Average Donation Research Articles

Anonymity, nonverbal communication and prosociality in digitized interactions: An experiment on charitable giving

We empirically examine the value of modern digital communication tools for inducing prosocial behavior. In our online experiment (N=594), charity members transmit a standardized message to potential donors through alternative digital communication channels varying the amount of nonverbal content (written message in the baseline Text condition vs. voice recording in Audio vs. video-recorded discourse in Video). We find partial support for the initial conjecture that individuals get more prosocial towards strangers once the latter become less anonymous to the former. Compared to the baseline Text condition, our Audio treatment induces a significant and substantial (nearly 40%) increase in the average donation. However, the effect observed in the richest Video condition has only half the magnitude of the one in Audio and donations made therein are not statistically different to those in the remaining conditions. We rule out the possibility that these treatment effects stem from perceptual mechanisms by which the changes in prosociality are driven by the differences in the perception of charity members in the stimuli, suggesting that the treatment effects capture the intrinsic value of reducing anonymity for promoting prosociality in the digital world.

Why do people give to their governments? Lab‐in‐the‐field evidence on the role of norms, social information, and political support

AbstractAlthough factors leading to selfless acts, such as charitable donations, have been a central concern in political sciences, voluntary donations are among the most atypical and less well‐known public revenue‐raising sources. In this article, we explore which factors influence people's donations to their government. We conduct an artefactual field experiment in Peru where subjects anonymously decide how much of an endowment they freely donate to the government. We run six sessions with a sample that is representative of the taxpayer population of Metropolitan Lima regarding age, gender, and socioeconomic conditions. Our results suggest that donations depend on the subject's support to the government, the average donation by other subjects (social information) and their beliefs about the average donation of others (perceived social norms).

Investigating Racial Disparities in Cancer Crowdfunding: A Comprehensive Study of Medical GoFundMe Campaigns.

In recent years, there has been growing concern about prejudice in crowdfunding; however, empirical research remains limited, particularly in the context of medical crowdfunding. This study addresses the pressing issue of racial disparities in medical crowdfunding, with a specific focus on cancer crowdfunding on the GoFundMe platform. This study aims to investigate racial disparities in cancer crowdfunding using average donation amount, number of donations, and success of the fundraising campaign as outcomes. Drawing from a substantial data set of 104,809 campaigns in the United States, we used DeepFace facial recognition technology to determine racial identities and used regression models to examine racial factors in crowdfunding performance. We also examined the moderating effect of the proportion of White residents on crowdfunding bias and used 2-tailed t tests to measure the influence of racial anonymity on crowdfunding success. Owing to the large sample size, we set the cutoff for significance at P<.001. In the regression and supplementary analyses, the racial identity of the fundraiser significantly predicted average donations (P<.001), indicating that implicit bias may play a role in donor behavior. Gender (P=.04) and campaign description length (P=.62) did not significantly predict the average donation amounts. The race of the fundraiser was not significantly associated with the number of donations (P=.42). The success rate of cancer crowdfunding campaigns, although generally low (11.77%), showed a significant association with the race of the fundraiser (P<.001). After controlling for the covariates of the fundraiser gender, fundraiser age, local White proportion, length of campaign description, and fundraising goal, the average donation amount to White individuals was 17.68% higher than for Black individuals. Moreover, campaigns that did not disclose racial information demonstrated a marginally higher average donation amount (3.92%) than those identified as persons of color. Furthermore, the racial composition of the fundraiser's county of residence was found to exert influence (P<.001); counties with a higher proportion of White residents exhibited reduced racial disparities in crowdfunding outcomes. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of racial disparities in cancer crowdfunding. It highlights the impact of racial identity, geographic context, and the potential for implicit bias in donor behavior. As web-based platforms evolve, addressing racial inequality and promoting fairness in health care financing remain critical goals. Insights from this research suggest strategies such as maintaining racial anonymity and ensuring that campaigns provide strong evidence of deservingness. Moreover, broader societal changes are necessary to eliminate the financial distress that drives individuals to seek crowdfunding support.

A longitudinal regional study on the role of fundraising organizations affecting local giving levels in South Korea

AbstractThis study aims to examine the regional characteristics that affect the region's level of collective donation behavior. Most studies examining factors affecting donation behavior were conducted at the individual level. However, regional‐level comparative studies enable an understanding of environmental factors influencing donation behavior. Especially in this study, the number of nonprofit fundraising organizations per unit population in each region was included to observe how much the activities of related organizations affect the regional donation rate and average donation amount. The number of fundraising organizations did not have a significant relationship with the donation rate of the region but had a limited positive effect on the average donation amount of donors. In addition, the regional economic level also significantly impacted the regional donation level. It was found that the ratio of poor households or major demographic characteristics had different effects on the donation rate and the average donation amount, respectively.

