The 500 club

When I googled this term I discovered you can be part of a political club, golf club, dog walking club and  more, as well as the traditional card game! My dream is to create another version, which is a group of people who choose to be generous and gift individuals in need with $500 as a way of expressing solidarity with them and giving them a small boost up.

 $500 (or sometimes $1000) is a specifically chosen number. It's just big enough to make a difference but it's also not so big as to hugely change anyone's life (I believe people need to take responsibility for doing that themselves). It's not so big that's it's impossible for me to save towards. And that makes it repeatable.

 The limit takes out people who're already well off and might like the money but don't actually need it. I have in mind a single mum needing to pay an unexpected bill, a refugee family needing a fridge, someone long term unemployed who's just landed a job and needs some work clothes – those kinds of needs. There are plenty of other examples I can think of, but all of them involve the people trying themselves and being able to do with the encouraging.

 I've done this myself about half a dozen times in the past ten years, and I'd like to explore doing it communally. I actually have a goal to give away a million dollars in my lifetime (not through this forum, as an individual) so I like being generous. In my head it's kind of a version of crowd funding. This idea is still hatching and I'm keen to see what others think…let me know.