There is a popular bumper sticker that implores the reader to “Commit random acts of kindness and senseless beauty.” As with a lot of pop culture in the Internet age, it’s entirely unclear who coined the phrase. Wikipedia documents several sources.

What’s most encouraging about the expression is how it has “gone viral” without any formal backing or official sanctioning. Which leads us to Web based organizations like The Secret Society for Creative Philanthropy.

Forbes calls it “guerrilla philanthropy.” The basic idea is that “agents” from the SSCP anonymously give $100 to people with the promise that they recipient will donate the $100 in some creative fashion. People regularly offer their own innovative suggestions, such as: “Pay the bill for people who are angry and impatient in line, to remind them not to sweat the small things. We have all been stressed out and in that place before.”

Okay, so one hundred one dollar bills handed out in small portions isn’t going to solve world hunger. But making philanthropy a compassionately creative process is a neat idea. SSCP is getting global attention. Maybe because it taps into some universal desire to validate the innate kindness of humanity.

What I like about it is how it turns the notion of philanthropy upside down and reminds us that we can all—with a little creative leverage—make a positive difference with small, sometimes whimsical, actions.

When you’re having a bad day, how good does it feel for someone to notice you with a kind thought or small gesture? And sometimes giving a kind thought or gesture feels even better. Which is great because when you’re digging in your own rubble, a small gesture might be all you can afford!