Small acts can create a global impact — here’s how

The world today has a lot of problems, ranging from armed conflicts and terrorism to hunger and poverty. These issues have devastated some parts of the world, and as a result, there is a growing concern to alleviate those who are struggling because of these matters.

People have established various charities and organizations dedicated to helping those in the affected areas, and the affluent ones donate huge amounts of their money to these groups.

For example, Reuters reported in 2017 that finance guru and Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett shelled out approximately $3.17 billion from his fortune to five different charities, including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which acquired nearly $2.42 billion. The said organization is centered on issues around health, education and poverty.

That same year, Facebook co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg and wife Priscilla Chan have made a $1.9 billion donation in the form of 10.3 million Facebook shares to their foundation, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. Similar to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Initiative aims to work on the aspects of education and health, but beyond that, it also seeks to “advance human potential” and endorse equality in other fields such as energy and scientific research.

However, not everyone is capable of donating large amounts of their money to help out and perhaps make an impact in the society. Most people are striving to earn and save for their long-term goals while others are trying to get by. But of course, among these individuals, there are some who are willing to help out in one way or another.

Some ways to help and make an impact

Here are some of the methods in how people provide some form of assistance to those in need and consequently make an impact, which you can also do.

1. Joining feeding programs

Participating in feeding programs is a good start for those who want to help out in addressing the growing hunger problem around the world. If you can cook and/or bake, you are free to also share your signature dishes and pastries to the impoverished individuals and families.

Such an event can also become an opportunity to create a connection to other people and perhaps learn more about their ordeals. Aside from food, these people sometimes need someone to listen to their stories.

2. Becoming a tutor

Education is a powerful tool in society. With sufficient knowledge, it can help a person in his or her rise to success. Collective use of people’s expertise learned from school can significantly hoist the society to new heights. However, not every child has access to learning facilities and materials, thanks to various factors such as inadequate funds and deficiency in the number of classrooms and teachers.

So what better way to make an impact to society than becoming a tutor. It may be a challenging role to take on, but the reward is so fulfilling that it even transcends material things when you see your students learning and developing their skills with your help. Who knows, your time as a tutor can even help produce future scientists or artists, and they may even be inspired by your decision to share your talents and knowledge, creating a cycle of inspiration and sharing of knowledge.

3. Doing good deeds

Then, there is always the option to do good deeds. An act of kindness, even the smallest one, can go a long way. Your kind gesture can surely brighten someone’s day, and it can also inspire them to do the same thing to other people.

There are many ways to pay it forward, and some of the easiest you can do are helping an elderly neighbor in some of the arduous tasks and treating a colleague or friend a cup of coffee. You can even do good through your monthly grocery shopping.

A little purchase, a giant help

That last sentence may have left many asking the question, “In what way?” Exponential, Inc. or XPO2 has developed a unique and innovative way to inspire more people to help and make an impact in the society.

XPO2 is a for-profit tech marketing company founded by Dom Einhorn, a French-American social entrepreneur. It is also a crowdfunding and impact investing platform capable of bringing change to the typical way of raising funds.

XPO2 differentiates itself from other companies of its kind by providing assistance to the small and medium-sized charities, associations and nongovernment organizations (NGOs). In effect, it gives these groups the opportunity to reach out to more people and collect more funds for their projects without consuming a lot of time and effort.

Going back to that lingering question, XPO2’s platform allows consumers to make a “cashless contribution.” They can do so via their purchases from one or many of the company’s list of more than 1,200 merchant partners worldwide through the company’s eponymous browser extension. Some of these retailers include prominent brands like Target, Kohl’s, and JCPenney.

The chosen NGO will then receive a portion of the profit from the sales, which they can use to advance their social projects and to improve the world in terms of its different issues.

When it comes to its catalog of NGOs and charities, XPO2 goes the extra mile and intensively selects the groups it will support to ensure that they will deliver on the promise of solutions leading to a better future. Once it has accepted an NGO, the company will then proceed to create a Project Page for the organization, promote its cause and even assist in the fundraising.

It should be worth noting that XPO2 performs all of these processes for free since the company also has a portion in the consumers’ transaction with its participating merchants. It does not deduct anything from the percentage dedicated to the organization that the consumer chose to support.

This act of kindness from XPO2 will also usher in more groups. This year, the company intends to assist in excess of 10,000 NGOs focusing on the protection of the natural environment, reinforcement of various communities and development of methods capable of improving people’s lives all over the world.

The company believes it can achieve such a goal because of its passion for giving support to groups determined to create the biggest net social impact they can muster.

The idea of “net social impact” is exclusive to and permeates in XPO2, and it defines the term as “the amount of good that your contributions can do.” This applies not only to the NGOs but also to the consumers via the impact of their contributions. And as what was said before, the company will surely maximize the aid they provide by sending the percentage allotted to the group directly to them.

With XPO2’s platform, it is guaranteed that more people will partake in supporting small and medium-sized NGOs and charities in the future as it basically requires the simple and routine act of shopping, be it for their necessities or for other goods. Nevertheless, XPO2 assures that the funds they contribute will create a ripple of change for the betterment of the world.