Lets say you’re trying to raise money. Lets say you’re trying to raise $100.
It’d be simple and easy to go to a wealthy person who is already pumped with your cause and share a convincing story about why you need $100. She’ll probably give it to you.
It is a much greater hassle to go to 100 people and tell them a compelling story and simply ask for $1.
But they’ll probably give you more than that. And out of 100 people, there will be some who will tell their friends, family, church or drinking buddies about your cause.
A friend of mine wrote this a few weeks ago:
“One spring break while I was in college, I had a friend who had a $200.00 ticket to England and she offered to sell it to me. I wanted to go! I didn’t have $200.00 but that didn’t stop me. My family didn’t have a whole lot of money. I had just paid for a ticket that winter break to go to England. I could barely make the money to pay for college and supplies. That didn’t stop me. I was unreasonable and was determined. I asked around for ideas. I knew I didn’t know anyone who could lend me $200.00 or 2 people who could lend me $100.00 bucks…. but what my friends pointed out to me was that I knew 200 people who could give me $1. So, I was unreasonable and asked 200 people for a dollar. In the end I got $225.00″ http://charlottesal.wordpress.com/2010/02/18/im-being-unreasonable/