What is Recipes for Action?

Recipes for Action is a space for like-hearted individuals to share kind and innovative ideas for community-oriented action. Each recipe offers step-by-step guidance as well as the time commitment and supplies needed to complete projects ranging from the short term, like How to Host a Card-Making Party, to the long term, like How to Start a Repair Café.

Our goal is to create a global, crowdsourced collection of tested recipes for community action.

What do I do with a recipe?

Whether you have a few minutes or a few months, if you’re going solo or part of a team, we can’t wait for you to try out a recipe! Each recipe has been tested by real people and offers step-by-step guidance for how to create change in your community. We love when people add a little special sauce, so search our collection, select a recipe, and make it your own!

How can I submit a recipe?

Anyone can submit an idea for a Recipe for Action! If you have a great idea, we’d love to hear it. We believe that sharing what has worked in your community is one of the most powerful ways to connect with others and have an even greater impact.

But don’t worry—we don’t expect you to write out an entire recipe (that’s our job!). Instead, fill out this simple form with the brief steps and background information someone would need to try it in their community.

Once we receive your submission, a member of our team will review it and, if approved, we’ll turn it into a published recipe.

What should I include in my submission?

If your recipe isn’t fully cooked, check out the How to Host a Card-Making Party recipe to get a better sense of what to include.

Recipes should be straightforward, so try to keep your idea simple, specific, and accessible. For example, rather than “End World Hunger,” try “Start a Free Food Pantry” or “How to Reduce Food Waste at Your Office.” This offers a more defined idea and a clear starting point for somebody who wants to try out your recipe.

Let us know if your recipe requires a budget so we can consider that as we review (we don’t want cost to be a barrier to community action). In addition, tell us if you were inspired by other individuals or organizations so we can give credit where it’s due.

Finally, we’d love to highlight how you’ve implemented your recipe to move others to action! Please include your name, where you’re from, and some information about how your idea has nourished a community; if you’d prefer to remain anonymous, that’s okay, too.

What does the approval process look like?

After submitting a recipe, please allow two weeks for a member of our team to get back to you. If your recipe is accepted, you’ll be notified via the contact information you provided in the Recipes for Action submission form.

We’d love to share your recipe on social media, too! Please feel free to include your social media handles in your submission, and learn more about our privacy policy.

Why wasn’t my idea accepted?

It’s possible that your submission may not be approved for publication on Recipes for Action. Here are a few reasons why that may happen:

Your submission form did not offer enough information about your idea for our team to turn it into a recipe;
There is too high of a cost barrier for people to implement your recipe, such as prohibitively expensive supplies;
We already have a similar recipe published (great minds think alike!);
The idea is too specific or complex for others to implement;
The idea violates Idealist’s Terms of Service.

If your idea wasn’t approved by Idealist but you gave it a try anyway, we think that's great! Let us know so we can celebrate the win. As long as you adhere to our community guidelines, we’d love to help you amplify your great idea!