Goal Proximity, Social Information, and Giving: When Norms Backfire

Abstract

Two types of information commonly presented to potential donors by fundraisers are (a) the percentage of the fundraising campaign goal reached, and (b) the number of donors to that campaign. Research on goal gradient motivation and descriptive norms would predict higher contributions as the goal is approached and when there are many past donors to a given campaign. However, we demonstrate that when close to the campaign goal, individuals contribute more when they learn there are few (versus many) past donors. In Study 1 (N=13,232), we observe this pattern across actual campaigns on a fundraising website. In Study 2 (N=571), we obtain causal evidence for this effect in a laboratory experiment. In Study 3 (N=709), we replicate this effect, and show that it is driven by an increase in perceived impact on reaching the campaign goal. This work identifies a counterintuitive consequence of norm information, and has implications for fundraisers