some online ideas for community service, we’d love to hear from you!  All exercises must be completed online.  Please submit all ideas to aunitedworld@gmail.com.

12) Transfer Pages To Our New Website: The new website will be the “My Space” or “Facebook” specifically for people and organizations that want to help and inspire others.  Our mission is for everyone to have the opportunity to have volunteer online PIF Mentors to help them L.O.V.E. It Forward and be able to pass their L.O.V.E. Forward. See sample of our new website.

13) Convert web pages to a different language: Now that the Pass It Forward Movement is in 191 countries, we are looking for bi-lingual community service providers to convert PIF pages to different languages.  Currently, you will notice if you place your mouse over a word, you will be able to see that word in multiple languages.  If you are bi-lingual, please send an email to aunitedworld@gmail.comto discuss this further.

This article has been reprinted with express permission of onekindgame.org, 2010.

Explanation:

We, The World: (www.wetheworld.org) The mission of We, The World (WTW) is to maximize social change – globally. WTW is working to awaken a spirit of caring and involvement in the public so that millions of people begin to see themselves as part of one global interdependent community – and actively take part in creating a world that works for all!

Working with an extraordinarily accomplished team, WTW has begun the process of building an unprecedented critical mass of individuals, organizations and coalitions whose efforts to create a caring world will be highly visible and accessible. By forming global networks of collaboration between groups and individuals involved with: human rights, ecology, animal concerns, peace and nonviolence, creating ethical economic systems, creating cultures of self-sustaining green communities, personal and societal health and transformation, and many others whose work concerns the interests of literally billions of people and other life on our planet.

A United World: (www.aunitedworld.org)  A United World is a website that is operated by WTW that encourages those participants that are involved with the pass it forward movement to access it as if it were your own website. In other words, “A United World” is your website and A United World/(your name).asp is your webpage on your website.
Requested changes to this website are always honored so that it is 100% acceptable to everyone. Best of all, there is never any fee associated with our work, we are not asking for money, we do not have affiliate programs, or advertisers on this website.  It’s all free!  What we want to do is show our appreciation for your efforts to pass it forward!
The purpose of this website is to create a collaboration of hundreds of thousands of people and organizations all working together to help make the world a better place and pass it forward to others. Our motto is “Do What Is Right & Help Others“.

Pass It Forward: (www.passforward.org) is a Movement! This movement is made up of volunteer mentors that are helping each and every person learn their purpose so that they can organize their passion, volunteer their gift, and engage their heart.  After a 30 minute online chat session, your PIF Mentor will always be available to you by email to help you move forward by directing their mentees (proteges) to different people and organizations that are all available on the A United World website.  We guarantee 100% satisfaction!

This PIF Movement (President Obama’s personal message) is encouraging individuals, families, groups and organizations to create their own PIF Program based upon their gift/passion. Everyone has a gift and if they don’t know what it is their own personal volunteer mentor will help.  All programs must abide by Character Counts six pillars of character – trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring and citizenship. Additionally, the programs must be acceptable to 100% of people or it will not be a PIF Program. Pass It Forward Programs.

What does must be acceptable to 100% of the people mean?

If a person is working online with this movement they will be on a level of consciousness which we’ll call global consciousness.  This global consciousness is made up of ALL religions and ALL political beliefs.  When you are networking with the people and organizations listed on this website, you are looking for ways to pass it forward.  As online mentors we strive to continually help our proteges (online) to make the world a better place based upon their gift.  Everyone has a gift!  What’s yours?

Creating your own We, The World nonprofit program: If a person wants to create their own  nonprofit program, a mentor will be able to give access for protégé all the tools necessary free of charge on the A United World website.  All volunteers of this movement are given the opportunity to have a mentor, be a mentor, and pass it forward.  By creating your own nonprofit program, WTW will make available a donation button on the mentor’s web page so that the donor’s contribution is tax-deductable.