Flash Sale Promotion to Increase Room Occupancy and Room Revenue at The Royal Beach Seminyak Bali

Purpose: This research aimed to describe the implementation of flash sale promotions and the contribution of flash sales to room occupancy and room revenue at The Royal Beach Seminyak Bali (TRBS). Research methods: The research uses interviews, observation, and documentation studies on the number of room nights per month data and room revenue from flash sales data for the last three years. The data analysis technique used is descriptive statistics processed with Microsoft Excel 2013. Results and discussion: Form of the implementation of the flash sale starts with a communication plan in the form of promotions that are carried out using several platforms such as websites, mobile applications, and social media. During the execution of the flash sale, the discounted price is adjusted to the guest who is an AccorHotels member and not an AccorHotels member. Implication: Implementing the flash sale promotion was quite helpful in increasing room occupancy and room revenue by contributing the third largest reservation with an average donation of 20% for room occupancy and 18% for room revenue over the last three years. Keywords: hotel, flash sale promotion, room occupancy, room revenue.

Voluntary or reluctant? Social influence in charitable giving: an ERP study.

Social information has substantial influences on prosocial behavior. In this study, we performed an event-related potential (ERP) experiment to examine the effect of social influence on giving. The participants were allowed to form an initial decision on how much money to donate to a charity provided the program's average donation amount and to make a second donation decision. Social influence varied in different directions (upward, downward and equal) by altering the relative donation amount between the average donation amount and the participants' first donation amount. The behavioral results showed that participants increased their donation amount in the upward condition and decreased it in the downward condition. The ERP results revealed that upward social information evoked larger feedback-related negativity (FRN) amplitudes and smaller P3 amplitudes than in the downward and equal conditions. Furthermore, the pressure ratings, rather than the happiness ratings, were associated with the FRN patterns across the three conditions. We argue that people in social situations are more likely to increase their donations owing to pressure than voluntary altruism. Our study provides the first ERP evidence that different directions of social information evoke different neural responses in time course processing.

An experiment on donations, personal stories, and bad luck

We conducted two fundraising experiments to study the effects (1) of compassion towards the beneficiary, and (2) of giving participants an opportunity to attribute small donations to luck. We find that exposing the participants to a plea to help the beneficiary increases the average donation. Giving participants an opportunity to attribute small donations to luck decreases the average donation. We find that in our setting, the latter effect dominates.

The effect of message features on donations in donation‐based crowdfunding

AbstractCrowdfunding platforms have emerged as a popular method to raise funds for both for‐profit and non‐profits. Charities often use donation‐based crowdfunding platforms to reach out to a wider audience for fundraising campaigns. Key three performance metrics that affect the success of a donation campaign are social media spread of the campaign message, number of donors who decide to donate from seeing the message, and donation amount per donor. This research investigates the effectiveness of negatively framed messages on these three metrics. Analysis of message content of more than 3800 charities on GoFundMe.com via text mining was conducted to form a measure of the negativity of the appeals. Also for each charity, the three performance metrics were collected. Results showed that negatively framed messages led to a greater number of donors and greater sharing of the message on social media, but smaller donation amounts per donor. Implication for charity organizations is that negatively framed messages will be more effective if the goal is to obtain a broad base of support, while positively framed messages will be more effective if the objective is to increase the average donation amount.

Examining Donor Preference for Charity Religious Affiliation

In the United States, most charitable donations go to religiously affiliated organizations, yet the impact of a charity’s affiliation on donor behavior is currently unclear. To better understand this impact, this article uses a laboratory experiment to explore how a charity’s religious affiliation drives donor behavior. In the experiment, participants select one charity from a list of eight, with each charity varying in religious affiliation. Masked and unmasked sessions differ in the inclusion of religious affiliation from half the charities, with masked sessions omitting religious affiliation of the charities. This article finds that adding religious language decreases donation frequency and average donation amounts for Christian charities competing against other religious charities. This drop is primarily driven by participants that are politically liberal. Participants prefer charity religious affiliation to match their own religious identity; however, participant strength of religiosity is more predictive in charity choice than religious affiliation.

