Have you ever been to Springwise? If not, go. It is a website dedicated to showcasing entrepreneurial ideas from all over the world.
In my latest foray on there I found this awesome guy that has researched what motivates people into donating. Once he figured that out he sweettalked/blackmailed 30 of his closest friends into donating enough money to build a school in Africa. In three hours. Pretty cool, no? And now he’s taking what he learnt global, and is building a platform so people can work their friend networks to achieve social good.
I found this pretty cool on two fronts:
1) The research that he’s done into what motivates people is really interesting (and, applicable to what project creators on PledgeMe are doing). He believes that these 5 key motivators inspire people into donating: group mentality, tangible outcome, micro-giving, personal connection, and recognition. I think all of these facets are supported through PledgeMe – our connection to facebook supports the group mentality, the reward system is tangible, crowdfunding is micro, projects are often recommended through personal networks, and you will be recognised through your profile on the website.
2) I like the fact that he started big, yet small. He had a large goal, but was able to achieve that goal through his close networks. He wasn’t selling to the masses, he was selling to the people he knew, which made his sales pitch all the more palatable. Here’s him on Ted Talks recently (another add to your must visit website list)
So, Mr. Taylor Conroy, I think you’re pretty cool. Big ups to what you’re doing, and keep it up buddy!
Article on springwise here.
Taylor’s website: www.teninthree.com