An individual, family group or organization can apply for a grant and be pre-approved by WTW first. Once they are approved by WTW to create their own WTW, PIF 501 © (3) nonprofit program, they may send their own money into WTW or have a sponsor do it for them. Within a couple weeks after WTW receives the money and the application from the future program director, they will be issued a check for 90% of what WTW received in the form of a grant.

It is now the responsibility of the grantee to open up a separate account with that money and track the funds on how that money is spent for their nonprofit program and report this information to WTW.  All PIF programs can spend a maximum of 10% on administration with 90% of their money going to the cause.

L.O.V.E. It Forward: (www.loveitforward.com) Everyone has a gift and a volunteer Pass It Forward (PIF) Mentor will help you define your gift so you can then pass it forward to others.

Learn your purpose, Organize your passion, Volunteer your gift, Engage your heart

Online Community Service: (www.onlinecommunityservice.org) You can now do community service from the comfort of your own home, on your own computer, on your own time! In just 30 minutes via an online chat with a volunteer mentor, a protege (community service provider) will L.O.V.E. – Learn their purpose, Organize their passion, Volunteer their gift, and be given the opportunity to Engage their heart so that they can then PIF too.
Fundraising For a Better World: (www.RaisingFun.org) is considered by more and more charitable organizations as the fundraising solution for the 21st Century. Each unique fundraising program will be unique to your school or nonprofit.  There is no cost for this service as a We, The World Charity Consultant is a volunteer representing the Pass It Forward Movement.  With hardly any effort or cost, all your school or nonprofit can do is easily raise additional money for your programs and overhead!

Passing it forward is what so many of you do in your non-profits, without ever having labeled it such. Here is a website that wants to support your agency for passing it forward. Just ask an experienced consultant to contact you with fundraising ideas aunitedworld@gmail.com.

PIF Mentor: (www.PIFMentor.com) PIF Mentor is a for-profit website giving people an opportunity to make money while giving back at the same time. A mentor must first pay to the PIF Movement $9.95 per month for the opportunity to be a volunteer mentor. The concept is fairly simple – It is important for the success of this program that the protégé realizes that the mentor is actually paying a fee to be able to help.

Once a protégé becomes a mentor they have two choices. 1) Go to www.pifmentor.org and be a volunteer mentor for free and there is no charge.  2) Go to www.pifmentor.com and charge your protégé whatever you feel is appropriate based upon your qualifications. The first $9.95 goes to promote the world’s largest mentoring (acts of kindness) movement and the balance goes to the mentor. Pass It Forward Mentor’s Pass L.O.V.E. Forward.

30 Minute Mentor: (www.30MinuteMentor.org) The 30 Minute Mentor is a program for anyone needing or wanting to do community service by making a positive difference in others lives. There are many advantages to this type of community service for the supervisors as well as the participants. This is an on-line community service program that enables a person to help others from their own computer on their own time.

Once someone signs up for community service they will be immediately introduced to their own personal volunteer mentor to guide them along the way. The mentor will have a private 30 minute chat with their protégé to help them find their purpose, so that they can develop a passion and put it into action. During the same 30 minutes, the mentor will be training the protégé to do the same thing for others and pass it forward.

This website is being constructed so that thousands of private chats can occur simultaneously and copies of the communications between mentor and protégés (including log in and log out times) can be provided as needed.

Our Guarantee: The Pass It Forward Movement (PIF) stands by their promise that this movement must appeal to 100% of people. If there is anything on this website that is objectionable, please contact aunitedworld@gmail.com as soon as possible and we will rectify this matter immediately.  Your comments and suggestions make this all possible, and we thank the hundreds of thousands of organizations that are involved.

If PIF does not hear from you, we will assume that you are behind this movement 100% and we encourage all of you to PIF and feel free to treat this website as if it were your own.  We must ask, however that if you are going to use the phrase “Pass It Forward” yourself, the content must be approved by PIF in writing. Please submit all submittals to aunitedworld@gmail.com.

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