Sometimes, it’s the simplest of gestures that make the biggest difference. A thoughtful word, a shared resource, or a few hours spent helping a neighbour can create ripples far beyond what we imagine. In our fast-paced, goal-driven world, it’s easy to overlook these seemingly small acts of kindness. But what if we leaned into them, not just as individuals, but as organisations? What if “random hacks of kindness” were at the heart of how we work?
1. Kindness as a design principle
In a world focused on efficiency, we can forget the power of empathy and kindness. Yet, kindness isn’t a soft skill; it’s a strategic one. It drives better decisions, deeper connections, and lasting impact. Just look at Adur & Worthing’s Warm Spaces initiative. By opening community hubs during the colder months, they didn’t just provide a warm place to sit — they created opportunities for people to connect, share stories, and build relationships.
For organisations, kindness isn’t about grand gestures; it’s about embedding care into everyday interactions. It’s about designing services and systems that don’t just meet needs but anticipate and ease people’s struggles.
How to apply this:
- Start small: add a touch of warmth to emails, meetings, or customer interactions.
- Build space for listening: whether it’s residents, colleagues, or partners, make time to hear what really matters to them.
- Design with care: consider what barriers you can remove to make people’s lives a little easier.
2. Hacking for good
The term “hacks” often conjures images of quick fixes or tech workarounds, but the idea of hacking for kindness is something else entirely. It’s about using creativity to solve problems in unexpected ways. The Random Hacks of Kindness movement, which began as a collaboration between tech giants like Google and Microsoft, has shown how small-scale, community-driven solutions can tackle global challenges — from disaster response tools to mental health support platforms.
Closer to home, Adur & Worthing have applied similar principles with their Community Sponsored Trees. By inviting residents to be part of the solution, they’ve transformed a local challenge into a shared opportunity for action.
How to apply this:
- Host “kindness hackathons” to crowdsource ideas for solving local or organisational challenges.
- Partner with other sectors — tech, design, community groups — to bring fresh perspectives to persistent problems.
- Focus on the small wins. Sometimes the simplest solutions have the biggest impact.
3. Kindness isn’t random — it’s intentional
While the idea of “random acts of kindness” feels spontaneous, creating a culture of kindness requires intention. The Design Council’s Transform Ageing programme is a brilliant example. By working with older people, designers, and service providers, they reimagined ageing support systems that centred on dignity and respect. It wasn’t about one-off interventions; it was about embedding kindness into the fabric of design and delivery.
How to apply this:
- Map out touchpoints in your organisation’s services or interactions where kindness can be embedded.
- Measure impact, not just outputs: How does your work make people feel? What’s the lasting legacy?
- Share stories of kindness. Celebrate those who go the extra mile to inspire others to do the same.
4. A call to kindness
In a time of uncertainty and change, kindness isn’t a luxury — it’s a necessity. It’s what builds trust, inspires creativity, and brings people together. So, whether you’re redesigning a service, managing a team, or running a community event, ask yourself:
- How can you make someone’s day a little easier?
- What small act of care could create a ripple effect in your organisation or community?
- And how can you build systems that make kindness the default, not the exception?
Kindness doesn’t require a strategy document or a 10-step plan. It just needs us to show up — with curiosity, empathy, and a willingness to try. So, let’s start hacking — for good. Let’s design for kindness, one small step at a time. Because sometimes, the smallest actions make the biggest impact.
What will your next hack of kindness be?
