A pay-it-forward scheme works like this. Person A does a good deed for Person B and just asks that, in return, Person B does a good deed for someone. Person B does a good deed for Person C and just asks that, in return, Person C does a good deed for someone. The cycle continues like this, with the goal being to create a flowing river of good deeds.
Pay-it-forward schemes have been a trope for a very, very long time, there was even a bad movie made about it (oh Hollywood, what would we do without you). However, as even the movie acknowledges, they are notorious for eventually fizzling out. If you had the authority or whatever that would allow you to and were to ignite a chain for as long as possible, how would you do it?
I own an LGS and during covid I had a lot of “paying it forward” and it created a LOT of extra work for me for very little pay out.
I had a friend from high school who now lives 2200 miles away. He purchased a game through my online shop and instead of shipping it to him he had me give it to someone local. That person bought a game, and did the same thing. This went on for two weeks or so. Everyone wanted me to do some kind of contest for their game. I was putting in 2-3 hours of work for $20 or so. After two weeks or however long it was, I gave up. I told the last person who bought it I gave it to a random person.
This was all during the lock down so I could not even be open at the time. I had to hand deliver the prize around town, or set up a place for them to pick it up. I loved the idea of it all, but it was not worth it on my end at all.
I think you touched on how to make pay it forward work: make it as low effort as possible.
In this case, while you had lots of work, the people “paying it forward” had almost none. Thus the chain was able to go for as long as you were willing.