Challenges of the Mount Ibuki donation system based on the awareness for donation of visitors using different routes

The movement to make visitors to natural areas contribute to the costs of managing resources and maintaining facilities has been gaining momentum. This study aimed to examine the nature of the donation system by focusing on a case where different routes could be used. The donation system at Mount Ibuki, which is a part of the Biwako Quasi-National Park, was studied. There are two types of visitor routes to the summit: the mountain trail and the Ibukiyama-driveway. The Nature Restoration Council introduced donations at Mount Ibuki in 2015. The basic amount was set at JPY 300 per person and has been collected voluntarily. Questionnaire surveys were used to investigate visitors’ attitudes on October 31 and November 1, 2020. We distributed 1907 questionnaire sheets and received 536 responses. It was found that donations rates varied greatly depending upon the route used. Considering that driveway users feel a sense of responsibility for environmental impact and want to enjoy nature, there is a significant difference in the average donation per person by each route. The fairness of the system is debatable. It is necessary to promote and educate the public about the usage characteristics of different routes.

In search of competitive givers

AbstractMuch of the theoretical and experimental research on charitable giving allows for three main types of donor: pure altruists, impure altruists, and pure warm‐glow givers. For none of these types should donations be increasing in the amount donated by others: there is no room for “competitive giving”. We design an experiment in which a participant chooses how much to donate to an individual recipient of charitable funds, conditional on the donation of another participant, and therefore controls the total donation to the recipient. We find evidence for the existence of competitive givers in addition to the other three types, suggesting a great deal of heterogeneity in individual utility functions. However, the frequency of different types depends on whether participants are told about the average donation in a previous experiment. Revealing this information reduces the frequency of competitive givers, suggesting that some competitive giving is motivated by a desire to conform to a social norm inferred from other participants' behavior.

The effects of solicitation and target amounts on consumers’ charitable giving decisions

This research examines the effect of double reference values in the context of charitable giving decision-making. We investigate how the two types of information that commonly appear in charitable giving campaigns—solicitation amount (e.g., “Your $1 matters”) and target amount (e.g., “Help Us Raise $305,000”)—interact to determine consumers’ decisions on how much to donate. Through four studies, we demonstrate that solicitation amount, compared with target amount, exerts a stronger influence on consumers’ donation decisions. Target amount influences the donation decision only when it is presented alone in the message. Furthermore, the study results demonstrate that using a small solicitation amount to enhance compliance can backfire, reducing the average donation amount and the total donation revenue. This study offers important practical implications to marketers for designing an effective charitable giving campaign, especially for the selective use of potential reference values in the solicitation message.

Characteristics of Online Crowdfunding Campaigns for Urological Cancers in the United States.

We examined the characteristics and financial outcomes of online crowdfunding campaigns for patients with major urological cancers in the U.S. This cross-sectional study analyzed publicly available data from GoFundMe, the largest online medical crowdfunding service, via automated web scraping. Online campaigns from 2010 to 2018 with the following primary cancer types were included: kidney, prostate, bladder and testicular. Financial outcomes were compared using Kruskal-Wallis and Wilcoxon rank-sum tests. Multivariable analyses were utilized to identify predictors of campaign financial outcomes. Kidney cancers were the most frequent online campaign type (478), followed by prostate (379), bladder (202) and testicular (175) malignancies. Urological cancer campaign recipients frequently requested funding for medical expenses (71%) during active treatment (57%). After adjustment, testicular cancer and children's cancer campaigns generated more donations than other urological and adult cancer campaigns (p <0.05). Family and friend-authored campaigns generated more donations and average donation amounts than self-authored campaigns (p <0.05). Campaign narratives focused on disheartening circumstances received fewer donations than narratives focused on the recipient's high moral character or contributions to society (p <0.05), and unclear narratives received the smallest donation amounts (p <0.05). Urological cancer crowdfunding in the U.S. is primarily used to finance uncovered costs associated with medical care during active treatment. Crowdfunding financial outcomes are likely related to the campaign recipient's age, malignancy type, social network and primary appeal of the narrative. Urologists should be aware of trends in medical crowdfunding in order to better understand the financial burden this patient population faces.

