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 con...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Motivation science 2021-09, Vol.7 (3), p.291-305
Main Authors: Koo, Minjung, Fishbach, Ayelet, Park, Hye Kyung
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Charitable Behavior
Commitment
Female
Human
Male
Messages
Motivation
Organizational Objectives
Citations: Items that cite this one
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Summary: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.
ISSN:2333-8113
2333-8121
DOI:10.1037/mot0000228