Doing good is contagious

The Bedari Kindness Institute at the University of California, Los Angeles, seeks to answer a simple question: Is kindness contagious? Jessica Wolf wrote about some of their research in an article published on the UCLA website on January 5, 2023. Participants in the study watched one of two videos. One was Unsung Hero, a viral video in which a man stops to help others while going about his daily routine. The other video was of a man performing parkour stunts. At the end, participants were given an envelope with five $1 bills as an honorarium for their time. They were then invited to donate to UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital and given privacy to determine what amount, if any, to give. Those who watched the Unsung Hero video donated 25 percent more to charity.

Just as peer pressure can cause us to replicate negative behavior, watching someone do good can inspire others to do it as well. In a study conducted by the University of Texas at Austin, researchers confirmed that witnessing prosocial behavior can have a strong influence on others. The study’s leading author, Haesung (Annie) Jung, a Ph.D. student at the time, is quoted on the University’s website. “Just like the deadly virus,” She said, “Cooperative behavior can also be transmitted across people. These findings remind the public that their behavior can impact what others around [us] do.”

This is why SAMU First Response encourages those who support our mission to talk to others about why they give and how that giving makes a difference. Whether the gift is financial or a gift of time, it is critical that the work doesn’t stop when the check is signed or the volunteers checks out. Karrie Wozniak, the Senior Vice President of Marketing at OneCause, a mobile fundraising software company, is quoted in an article she authored on Forbes.com. “We found that 57% of donors hear about upcoming fundraising events from their social groups,” She said, “With only

26% of event donors hearing directly from the nonprofit.”

Given this, here are five things you can do as a donor, a volunteer, or even an employee, to help forward and support SAMU’s good work.

1. Share your passion. As Catherine mentioned above, statistics and news articles tell a detached story. When you believe in the work, that passion comes across in every personal appeal you make, wherever you make it.

2. Introduce us to your networks. You have lots of friends. Help us meet them! When you share what you are doing to support our work, you help us open doors to build new relationships.

3. Help us identify major gift prospects. Maybe you work at a company that matches employee contributions, or you just read about a new grant opportunity for those who serve migrants. Let us know!

4. Serve as an advocate in the community. Whether you share what we do with your neighbors, colleagues, house of faith or your kid’s school, you help SAMU amplify our reach as an organization.

5. Host a special event. If you like to entertain, having a fundraising dinner, golf outing, or other special event can be a great way to help us network and make the connections that provide critical support for our work.

Visit us at https://samufirstresponse.org/homepage/ be-an-ambassador/ to learn more and download tools you can use to be an ambassador for SAMU.