Giving someone a chance doesn't take money or a big plan. Most of the time it takes a few minutes, a little attention, and the willingness to go first. The Give a Chance cards are 26 small actions you can take for someone else, each with its own page of simple how-to tips, low-cost and free options, and a quick version for busy days.
Here is the whole deck in one place, grouped so you can find one that fits your day. Pick one, do it, and notice how it feels.
Five minutes or less
Free, quick, and you can do most of them today.
- Learn Their Name: learn the name of someone you see often, like a cashier or crossing guard, and use it.
- The Genuine Compliment: give three sincere, specific compliments about character or effort, not looks.
- The Five-Star Shout-Out: leave a glowing review for a small business or tell a manager about a great employee.
- Share Someone's Chance: share a fundraiser, small shop, or project with your friends, after checking that it's genuine.
- Secret Encouragement Notes: leave anonymous notes of hope for strangers to find.
- The Thank-You Note: write to someone who made a difference in your life and tell them exactly how.
For someone who feels alone
Loneliness is hard to see from the outside. These cards help someone feel noticed and included.
- The Listening Ear: give someone your full attention and let them feel truly heard.
- The Check-In Call: call someone who lives alone, just to say hello.
- Include Someone: make room for the person standing at the edge of a group, event, or conversation.
- Brighten a Care Home: visit a nursing home or send cheerful cards to residents.
- The Welcome Wagon: welcome a new neighbor with a smile, a small treat, and a few local tips.
Practical help for a hard week
Sometimes the kindest thing is simply taking one task off someone's plate.
- Share a Meal: bring a home-cooked meal to someone who is sick, grieving, or worn out.
- Offer a Ride: drive someone who can't, to an appointment, the store, or church.
- The Caregiver Break: give a family caregiver a few hours off.
- The Closet Gift: pass along five good things you no longer use to someone who needs them.
- Pay It Forward: quietly cover a little of a stranger's coffee, groceries, or laundry.
Share what you know
Your experience is a gift. Passing it on can open a door that someone didn't know was there.
- Share a Skill: teach someone something you already know, from budgeting to video calls.
- The Mentor Moment: offer 30 minutes of honest advice to someone just starting out.
- Pass On a Favorite Book: give away a book you loved with a note about why.
- A Chance for a Child: help a child join music, sports, art, or camp by donating gear, sponsoring through a program, or sharing your talent.
For your community and beyond
Bigger-hearted missions for when you have an afternoon to give.
- Beautify Your Community: join or start a small clean-up of a park, beach, or street.
- The Volunteer Hour: give one hour to a cause you care about, in person or from home.
- Treat the Helpers: thank mail carriers, trash collectors, and delivery drivers with a cold drink or a note.
- A Chance for a Pet: help a shelter animal by donating supplies, volunteering, fostering, or sharing an adoptable pet's photo.
- Give the Gift of Life: donate blood for a stranger in surgery, treatment, or an emergency.
- The Secret Kindness Mission: do something kind that no one will ever know was you.
Ways to use the deck
- One card a week. Work through all 26 in six months, or 52 weeks if you add the Take a Chance cards for yourself.
- Draw at random. The Chances.org home page shows a fresh card each visit.
- Family kindness night. Let each person pick a card to do before the next family dinner, then share how it went.
- Classrooms, clubs, and groups. Choose one card as a group challenge for the month.
Want more ways to give?
- Free printable kindness vouchers to offer a neighbor a meal, a ride, or an hour of your time.
- 101 small acts of kindness that take five minutes or less.
- Give a Chance: find people and causes you can help, and learn how to check before you give money.
Did a card spark something? Share what happened on the Wall of Chances Given. Your story might be the reason someone else tries one.