It was a diaper cake big enough to set a Guinness World Record—87,525 diapers. That was one of the goals when more than 500 Thrivent clients and friends in the Thrivent Member Network–Kansas and Missouri Region gathered earlier this year in Kansas City, Missouri, to pack and stack diapers.
But even a world record pales in comparison with the good that those diapers do for families who lack enough supplies to keep babies and toddlers dry and clean. The collected diapers were donated to HappyBottoms, a nonprofit that serves 6,600 families through its 63 partner agencies.
You don’t have to be part of a large group to make a difference, though.
“When you’re building a diaper cake, you start with just one diaper,” says Nancy Hintz, leader, Group Engagement in the South Central Thrivent Advisor Group. “Every act of kindness counts. It helps your neighborhood, your church, the kids at school or whatever cause is important to you. It helps someone feel valued and appreciated. And that’s the biggest world record right there. World records are going to continue to be broken; generosity is around forever.”
There are countless ways to be generous. Let the following 26 ideas inspire you to discover your own unique ways of giving in 2026.
Better your community
1. Provide equal learning opportunities: Teacher Chynsia Fowler’s Thrivent Action Team collected, funded and packed identical school supply kits for each of her second graders in Jacksonville, Florida. The supplies included paper, crayons, scissors and more. If creating kits for a full class seems like a lofty goal, ask a teacher what classroom supplies they need most, especially as the second half of the school year approaches.
2. Foster pet adoption: Organize an event that raises funds and facilitates animal adoption. Sharon Rabie of Indian Head, Maryland, organized the Family & Furry Friend Food & Fun Fall Festival to support dogs and cats at the Humane Society of Charles County, Maryland. The event included crafts, face-painting, a photo booth, tours of the no-kill shelter and a meet-and-greet with adoptable pets.
3. Help those without homes: Create hygiene kits filled with essentials like socks, a comb, Band-Aids, toothpaste and a toothbrush, snacks and body wipes to distribute. Jeanine Smith of Escondido, California, led a Thrivent Action Team that packed hygiene kits for those experiencing homelessness. Her team then met to distribute them during a weekly breakfast in the park, providing practical help and meaningful conversation.
4. Gather the family: Patti Vernon, of Ellisville, Missouri, hosts what she calls “Camp Cousins” with her grandchildren each year. This time, the fun for five of her seven grandchildren included two Thrivent Action Teams. The first team toured Home Sweet Home, a local nonprofit, and learned about helping families set up a new home after difficult circumstances. Together they collected and packaged kitchen utensils for four families and bundled dish towels and potholders for 18 more. For their second project, they teamed up with neighborhood families to collect and pack 20 backpacks for the Assistance League of St. Louis.
5. Build community across generations: With her mom in a senior living facility and her daughter in their church’s youth group, Heidi Hora of Marion, Iowa, plans to connect the generations. She’s taking members of the youth group shopping for small gifts to be given to the residents when they visit and play games with them.
6. Donate clothing: Drop off a box or bag of clothing and get an ice cream cone. Bailey Detamore and her Bible study group in Kokomo, Indiana, formed a Thrivent Action Team and collaborated with a local ice cream shop to gather 60 bundles of kids’ clothing
for the Kokomo Rescue Mission, restocking the shelter’s shelves.
7. Meet the neighbors: Organize a neighborhood potluck, enabling neighbors to meet one another and share contact information. The connection can lead to neighbors helping neighbors when someone is in need or a pet goes missing.
8. Honor veterans: On National Pi Day, March 14, Merritt Jezwinski’s Thrivent Action Team treated over 100 veterans in Appleton, Wisconsin, to more than 15 pies with ice cream and toppings. The veterans were gathered for one of the twice weekly meals hosted by Vets and Friends of Wisconsin. It was a sweet way to show gratitude for their service.
True generosity does not count the cost. It shows up with outstretched hands and open hearts, standing alongside those who need it most.
9. Organize a meal train: Do you know new parents, someone recovering from surgery or a caregiver who could use a helping hand? Set up a meal train of people willing to drop off a meal on different days of the week. Use an online program to organize it or set it up yourself.
10. Be a mentor: Sharing your knowledge and life experiences can help build confidence in others and multiply your impact. Review resumes, do mock interviews or talk through career decisions for someone in your field. Be a guide and encourager for someone in your life stage—such as parenting, caregiving, grief or starting over. As a faith-based mentor, meet regularly to study scripture, pray or talk about how to live out your faith in daily life.
11. Offer rides: For someone without transportation, a ride to church, medical appointments or the grocery store is huge. Let them know in advance when you can help, and perhaps they can combine several stops in one trip, maximizing your time while taking care of multiple needs.
12. Encourage reading: Mary and Dr. Edward Wheeler led a Thrivent Action Team to create the Mary Lou Little Library, which provides free reading materials to children and adults, at the Augusta Savage Arts and Community Center in Green Cove Springs, Florida. The Wheelers monitor and replenish books as needed, making sure everyone has the chance to discover the joy of a good book. They also hold storytelling events and book giveaways at community events.
