Global Pay It Forward Day Date in the current year: April 28, 2024

The Pay It Forward movement was inspired by Catherine Ryan Hyde’s 1999 novel Pay It Forward, which was adapted into the motion picture of the same name starring Haley Joel Osment, Helen Hunt, and Kevin Spacey.

The novel and its adaptation tell the story of Trevor McKinney, a 12-year-old boy who comes up with a plan to change the world for the better. He calls the plan “Pay It Forward”, which means that a person who receives a favor does a favor for three other people rather than paying it back. Then each of the three recipients does three more favors, making the number of favors grow in a geometric progression.

Global Pay It Forward Day was launched by Blake Beattie, an Australian author, speaker and management consultant who was inspired by Catherine Ryan Hyde’s novel. He created the celebration to show how a small act of kindness can make a big impact. Global Pay It Forward Day was first celebrated in 2007 in Australia and has since spread to over 85 countries.

On April 28, people from all over the world unite to stand for kindness and do nice things out of the goodness of their hearts without expecting anything in return. If you’re not sure what you can do to spread kindness, here are some ideas that might come in handy:

• Pay for the coffee of the person behind you in line.
• Compliment at least three people you meet during the day.
• Offer to walk your neighbor’s dog.
• Offer free babysitting to a family member.
• Buy a person in need some groceries or a gift card to a grocery store.
• Donate to a charity.
• Volunteer at a local pet shelter.
• Send a care package to a friend or family member who’s left for college and may be feeling homesick.
• Give a vacation or sick day to a co-worker who needs it.
• Buy treats for your co-workers and leave them in the break room.
• Reconnect with an old friend.
• Make amends with someone you hurt in the past.
• Forgive someone who has hurt you.
• Do all chores during the day to give your partner a break.
• Call your family members and friends to say you love them.
• Give someone a hug (but don’t forget to ask for permission first because bodily autonomy and consent are important).

In addition to paying it forward, spread the word about Global Pay It Forward Day and encourage your friends, family members, neighbors and co-workers to participate. Don’t forget to share information about the day on social media using the hashtag #PayItFordwardDay. Finally, you can celebrate Global Pay It Forward Day by inviting your friends over to watch the movie Pay It Forward or discussing the book it is based on in your book club.

Global Pay It Forward Day isn’t the only observance dedicated to spreading kindness. A similar observance named Random Acts of Kindness Day is celebrated on February 17 in the United States and on September 1 in New Zealand. However, the best way to pay it forward is to perform random acts of kindness every day and not just once or twice a year.