Then it spreads everywhere.
The Workplace Acts of Service Initiative embeds everyday compassion into Portland's small businesses — building cultures of care one workday at a time, then watching them ripple outward into neighborhoods and community life.
"This pilot is not a smaller version of a mature program.
It is a carefully scoped experiment — designed to test the core model before expanding its surface area."
Clarity on scope is the difference between a pilot that generates actionable learning and one that exhausts its organization before it proves anything. Here's exactly what we're building this year — and what waits for Year 2.
A pilot is an experiment, not just a small program. These are the specific questions we're designed to test — and honest answers to all five will determine whether, how, and at what scale the program expands.
Designed around your workday, not around our schedule. Every element fits inside existing time — no extra commitments, no new meetings, no disruption to what you've already built.
Every act in this menu passes three filters: low-burden, universally appropriate regardless of team composition, and doable by any employee without organizational authority.
These guidelines exist to protect both employees and community members. They're presented as care for the community, not liability management.
Champions submit a 2-minute weekly log. That's the entire data collection burden. These five metrics tell us whether real culture shift is happening — not just activity.
We use disciplined language here because strong operational design deserves honest outcome claims. "Target" means we'll measure it. "Assess" means we don't yet know what we'll find.
Pilot enrollment is open now to Portland small businesses with 5–50 employees in East Portland, Old Town, and St. Johns. No financial cost in year one. What we ask is simple: show up, try the acts, and help us learn what works.
Questions? Email programs@humbletravelers.org or visit humbletravelers.org