Urgency
A sense of urgency signals the relative importance of a task, tackles our procrastination and motivates us to act. Deadlines are often used to signal urgency but they might backfire. Long deadlines give permission to procrastinate and a chance to forget about it. Short deadlines increase responses immediately but no responses come in after it’s passed.
Example
Language like “respond now”, “urgent respond needed” can increase the number of people taking that action.
Fundraising opportunity
Increase responses to your appeals by using language that signals urgency. Avoid arbitrary deadlines as overall they result in lower responses compared to no deadlines. However, if you’re working towards a real deadline, make sure you publicise it when you’re a week away.
Knowles, S., Servátka, M., & Sullivan, T. (2016). Deadlines, procrastination, and inattention in charitable tasks: A field experiment.
Ask A Behavioral Scientist
Behavioral Science Q & A
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