Paper What to say to round up more donors, or bigger donations.
Charitable organizations wish to increase the number of contributions as well as the average contribution they received. However, for potential donors, these are to some extent independent decisions. The decision to contribute depends on the motivation to express commitment to a cause, while the contribution size depends on the motivation to make progress and move the organization’s goal forward. Accordingly, different appeals motivate the decision to contribute versus increase the contribution size. Specifically, across 3 field studies and 2 lab studies (total N = 15,655), “express support” messages increased the number of contributions more than “make a difference” or control messages, while “make a difference” messages increased the average contribution more than “express support” or control messages. These findings offer theoretical implications for what motivates giving and practical implications for how charitable campaigns can motivate potential people to provide help. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved)
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