Why don’t nonprofits offer more incentives for people to engage as a pair?
Any Sirius/XM radio fans out there? Of course the Broadway channel is preset in my car. I was listening to “Been A Long Day” from “How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying,” and was particularly intrigued by these lyrics:
SMITTY: Hey! There’s a yummy Friday’s special at Stouffer’s. It’s dollar-ninety vegetable plate. And on the bottom of the ad, Not bad, service for two, Three fifty-eight, To make a bargain, make a date.
ROSEMARY: Wonderful!
FINCH: It’s fate!
I did a little digging, and before Stouffer’s became the king of frozen-food entrees, the brand ran restaurants in several cities. And they indeed did run specials such as this one, where dining for two cost less (total of $3.58) than two people dining separately (total of $3.80). The Applebees’ “Two for $20” seems to be a modern equivalent.
But it got me thinking: Why don’t nonprofits offer more incentives for people to engage as a pair?
In this part of “How to Succeed…” Rosemary and Finch use the savings as a socially acceptable way of meeting up. We could recreate this opportunity for our customers. I know several people who love to attend cultural events, but don’t like to do it by themselves (for some, their cultural buddy is no longer able to go, or is no longer with us).
Imagine inviting these people to mix together at an event before the main attraction, providing them with some incentive (in the example above it’s a discount, but there are many other incentives to offer). Give them something to do to break the ice, give them options to drink, and invite them to talk about the experience. Then choose a future date to invite them all back again.
We’re all focused on connecting people to our art. What if we focused on connecting people to each other, with our art as the catalyst?
Time for you to implement. It’s Ron’s Monday Mission™:
Consider the above. How would you implement this at your organization? Please reply and let me know. I’d love to hear your ideas.
Have a great week,
Ron
