How Charity Involvement Influences the Effects of Beneficiary's Facial Images in Charitable Advertising

This study examines how beneficiaries' facial expressions and gaze direction in charitable advertising interact with individuals' levels of charity involvement to influence emotional and behavioral responses among potential donors. Using a 2 (facial expression: positive vs. negative) × 2 (gaze direction: direct vs. averted) × 2 (charity involvement: high vs. low) between-subjects experimental design, the research tests both main and interaction effects on empathy, emotional arousal, and helping intentions. The findings show that facial expressions and gaze direction do not significantly affect donor responses unless charity involvement is considered as a moderator. For individuals with low charity involvement, advertisements depicting beneficiaries with negative facial expressions elicit stronger empathy and greater helping intentions than those with positive expressions. Similarly, direct eye contact more effectively induces emotional arousal and motivates helping behavior among these individuals, suggesting that vivid and confronting visual cues are particularly influential for less engaged audiences. In contrast, facial expressions and gaze direction have no significant effect on individuals with high charity involvement, who may rely more on stable values or prior commitments than on specific visual cues. These results emphasize the moderating role of charity involvement in determining the impact of visual elements in charitable advertising. The study advances research on charitable communication by highlighting the need to align visual strategies with donor characteristics and offers practical guidance for nonprofit organizations seeking to design more effective, segment-specific campaigns.