Getting People to Publicly Support a Cause Can Be Counterproductive

Nonprofits hope that getting people to publicly support a cause will plant the seed for deeper commitment later on, but research shows that inducing a private gesture of support can be much more effective. For example, in an experiment in a public space, people who accepted a free poppy “to wear right now” in support of war veterans subsequently contributed 60% less money to a veterans’ fund than those who had accepted a poppy simply “to take with you,” says a team led by Kirk Kristofferson, a doctoral student at the University of British Columbia. A public display of support often satisfies people’s need to present themselves in a positive light, and they subsequently lose interest in the cause.