Have you ever done something simply because you saw someone else doing it? The knowledge that other people are engaging in certain behaviour, such as donating money to charity, is a strong motivator to engage in this behaviour yourself.
This is partly because people like to conduct altruistic behaviour in public. In this way, we can show others that we are a good person who’s caring and helpful. We also like to follow social norms by doing what other people are doing.
A study done by Martin and Randal showed that people were inclined to donate when they saw that others had also donated.
The study was done in an art gallery with free entry. There was a box in the gallery so that visitors could donate voluntarily. The donation box was transparent, so visitors could see what was inside.
In the experiment, the box either contained a few high value bills (such as $50), several low value bills ($5), lots of coins (such as 50¢), or it was empty.
The empty box had the fewest donations and the box containing mostly coins, received the most donations. A box with a lot of coins implies that others already donated, which encourages you to donate as well. A social norm was constructed where a small contribution was appreciated.
Being able to see what people already donated, largely influenced the donation behaviour of the other visitors. We like to conform to social norms because they offer ideas of acceptable behaviour. We also like to show others that we engage in this good behaviour.
You can use this in your campaigns. Show, for example, how much others already donated or that they have signed up to volunteer.
