Do you want people to donate monthly? Then ask for a one-time donation first. People want to be consistent in their behaviour. If they agree to a small request first, they’re more likely to agree to a larger request later.
Freedman and Fraser demonstrate this in an experiment. In a residential area where people were driving too fast, residents were asked to place a large billboard in their garden asking drivers to slow down. Only 17% agreed. The researchers repeated the experiment, but first asked people to place a small sticker with the same message behind their window. Almost everyone agreed. A few weeks later, the researchers visited the same people again and asked them to place a large billboard with the same message. This time, 76% agreed.
This 'foot-in-the-door' technique works, because once we commit to something, we like to continue to do it, thus being consistent in our actions. The same goes for donations. If we donate once, there is a high chance that we’ll want to continue this behaviour and agree to a monthly donation.
This also works the other way around, via the 'door-in-the-face' technique. If you first make a large request, it will likely be refused. If you then make a smaller request, the chances are high that the donor will agree to this request.
Cialdini explains why this strategy works. If you first refuse a large request and then the other person makes a smaller request, you feel as though the other person has compromised for you and your wishes. This effort of lowering the donation amount, makes you feel that you should also compromise.
These examples show that you need to think carefully about the feelings of the donor while they are making the choice to donate. Is it more sensible to ask for a large request or a small request to begin with? Put yourself in the donor’s shoes, test it with research or in your surroundings, and increase the effectiveness of your campaign.
