Step 1 – Select your Group of Recipients and Target Area(s)
Select recipients that you feel will make use your gesture the most, for Christmas this might be families that have no budget for toy presents or even a decent christmas meal
Decide on one or multiple target areas where you find enough recipients, keep in mind that larger areas require more time for distribution.
Step 2 – Select the Number and Type of Items you want to give away
Toy Presents: Balls or Plush Toys are a good choice for children. If you want more variety, you can also add toy cars, bricks (for smaller children), painting sets, etc. Ideally do not buy presents randomly as some present ideas you find online (like chess games) are just not that popular among children.
Groceries: Try to match groceries that can feed a whole family (4-8 people depending on the target area and country), that can be made easily without a big kitchen or cooking skills and that somehow are still considered a better-than-normal meal. Try to not use groceries that need to be cooled and fresh groceries only if you can prepare everything within a short amount of time
Check the pricing per piece, if you buy larger amounts you might can buy wholesale or from the factory directly. Decide on a number that you feel comfortable to afford.
Consider the size and total weight of the items (larger numbers can sum up to a higher total weight very fast), you still have to transport and distribute them
Step 3 – Plan a Setup and Flow of Distribution
There are two parts of the distribution: Transportation and Handover
Transportation: Do you want to use a vehicle? Can you do it alone or do you need help? Can you load everything at once or need to go back inbetween to load more items?
Handover: How will you find the recipients? How will you approach them? Will you say something before or afterwards? Will you wear a costume?
Better provide groceries or presents ahead of christmas so your recipients won’t waste own money on something you already plan to give them
If you have to record the handover, don’t hold the camera straight into your recipients face or even ask them to pose. Recipients will not feel good about receiving your gift if they are just used for your YouTube video.
Step 4 – Buy and prepare all Materials required for your Plan
Organize all materials so you can prepare and pack the finalized gifts as efficient as possible
It’s often nice to add a message to your gift, even if they are just printed out on paper and taped onto the gift. People will wonder why you gave them a gift, tell them what you want them to know, as short as possible.
Pack finalized gifts into boxes or similar so they can be stored and later loaded easier
Step 5 – Organize help for Distribution if necessary
Especially when giving away many gifts, you might need a vehicle and potentially even a driver or rider that helps you while you give the gifts to the recipients
Make sure the vehicle is able to support the total size and weight
Themed vehicles, costumes etc. can be used but are more optional as the recipients might not all notice them
Step 6 – Do the Distribution
If your plan was detailed enough, most will work as planned
Prepare some more time than you think for unexpected situations (traffic, not finding enough recipients right away, etc.)
Be flexible in case something goes wrong to at least make the best out of it for yourself and the recipients. It’s the thought that counts and many people will appreciate that already.
Don’t set your expectations for reactions too high. Some people can be happy even without freaking out
