The Case Foundation is asking people who witness random acts of kindness this holiday season to capture those moments in photos and post them on their favorite social network. They may get a nice reward for that good deed: up to $500 for themselves and up to $5,000 for their favorite charity.
The goal of the program, called #GoodSpotting, is to honor “little acts of good that go unsung” by recording them with pictures, much like the popular foodie Web site Foodspotting does with restaurant dishes, says Allyson Burns, a spokeswoman for the Washington foundation started by the AOL founder Steve Case and his wife, Jean.
Organizers say the kinds of photos they have in mind might show people volunteering at a food pantry or giving clothes at a coat drive. Photographers who upload their shots to social networks such as Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter must label the image with the “#GoodSpotting” hashtag to be considered for a prize.
The Case Foundation is planning to give out a total of $25,000 in weekly prizes before the campaign ends on December 23. Some charities, such as HandsOn Greater DC Cares, which connects volunteers with nonprofits, and Project Night Night, a San Francisco charity that serves homeless children, have already received money from the foundation.
Organizers say nearly 400 photos have been uploaded so far to the gallery at GoodSpotting.org. And some 1,700 tweets have appeared with the #GoodSpotting label.
Since hearing about the campaign through Twitter a few days before Thanksgiving, Alice Speck, a stay-at-home mom, has been busy taking pictures around her neighborhood in Washington and labeling them as examples of #GoodSpotting.
“It really resonated with me because, No. 1, it’s a free way to get involved,” Ms. Speck says. “You’re spreading messages and promoting your favorite nonprofits and your favorite businesses.” Among her photo subjects: a mobile donation truck from Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign in front of a Whole Foods grocery store. She wrote this tweet: “Help fill up this van today until 4 pm to stop #ChildHunger @WholeFoodsPST #GoodSpotting.”
