The Helpers

If you want to register your charity or organisation... or if you would like to find one to support, please visit the website: thehelpers.co.za

South Africa is filled with people doing good. Centralising those efforts helps volunteers, donors, and charities connect faster and create a bigger impact. #TheHelpers #HelpingHands #SouthAfricaCares #HelpingSA #CommunityCare #KindnessInAction thehelpers.co.za/centralised-ki…

Friends, I want to tell you about The Helpers. ❤️ #helpers #charity #gethelp #help #southafrica

I am sitting here this morning with immense gratitude. I love Facebook memories. It gives me so much insight into my life. And where I was in another time. 12 years ago, my entire life changed. I am sure you know the story by now. Neknominations were sweeping the globe. Millions of videos were being uploaded of people drinking online, doing something silly. And then nominating people to “outdo” what they had done. I decided to feed a homeless person instead. To commit a “random act of kindness”. It flipped the game on its head. And all of a sudden, millions of people around the world decided to also change their Neknomination into a RAKnomination. That’s when the “Random Acts of Kindness” movement was born… here in South Africa. I was featured in the news around the world. You name it, I was on it. It was f*cking bizarre. And completely overwhelming. For weeks, I was being interviewed, and published, and asked questions. CNN even flew a crew out to do a documentary on me. Ellen mentioned me. And I was featured by Oprah (and then years later, I had lunch with her… ja, Ops and me). I was also being tagged in posts from all over the world. Millions of people had been inspired by this very “average” South African. And they were all doing good things. It's all over my Facebook memories today. That was when Good Things Guy was born. It took a year, but that one choice I made that day planted the seed for what it has become today. South Africa’s top good news site. Reaching 35 million people every month. WTAF. That's insane!!! Yesterday I was on stage delivering a Keynote. I was telling my story. About how one small change can impact you in ways that you could never imagine. About how what we do matters. And about how everything we do is part of our legacy. I think there’s something really powerful there. I drink. Good grief, I love me a mimosa or 10. I could have easily joined the trend back then. But something moved me not to. Was it God? The universe? My upbringing? I’ll never really know exactly why I did what I did. But it happened. And then my life changed. Completely. I decided to do something kind. And then everything changed. “Change one thing. Change everything.” We all have moments, every day, where we get to choose how we show up. We don’t always see the ripple. And we rarely understand the reach. But it’s there. What we do matters more than we realise, even when we think no one is watching. Actually, especially then. After my talk, the company's CEO told everyone he had asked me to deliver a Keynote because of something I posted on social media. Everything we do matters. With kindness. And immense gratitude. Okay. Love you. Bye. youtu.be/I3HvaScTCjE

“The Helpers” has been live for a couple of weeks now. We have already had 220 charities and organisations (you don’t have to be an official NPO) publish their pages on the site. We also have LOADS of pending registrations (people who are all busy sprucing up their pages with the team's help before they go live). It’s bladdy fantastic. But what is even more incredible is the “visits”. We have had thousands of South Africans visiting the platform to lend a helping hand. Every day, people just browsing the organisations, getting to know the charities doing the most in our country. And then connecting with the causes they believe in. Or need help from. We even had someone reach out to 13 different organisations with a simple message, “I have a couple of hours to volunteer every week, please let me know what I can do”. @TheHelpersSA was created to be a platform where charities and organisations can ask for help, but also a place where South Africans can find help. And it is working. Goeie genade. It’s for individuals who need help. It’s for people who want to help. And it’s for South Africans who still believe in the power of showing up for each other. Fred Rogers said, “In times of tragedy, we need to look for the helpers because they will always be there…” but I like to add to that, “If you can’t find a helper… then it is your responsibility to become one!” And you are doing exactly that. For more information, to register your organisation, or to find help, visit thehelpers.co.za. Okay. Love you. Bye.

I started South Africa’s top good news site. And climbed Kilimanjaro. And have travelled to almost 40 countries. And learnt how to ride a motorbike. And self-published 3 books. And delivered many, many Keynotes… even once to 65,000 people. I’ve gone upside down in an aeroplane. And met Prince Harry. I was once named as one of the “World’s Top 100 Innovation Success Stories”. And I survived a reality TV show. And had lunch with Oprah. And was even a GQ “man of the year”. But I think this is one of the most important things that my team and I have done. At Good Things Guy, we get the opportunity to tell good news stories every single day. But many of these stories are born from trauma. And heartache. We sometimes get messages and feel completely helpless. We wanted to build something that would change that narrative. Today we launch ‘The Helpers’. An extension to Good Things Guy. I like to call it a “Tinder” for charities, organisations and individuals who do good. It connects South Africans to the help they need… or the help they want to give. Fred Rogers said, “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” But I like to add to that… “If you can’t find a helper, then it is your responsibility to become one”. The Helpers is where you can do just that. I had a proper cry this morning. Tyler, our incredible editor at Good Things Guy is in tears too. I believe this platform is going to do so much good for South Africa. We are the helpers we’ve been looking for. Okay. Love you. Bye.

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Something is coming. Soon. We (the @GoodThingsGuy team) have been working on something really special. It all started during 2020. COVID-19. That time we don’t speak of anymore. Our inboxes were flooded, not just with stories of hope and resilience, but with hundreds (and then thousands) of messages from South Africans who needed help. Urgently. From people needing food parcels and shelter, to families desperate to escape abuse, to animal lovers trying to rescue strays with nowhere else to turn, the need was (and still is) overwhelming. Just this morning, at 5am, when I woke up, I replied to a wife who is trying to get her husband “bumped up” on the dialysis list, and a single mom of 3 looking for food for her family and her dogs, as well as a cancer patient trying to raise money for private treatment, and a woman trying to source a water tank for her family, so they don’t have to walk kilometers to drink, cook or bath. Then there are the countless messages and emails we receive asking for employment or money. Every day. It never ends. The need in South Africa is vast. A country where over 60% of our population can’t find work. And over 90% of our population lives below the dignity line. Read those stats again. Voetsek ANC. I digress. Jammer Wimpie. Our incredible editor, @tylerleighv, quietly created a “Charity” section on Good Things Guy (in 2020) to list trusted organisations people could turn to. That section grew. And grew. And grew. And so did the need. So in 2025, in honour of Good Things Guy’s 10-year birthday, we decided to build something bigger. Something better. Something that could genuinely change lives. @TheHelpersSA is that something. It’s for individuals who need help. It’s for people who want to help. And it’s for South Africans who still believe in the power of showing up for each other. We partnered with @druffweb, who have been working on the site for months now. And we are almost ready to push play. I am so flipping excited. This is going to help so many people. Coming soon. Okay. Love you. Bye.