Grant et al., 2007: Engaging in a 5-minute interaction with a scholarship beneficiary increased money raised among unversity fundraisers over the next month
Reference:
Grant, A. M., Campbell, E. M., Chen, G., Cottone, K., Lapedis, D., & Lee, K. (2007). Impact and the art of motivation maintenance: The effects of contact with beneficiaries on persistence behavior. Organizational behavior and human decision processes, 103(1), 53-67.
Download PDFSummary:
University fundraisers given the opportunity to meet and have a respectful 5-minute interaction with a scholarship beneficiary raised 171% more money over the next month. This effect was observed above and beyond both a no-treatment control condition and a condition in which participants read and discussed a one-page letter from a beneficiary about how the scholarship had made a difference in their life. It was mediated by a greater perceived impact of their work and greater persistence.
Psychological Process:
Need
Need to BelongWhat Desired Meaning is At Stake?
What is the Person Trying to Understand?
To Feel Connected, Included, Respected, and Valued by OthersApproach to Desired Meaning
What about it?
Link Belonging to a Behavior or Attitude to Motivate Positive ChangeHow?
Psychological Question Addressed
Will this behavior help other people?Will this behavior help other people?Linking social connections and feelings of belonging to goal pursuitsPsychological Question Addressed
Will this behavior help other people?Psychological Process 2:
Psychological Process 3:
Social Area:
Work
Intervention Technique:
Prompting by altering situations