Should Doing Good Be Public? I used to wonder why people felt the need to post about every good thing they did. Were they actually trying to help, or did they just want attention? I can’t pretend I never questioned it. But then I started Project Socks and found myself doing the very thing I’d
Why We Measure the Wrong Things When it comes to measuring success, people constantly ask me, “How many socks have you delivered?” It’s a fair question, and I understand why people ask. It’s something tangible to measure, and it gives people a quick understanding of Project Socks. I happily and proudly rattle my latest tally
When people ask why something succeeded, they usually point to the idea. We like to believe that good ideas naturally rise to the top. It was innovative. It solved a problem. People believed in it. We like to think those ideas naturally rise to the top. But the more I think about it, the less
One thing I’ve been realizing lately is that getting people to care is often not the hardest part of creating social change. Yet caring and creating social change are often two very different things. Most people already care. If I asked someone whether homelessness is a problem, they’d probably say yes. If I asked whether
We have all seen donation bins sitting in a hallway or lobby or on the side of the road. Most of the time, it ends up filled with old clothes, random shoes, and things people don’t really want anymore. And honestly, I don’t think people do it for bad reasons. Most people genuinely want to
Why Environment Shapes Action This month, Common Good Co. a local business in Waltham is hosting a sock drive for Project Socks. I’m on their giving wall, and throughout May, people will keep seeing the project every time they walk in. At first, I just saw it as a really cool partnership. But the more