13. Offer skills: If you’re handy with tools, help someone with home repairs. If you’re a wordsmith, share your skills with a nonprofit by helping with grant or newsletter writing. If you’re tech-savvy, help someone set up devices, navigate a face-to-face chat on the computer or recover a lost password.
14. Repair bikes: About 25 volunteers, including Lee Montanari, founder of Communicycle, and a few of his mechanics, cleaned and repaired about 90 bikes as part of a Thrivent Action Team. The bikes were then donated to churches, schools and outreach programs throughout western Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
15. Build beds: Jen Hurst’s Thrivent Action Team in Thousand Oaks, California, spent a full day turning raw lumber into all the elements for finished beds, outfitting them with mattresses and bedding for kids who had been sleeping on the floor.
Celebrate holidays
16. Host an Easter eggstravaganza: Judge Brown of Uniontown, Ohio, led a Thrivent Action Team with his Rotary Club to craft 50 Easter baskets for children in foster care. The children spent time coloring and hunting eggs, and each took home a beautiful Easter basket.
17. Honor Advent and Lent: Try a reverse Advent calendar where you set aside a gift or item each day to donate to an organization that helps others during the holidays. During Lent, forego a daily treat or luxury and donate the savings to a favorite cause.
18. Sponsor pictures with Santa: Brian Haug of Olathe, Kansas, annually opens his home to about 75 people for food and fun, and in 2024 included pictures with Santa to raise funds for Giving Hope KC. Over the past five years, he’s raised over $15,000 for various nonprofits.
19. Fulfill a wish list: Michelle Birschbach’s Thrivent Action Team set out to brighten the holidays for residents of a nursing facility in Manitowoc, Wisconsin. She created an Amazon wish list, including personal care items, coloring books and socks, then promoted it through a Facebook campaign. Gifts were shipped to her home, where her team gathered to sort and deliver the gifts.
Give financially
20. Sponsor a child or missionary: Make a monthly financial donation to an organization of your choice that works in these areas.
21. Give a ‘giving gift’: Instead of purchasing a gift for a birthday, Christmas or other occasion, make a donation in their name to their favorite charitable cause. Thrivent offers an online giving platform that enables anyone to donate to the more than 50,000 organizations enrolled in the Thrivent Choice® program. Thrivent pays the processing fee, so 100% of the donation goes to the organization.*
22. Set up a donor-advised fund: This flexible, tax-efficient charitable account is set up with an organization such as Thrivent CharitableTM. You make contributions to the fund and then can recommend grants from the fund to your favorite charities when you are ready.
Be (quietly) generous
23. Hide notes at home: Write short, heartfelt notes of encouragement and place them in unexpected spots such as on mirrors, in lunchboxes or backpacks, or in the car.
24. Give a handmade gift: Knit scarves, mittens or dishcloths; paint rocks, handcraft bookmarks—just a few ideas to spark creativity. Leave them on park benches, at bus stops, tucked into Little Free Libraries or anywhere a stranger might find them.
25. Send cards: Send unsigned cards of encouragement to people in your church, school or community. Send thank yous to medical professionals or public servants like police officers, firefighters, librarians and teachers.
26. Show support: Drop off a basket of comfort items, such as snacks, a journal or cozy socks, at someone’s door. Or leave a “hope kit” including a note, scripture cards or tea for someone dealing with anxiety, depression or burnout. Deliver a gift card for someone in crisis or navigating a life change.
Be present
Generosity can start with meeting people exactly where they’re at, with no prerequisites or judgments, only genuine compassion in the moment, says Thomas DeGarmeaux of Grace For Addictions, a nonprofit in Des Moines, Iowa, that offers virtual and in-person coaching, recovery services and mental health support.
“We believe true generosity is not found in grand gestures but in the quiet, consistent act of being fully present for those who need us,” Thomas shared on Thrivent’s Facebook page in answer to a request for followers’ favorite ways to be generous. “Our greatest joy and deepest expression of generosity lie in giving our time, our hearts and, ultimately, ourselves—freely and without expectation.
“True generosity does not count the cost. It shows up with outstretched hands and open hearts, standing alongside those who need it most.”
Donna Hein is senior editor of Thrivent Magazine.
Put your generosity in motion
Thrivent Action Teams: Enables clients with membership to make a meaningful impact in their communities. Visit the
Thrivent Choice®: Offers eligible clients the chance to influence how Thrivent distributes some of its charitable grant funding and to contribute to causes they care about.
Thrivent Cause KitTM: Give the gift of light and clean water to communities around the world. A Thrivent Cause Kit is a pre‑packaged volunteer experience to help you make an impact right from your home.
Habitat for Humanity and Thrivent partnership: Partners with families around the world in need of decent, safe and affordable housing.
Disaster response: Offers immediate relief and long-term support to help people get back on their feet after a disaster.
Thrivent CharitableTM: Empowers people with giving flexibility to support to the causes they cherish.
