Help Donors See an Incremental Difference

Be careful with large numbers.

If you raised $100 million, that’s great. But imagine somebody donating $5 to the charity. Would it even matter?

Donors want to feel like they’re making a difference.

How to Apply

• Commit to a Small Minimum Threshold. Which is better: We'll donate at least $1 million? Or up to $1 million? Large minimums can be scary for sponsors — if nobody donates, it’s a high cost. When Fage yogurt was donating $0.20 for every valid purchase, participants were more likely to buy Fage with a small minimum of $10,000 (vs. $10 million) because their individual contribution felt more impactful to reach this goal (Tsiros & Irmak, 2020).

• Mention a Smaller Portion of Progress. Trying to raise $10k? Should you mention the progress you've made? Or remaining progress? Initially, you should mention the accrued donations (e.g., we raised $1,000). After crossing the halfway point toward your goal, switch to remaining progress (e.g., only $4,000 left). In both cases, this number will be smaller — and this smaller size is more motivating (Koo & Fishbach, 2012).

• Koo, M., & Fishbach, A. (2012). The small-area hypothesis: Effects of progress monitoring on goal adherence. Journal of Consumer Research, 39(3), 493-509.
• Tsiros, M., & Irmak, C. (2020). Lowering the minimum donation amount increases consumer purchase likelihood of products associated with cause-related marketing campaigns. Journal of Marketing Research, 57(4), 755-770.