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An experimental test of fundraising appeals targeting donor and recipient benefits

Author

Listed:
  • John A. List

    (University of Chicago
    National Bureau of Economic Research
    Australian National University)

  • James J. Murphy

    (University of Alaska Anchorage)

  • Michael K. Price

    (National Bureau of Economic Research
    Australian National University
    University of Alabama)

  • Alexander G. James

    (University of Alaska Anchorage)

Abstract

We partnered with Alaska’s Pick.Click.Give. programme to implement a statewide natural field experiment with 540,000 Alaskans designed to examine two of the main motivations for charitable giving: concerns for the benefits to self (impure altruism or ‘warm glow’) or concerns for the benefits to others (pure altruism). Our empirical results highlight the relative importance of appeals to self: individuals who received such an appeal were 6.6% more likely to give and gave 23% more than counterparts in the control group. Yet, a message that instead appealed to recipient benefits (motivated by altruism) had no statistically significant effect on average donations relative to the control group. We also find evidence of long-run effects of warm-glow appeals in the subsequent year. Our results have import for theoreticians and empiricists interested in modelling charitable giving as well as practitioners and policymakers.

Suggested Citation

  • John A. List & James J. Murphy & Michael K. Price & Alexander G. James, 2021. "An experimental test of fundraising appeals targeting donor and recipient benefits," Nature Human Behaviour, Nature, vol. 5(10), pages 1339-1348, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:nathum:v:5:y:2021:i:10:d:10.1038_s41562-021-01095-8
    DOI: 10.1038/s41562-021-01095-8
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    Cited by:

    1. Alexander James & Nathaly M. Rivera & Brock Smith, 2022. "Cash Transfer and Voter Turnout," Working Papers wp536, University of Chile, Department of Economics.
    2. Yoo, Jenny Jeongeun & Song, Sangyoung & Jhang, Jihoon, 2022. "Overhead aversion and facial expressions in crowdfunding," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 69(C).

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