While I was in the shower a couple of minutes ago, I figured out this simple concept to help some homeless people:

If you own a bar, you want publicity, it has to reach out and make a positive connection to your bar. So you'd probably make some flyers and spread them. My simple concept adds to that, as follows:

1) Make flyers (postcard size)

• On the front side, 'One free beer for this good person'
• On the backside, '......... is a good person'
• Perhaps a little bit of design work to make it look 'official' (you'll understand if you read the rest)

2) Make contact with a homeless person who is willing to do some simple work

• Give him the flyers, a pen (and a back-up pen), and instructions how to make money out of this
• It would be fair to pay him/her some money for this spreading as he's spreading your flyers.

3) Selling the cards; the instructions for the homeless person:

• Ask people on the street if they want to buy a card that states they are a good person.
• If that doesn't help, ask if they want a free beer.
• Say that they can buy a card that says officially they are a good person, ánd get's them a free beer.
• Then the homeless person needs to ask for the name of this person, write it on the dotted line so it states (for example) 'Jimmy is a good person'.
• Then he can sell this card for a euro/dollar (or more).
• The homeless persons then explains to the person that this card equals a free beer at this bar.

4) Getting the free beer.

• If Jimmy walks to the bar, and he can show the card, he get's a 'stamp of approval' in the bar. (which makes it more official and makes sure he can't use the card again for another beer next week).
• The bartender says, 'to congratulate you on being a good person, you get a free beer'.
• This way people start with a positive feeling while they just entered the bar.

As I'm busy with my own project ( www.makingthesite.com ), I have no time to test this out, but I have a gut feeling that this should work. It would be really cool if someone could try if this works. It would only cost you a couple of printed flyers and some of your time to check it out.

Why this will work?

• People rather give money to homeless people who 'did something for the money'
• People like free beers (the money is for the side of the card, saying you are a good person.
• The backside of the card is just a bonus free beer. That is how the homeless people should sell it).
• People like to be told the are good persons. It's a possitive thing, even if it's 'arranged'.
• Bar people like extra customers
• Bar people like to be associated with something possitive like helping the homeless
• Homeless people like to receive money twice (from the bar, and from the people who buy the cards)
• Homeless people are up to the job. It doesn't require all too much skill. If they can't write; the people they sell the cards to, might even write their own name.

So this means everybody wins. The homeless get to earn some money, get into the habbit of what it feels like to work (if they haven't worked for a long time), people buying the cards are feeling good about themselves, bar people get more customers.

Another big plus is that it gives people a positive story to tell their friends ('Check this out I'm officially a good person'). This leads to two positive side effects;

1. More people know about the project, the cards might even become a hype, and the value rises, this is also good for the promotion of the bar and for the money of the homeless person.
2. It sets an example that it's not that hard to 'do good' in this world. If you want to, you can think up a concept like this in the shower, make the prints tomorrow morning and in the evening give your first costumer that free beer. This is not restricted to bars ofcourse, if you own a music store you can do something simular.

Edit: The concept needs some tweaking, as it now has a small design flaw; the homeless person might give the cards away to his/her homeless friends and they all get free beers :). Even with this small flaw, it would be worth the risk I guess.

So I hope someone will pick it up, I'll be working on my own concept. Bye the way, a big thank you for Britt for pointing to my quest for help on her blog. I'll post again when I can give an update for my project, or when I have another idea :).