In the social change sector, groups are convened to advance a specific, collective purpose. But when I dig under the surface for what truly motivates people to be there, I observe:The shared purpose is important for people to know what this group is roughly about, what kind of people they can expect. It’s an initial reason to say yes and to give this group a try.90% of people’s energy comes from their own personal interest. Often members are part of these groups exactly because they are working on their own purpose-driven projects.Almost always, there is much talk and conversation about the shared purpose. But the individual interest gets unmentioned.
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- [note::I see this dynamic in EA too. How many EA Philly people actually donate a certain percentage (i.e. 10%) of their income or do direct work v.s. just engage with EA because they find it intellectually interesting?
My guess is 60/40 (donating/non-donating). Knowing the true value of this ratio might influence us exclusive I believe EA should be.]

I think we do a big disservice, not only to the individual members, but to these groups overall, if we stigmatize personal interest:Many groups struggle with engagement. We need to be clear and honest about why people show up. Personal motivations are the biggest source of energy for any group. We need to understand what will get them to show up not just once, but why they will continue to engage.If we understand their personal needs, we can choose formats and practices that help them advance their projects (vs deepening the shared purpose).
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- [note::Agree. I think we should make efforts to better understand the "selfish" goals of community members and acknowledge that these goals are both normal and (probably) good to hold.
This is also true for companies and other organizations, not just communities.]

I have also noticed that this gap, between personal and shared motivation, isn’t true in all groups. The smaller and more local a group gets, the more closely aligned personal and shared interests can become. But the bigger the group, the broader and vaguer the purposes often are.
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