I live in Philadelphia — Home of the Phillies, cheesesteaks (Jim’s is the best), culture, beauty, and of course our fair share of crazy people. There are tech enthusiasts, entrepreneurs, and coffee shops. Co-working spaces are bursting into existance as the need for start-up office space arises. People like me are thinking of the latest ideas on how to create the next WhatsApp or [insert tech start-up here]. And sometimes we are successful…

This is a story about a grand idea

…and why I said no.

I grew up on a farm in the middle of Pennsyltucky — if you don’t know where that is you won’t be able to find it. It was beautiful, serene, and quiet spot. Very, very quiet. So quiet in fact that I decided to move to the city and see what crazy adventures awaited me over the horizon.

One of the first things I noticed when I came into the city (especially from a small town) is the homeless population. I’m not the first to notice this, nor am I the first (and hopefully not the last!) to think to myself “man, I really want to do something to help here”. I’ve been to hackathons ranging from #hack4good in Philadelphia to judging at Code for Good at Duke University’s #hackduke. At every hackathon there is a common theme : how to help the homeless.

So I had an idea!

I’ve heard many people utter the phrase “Well, I don’t want to give money because I don’t know where that money is going to. Alcohol? Drugs? If it was food I would give”. Now I don’t always agree with this perception; but I do understand that people want assurances for where their money is going. In business, in life, in all things.

My idea was simple.

Set up a shop. Print posters for anyone down on their luck who wants to try their hand asking for money. Each poster has a custom message, and at the bottom, “verified by COMPANY NAME HERE” and a QRCode. If you’d like to donate, simply scan the QRCode and donate. You don’t have to roll down your window. You don’t have to say anything. And the person you donate to simply gets a voucher to the nearest food shop, grocery store, etc.

Perfect, right?

Wrong.

“You don’t have to roll down your window. You don’t have to say anything.”

We’re missing something here. Something profound, something sacred.

“Thank you”. That’s what is missing from this scenario. A way to say “Thank you”. A way to express deep gratitude from the person who receives and a way for the giver to see that look of appreciation in their eyes. A way for both parties to share that momentary connection. The human element, essentially.

Does this mean we shouldn’t try?

Most definitely not. I hope very much that someone tries to build a framework and an application that is very similar to this; however, I also hope that they do the necessary research and consider all aspects of this situation. How do we include the people we help? How do we increase our connections to each other? Maybe everyone will roll down the window and say thank you, maybe they won’t. How can we answer those questions?

Morale of the story…

The morale of this story is that once you come up with your fantastic, world changing idea — stop and think of the social impact of your invention. Maybe it’s the best idea in the world, maybe it’s not. Maybe you won’t know until you try. Maybe you’ll have to try many different things.

Just remember those little things in life, like the power of saying “Thank you”.