Platform uses personal connections to raise $10,000 in three hours

We’ve seen numerous efforts in the non-profit sector to re-think the way people donate, but it wasn’t until recently that we came across a method quite so personal as Taylor Conroy’s. Ten In Three is his initiative to persuade groups of friends to contribute USD 10,000 in just three hours, to be put towards the construction of a new school in a disadvantaged area. After a period of research, Conroy devised a list of five key motivators which inspire people to donate to charity: group mentality, tangible outcome, micro-giving, personal connection, and recognition. Using these, he sent the following text message to a group of his friends: “You, me, and a bunch of our friends are going to get together to build a school in Kenya for hundreds of deserving kids. We are all giving $3.33 a day for 3 quick months (I know you spend more than that on hair product every month). There is a site being made with your picture on it – your mom is going to be so proud.” The text raised USD 5,000, and inspired him to create a platform which would enable others to raise similar amounts of money using the five motivators. The website encourages groups of 33 friends to donate USD 3.33 every day to go towards the construction of a school. The location of the school can be chosen by the group. In order to give recognition to the givers, as well as spreading the word about the project, a website is created with the donors’ pictures on, and web badges and email signatures are emailed to all members of the group. When the email signature is clicked on, the website that subsequently opens with details of the project will also feature a large image of the email sender. In order to create a personal connection, when a user sends out the initial invitation email to 32 of their friends, they record personalized video messages for each recipient. In total, it takes approximately three hours for an individual to record and send out the invitations, with the potential to raise USD 10,000 to build a school for disadvantaged children. A video with more details on the project can be viewed below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aC02SmuOxYI

The five motivators identified by Conroy certainly seem to be effective. Those working in fundraising, there are lessons to be learnt here and plenty to be inspired by! Spotted by: Bianca Bartz