Here’s a subtle, yet powerful principle: the more action, time, and money people invest into something, the more committed they become to doing it. This is even true when, at times, that commitment may not be in their best interest.
Here’s an example:
A young woman was stopped on the street by an attractive, nicely dressed man who said, “Pardon me, I’m part of a contest and I need a pretty woman just like you to help me win.” He went on to explain that the way he gained points in the contest was by getting complete strangers to kiss him.
Though surprised, the woman was even more flattered that the nice looking man thought she was pretty. After giving it a quick thought, she gave him a quick peck on his cheek.
The man then said, “Wow! That was great. But the real contest I’m hoping to win is to sell magazine subscriptions. Are you interested in any of these magazines?”
Though the woman had an initial response of indignation, because she had already “committed” by kissing him on his cheek, she felt compelled to buy a magazine subscription from him.
This same experiment was repeated many times with the same result.
The more actions we take and the more we invest in something, the more committed we become to seeing it through to its conclusion.
Takeaway: The more actions you get a donor to take, the more committed he/she becomes to furthering the investment they have already made in your nonprofit. So give donors important things to do, events to attend, seminars to learn from, lectures to listen to, etc. It will further their commitment to your cause.
Please share ways you have of applying this “commitment” principle.