Event Launch Strategies

We have this exciting discussion going on on Facebook about collecting the donations into one pool eventually so that we can do something on a much more grander scale than seen before. The good thing about our presence on social networks is that it’s possible for us to be able to raise tens and thousands of dollars if we approach it the right way. If our core 100 people just get 10 of their trusted friends to join the cause… and if everyone just puts away $10… we’d have $10,000 off the bat right there and then. Now instead of increasing the amount per person, we can just spread the message out horizontally to a larger audience base, consequently inviting more people to join in. The best and most tested social approach of doing that is to choose the right ten people in the front place - if you get 10 people who believe in the cause, suave to same moves, beat the same drums; then they would easily be able to invite ten of their close friends as well. So that can effectively result in 100 (core) * 10 (friends) * 10 (friends of friends) * $10 each = $100,000 within a day or so with zero marketing. I mean lets face it, in a world where people have at least 200 online friends here, a good 300 online friends there - finding ten isn’t the problem… the real problem is making sure you choose the right kind of people.

So this sounds all good in theory - but exactly how does it work? It comes down to three things: a- the caliber of the people that you invite, b- your relationship with the person invited, c- the amount of money donated per person. If any one of these elements goes missing the entire equilibrium breaks down into tiny pieces. The best analogy that comes to my mind is that of the airplane game which was pretty popular back in the 80’s before becoming illegal in most parts of the world.

Understanding the Pyramid Scheme Model:

Basically the concept of the game was based on a pyramid scheme of a group of people who got together at fortune parties - the pyramid was made out of different participatory levels from passengers to flight attendants, all the way up to co-pilots and pilots. So in a group of 30 people if each passenger level person added $1000 to enter the game, the top pilot would get a $16,000 payout when piloted out at the top of the scheme, with the option of coming back into the game again as a passenger. So the top players would fly high for a good few times while the bottom rungs would slowly be thrown out of the pyramid and replaced with new lots. So if you had 16 people in the bottom rung, you’d get 16 new people with a $1000 each (the amount typically ranged between $10-$1500) every week. The thing that made the game interesting (and banned) was the gambling model that it was based on - you could never really tell whether or not you would get lucky - and it would usually be a good idea to step out before losing everything that you won - so pulling yourself out of it was like leaving a casino when you’re winning. Let’s just say, it took a lot of will. The system starts to break down when you bring in greed, gullibility, desperation and animosity - which is why it was eventually banned. What I’m talking about is the basic concept, not the validity of the game.

It’s a game where the best players stick, the weaker links are replaced each week - so that the collective power of the group is increased over time. The stronger the bonds that they share the more money they collectively make up. So when the caliber of the new people decreases the game would start to lose momentum - which is why the smart winners would step out of the game after flying high 4-5 times just to be safe. But if you keep playing well as a whole then the party could easily make over 16 to 100 grands eventually.

If the relationship with the new people that you invite as passengers isn’t good, then the trust issues lead to desperation which results in the game losing momentum. So it’s not always just about the caliber of the people that matters - its also about how much they trust you and how much are they willing to push through their comfort zones for you. So you can bring in a person of very high caliber but if he has friction with the team, he’d bring more harm to the plane than good.

How simple is it to raise funds for Earth Day?

So the key to winning the game is to pick really good quality people from the start - the stronger the team the better. In our case, of course, it’s not about one person winning. It’s not about piloting anyone out. It’s about one person putting down money for a cause and recruiting 10 people to put down their money, who can in turn recruit ten more people to the cause who put down their money. It’s not about sending your money to anyone - you just have to put it under your pillow until YOU decide what organization you want to donate it to. It’s just a model of exponential increase in the collective funds being raised - and the truth is that with the Earth day just 40 days away this geometric progression is the best way to be able to buy that gift that we’ve been working so hard for.  After all, it’s your party - you can care if you want to. Here’s a laugh:

So, like I said earlier the other day, the success of our Earth day Campaign would all come down to the caliber of friends that the first 100 people invite. If the second group of 1000 people are of the caliber that I know the first 100 are of, then we could really achieve this without a doubt.

Think about this for a second: How difficult is it really? And how much can something so small make the world a better place?

Here’s a beautiful video for you to watch, enjoy and learn from - as humans there’s no boundaries to what we are capable of achieving if only we can put our egos aside and work together. Here’s to a great team who has been proving it week after week that we’re in for a bigger game!

If you are reading this on facebook you are going to have to visit my blog to watch the video. Go to my website and search the header, use the key words “pyramid scheme” to watch the video.

Simon U Ford (SUF.EDBD)

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It’s Earth day 2009! If our generation doesn’t act now, our kids, kids may not have a choice - Act Now, Click Here

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