What would you do with $500?
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A while back, my friend Tom told me about something he was building called “Drop Dead Generous”. Drop Dead Generous is handing out $500,000. Not to one person. To 1,000 people. Each person gets $500, and they have to fulfill three requirements:
That’s it. No pitch deck. No performance metrics. No viral optimization. Just a question they decided to test: What if we gave more than we took? Here’s the part that intrigues me: Most people base their generosity on a feeling. You wait until you’re moved. But Tom and his team turned it into a constraint: “Here’s $500. Do something kind.” Now you have a boundary. And that’s the key, because constraints are where creativity actually begins. It’s easy to say, “I wish more people were generous.” It’s harder (and much more interesting) to build a system that makes generosity inevitable. With Drop Dead Generous, Tom and his team have built exactly that. People have used the money to upcycle bikes for local kids, host community arts events for working class artists, and create recovery gardens for people fighting cancer. One woman used the money to hire an Elvis impersonator for her parents' vow renewal. Another man used his $500 to purchase meals for vulnerable people in his community. Then, inspired by his generosity, others joined in and raised an additional $6,590, which paid for hundreds of meals. How cool is that? If you’ve ever wished there was a way to put a little more good into the world without waiting for permission, this might be up your alley. There are still 721 grants left. You can join the experiment, apply for a grant, or simply follow along and see what people create. Or just steal the constraint for yourself: What would I do with $500 to create something good? Sometimes the right question is all you need. Happy Friday, friends. Make it a generous one. Kyle Scheele |
Kyle Scheele
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