Say it again for funders in the back.
If enough donors say it about you, it’s true.
And funders trust familiar organizations.
↳ But don’t trust unfamiliar brands.
Why?
The power of repetition.
Let me explain. ⤵
The Chinese proverb “Three Men Make a Tiger” says people will believe anything if enough others tell them it’s true (just three other people, in fact). Like a tiger roaming around the village.
Psychologist Daniel Kahneman explains something similar:
“A reliable way to make people believe… is frequent repetition, because familiarity is not easily distinguished from truth.”
How does it work?
It’s called the 𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘦-𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘦𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵. A psychological phenomenon. We all eventually trust, believe, and prefer things for no other reason than because we’ve heard about them enough times.
So use this tool in your fundraising:
Keep your messaging consistent
Repeat it on every comms channel
Sometimes the formula isn’t complicated.
And if repetition alone makes people believe in a phony tiger (or a corrupt politician), surely our nonprofits can capitalize on this phenomenon with your donor storytelling.
In short:
Let familiarity fuel your funding.
Brand consistency = credibility.
Repeat, repeat, repeat to resonate.
💪🏽💛
The Daily Bonus
A visual representation of “Three Men Make a Tiger” — and the power of enough people repeating the same message.
The Double Daily Bonus
To repeat the topic of repetition, here’s a gem of a quote from Ross Simmonds.
