Evaluate what your readers consider important. Knowing what your readers value will help you to focus on activities that they will appreciate. For example, if you are an environmental journalist, then your audience is most likely interested in conservation issues and global warming issues.
Work with your publicist to select charities to donate money to, or to be a spokesperson for. Selecting the wrong charity can hurt your image so it is important that your goodwill development efforts are well focused.
Focus your writing on topics and themes that are important to your readers. For example, you can address current human rights violations in your prose or journalism pieces exposing underlying flaws in the justice system or international laws.
Provide valuable information and/or insight in your writing. Creating writing that is worth reading will endear you to your readers and encourage them to support you and your work during good times and bad.
Become an active member of your local community, as well as your professional community. You can participate in local or professional events, lend your help to charity events sponsored by these communities, volunteer to be the spokesperson for issues that are important to the communities that you belong to and develop professional relationships with people in your communities. These efforts will generate goodwill by establishing you as part of a group, and people will view you as a part of the “in” crowd instead of the “out” crowd.