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Transaction Costs, the Opportunity Cost of Time and Procrastination in Charitable Giving

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We conduct a laboratory experiment to study whether giving people more time to donate to charity reduces donations. People may intend to donate, but because of the transaction costs of doing so, postpone making the payment until they are less busy, and having postponed making the donation once, keep postponing. We conjecture that transaction costs will have a greater effect on donations if the solicitation is received when the opportunity cost of time is high. We find evidence of a transaction cost reducing donations, with the size of this effect depending on the opportunity cost of time, but no statistically significant evidence that giving people more time to donate increases procrastination and thus reduces donations.

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  • Stephen Knowles & Maroš Servátka, 2015. "Transaction Costs, the Opportunity Cost of Time and Procrastination in Charitable Giving," Working Papers in Economics 15/01, University of Canterbury, Department of Economics and Finance.
    • Handle: RePEc:cbt:econwp:15/01
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    JEL classification:

    • C91 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - Laboratory, Individual Behavior
    • D64 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Altruism; Philanthropy; Intergenerational Transfers

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