Taking on the Acts-of-Kindness Challenge

Each quarter, Integrated Project Management Company (IPM) volunteers plan, coordinate, and participate in philanthropic projects. An office or leader selects a theme or charity, and leads from each of the seven offices find or create an event and recruit volunteers to support it. It’s popular with employees, who appreciate the opportunity to help in their communities.

However, demanding client work and commitments mean that many people who want to participate cannot. To build flexibility into the program, the 21 Challenges for Acts of Kindness was created.

Small Acts Add Up to Big Impact

Throughout the quarter, employees received prompts, such as make cards for military families, buy coffee for the person behind you in line, or run a 5K for a cause you care about. IPMers could participate wherever, whenever, and with whomever they chose. To spark involvement, IPM offered those who completed the most acts—and most creative acts—to select the charities that would receive a financial donation.

“The 21-acts framework turned generosity into a habit—simple, concrete steps that add up,” says Senior Consultant Vidya Narayanaswamy, who won the competition. “The clear, bite-size prompts made it easy to act between client work and life, and the shared tracker kept the momentum. It respected everyone’s capacity—choose an act, do it well, come back.”

For instance, at a crowded event, Narayanaswamy met an elderly couple who’d just flown in from India. The gentleman had a bad leg and was standing to eat because there were no seats left. “While the room carried on, we found a chair and brought it over,” she explains. His relief was immediate. He later thanked us and blessed us with prosperity. It was a simple act born from paying attention. If more of us truly observed what’s around us, gestures like this wouldn’t be rare—they’d be routine.”

Accepting the Challenge

The Western Region team, consisting of San Francisco and Los Angeles IPMers, took on challenges as part of a team meeting. They collected new and gently used children’s books to donate, and decorated lunch bags for Meals on Wheels. And they committed an act of self-kindness by taking a mid-meeting break for stretching and chair yoga.

Here are some of the other acts of kindness from IPM employees and their family and friends:

• Worked with a Cub Scout pack to help place 90,000 American flags on veterans’ graves at the Los Angeles National Cemetery.
• Participated in the Chicago Congenital Heart Walk, which provides a memorable opportunity for families, supporters, and survivors to unite and raise funds for change.
• Rounded up stray shopping carts in the grocery store parking lot.
• Visited a school to talk about their career in information technology, project management, and consulting as part of a Junior Achievement
• Baked mac and cheese and pecan pie and delivered them to a local shelter.
• Spoke with a client of Hire Heroes USA, which helps U.S. servicemen and women to find rewarding careers, to share tips on applying for jobs, interviewing, and standing out among applicants.
• Gave a $50 tip to a bartender who was 40 weeks pregnant with her fifth child.
• Left a glowing online review for a neighborhood restaurant.

IPM employees lead and participate in quarterly philanthropy efforts through our Integrated Project Mercy program. Visit our careers page to learn more about joining the IPM family.