Donation, political connection and credit access: The case of Chinese small and medium enterprises

This paper studies the effects of donation activity on credit access for small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Based on a nationwide survey of private enterprises, our analysis suggests that Chinese entrepreneurs who donated more to charity in the previous year are more likely to obtain a loan from physical financial entities such as commercial banks. However, we do not find a similar effect on credit access through an online lending platform. Our results also revealed that the effect of donations on access to physical financing is more significant among firms without political connections. We attribute this finding to the strategic donation behavior of SMEs with few political ties, since donating more to charities could mitigate the disadvantage of less social capital on loan applications. SMEs strategically donate to ensure future government support. Our findings are robust to two alternative empirical specifications, where we split the sample by firms’ equity and use industry average donation as instrument for firm's choice of donation amount.

Doniranje i transplantacija bubrega, jetre i srca u Republici Srbiji za period 2010-2016. godine

Introduction/aim: It is estimated that in 2017, 139,024 solid organ transplants (kidney, liver, heart, lungs, pancreas, small intestine) were performed, which is only 10% of global needs. The aim of this descriptive study was to analyze the frequency of donation and transplantation of solid organs (kidney, liver and heart) in Republic of Serbia for the period 2010-2016. Methods: Data on the number of donors and the number of transplanted organs in Serbia, for the period 2010-2016, were obtained from the Annual reports of the Ministry of Health Republic of Serbia -Directorate of Biomedicine. Data on the population of Serbia were taken from the 2011 census. Proportions and rates were used in the analysis of the obtained data. Results: In Republic of Serbia, average donation rate, for the period 2010-2016, was 3.7 pmp. During the last seven years, among all performed transplants from deceased donors, the largest percentage were transplants of kidneys (78.3%), followed by liver (16.9%) and heart (4.8%). In transplant centers in Serbia, for the period 2010-2016, 537 kidney transplants were performed, 328 from deceased and 209 from living donors. The average rate of kidney transplants for the seven-year period was 10.6 pmp, or 4.1 pmp for living donors and 6.5 pmp for deceased donors. In the same period, 71 liver transplants and 20 heart transplants from deceased donors were performed, and the average transplant rates were 1.4 pmp and 0.4 pmp. Conclusion: In the observed period, the lowest rates of kidney transplantation from living and deceased donors, as well as liver and heart from deceased donors, were recorded in Serbia, in relation to all other European countries. The field of organ transplantation in Serbia is legally regulated by the Law on Human Organ Transplantation. Conditions for achieving quality standards and safety of human organs for transplantation have been determined by this law, as well as working conditions and ways of organizing the health system to ensure optimal organ transplantation and provision, high level of protection of human health, as well as respect priority interests for the preservation of life and health and protection of basic human rights and dignity of organ donors and recipients. Special emphasis should be placed on educating the population and health care workers about the importance of organ donation.

The (un)compromise effect: How suggested alternatives can promote active choice

In a large-scale field experiment, I study the impact of intermediate suggested donations, and the absence of them, on charitable giving. In line with a compromise effect, transforming $100 from the highest suggested donation to the intermediate suggested donation tripled the likelihood to donate $100, and increased the average donation. However, it was the introduction of a higher maximum suggestion—not the change in the intermediate suggestion per se—that was decisive: Faced with only the two extreme suggested donations, people turned to the write in category to select an individual compromise donation. I refer to this finding as the (un)compromise effect, because it highlights that people gravitate towards compromise alternatives also in the explicit absence of them. A follow-up experiment confirms that time pressure moderates the (un)compromise effect, which suggests that the underlying mechanism is cognitive rather than an instinctive response to avoid extreme alternatives. Overall, the study adds to our understanding of why people prefer intermediate options in general, and how suggested donations shape public good contributions in particular.

Effect of proxy voting for children under the voting age on parental altruism towards future generations

What types of people are most concerned about the sustainability of our society? Does empowering such people in the political process influence us to make collective decisions that best serve the interests of future generations? This study invites 1000 parents with children under the legal voting age and 1000 parents with children over the legal voting age to an incentivized donation experiment in which a donation will be made to non-profit organizations committed to a better future society. The size of the donation per participant is determined by vote among the participants. We compare two voting rules: ordinary voting, whereby each participant is given one ballot, and proxy voting, whereby parents with unenfranchised children are given an extra ballot on behalf of their children. We observe that, with ordinary voting, the mothers with children under the voting age exhibit a higher degree of altruism towards future generations. With proxy voting, however, this distinction disappears. Furthermore, with proxy voting, the overall average donation indicated by participants is smaller than that indicated under ordinary voting. These observations imply that empowering institutionally those who tend to be more altruistic does not necessarily result in collective decisions that are more altruistic towards future generations.

Virtual reality as a tool for environmental conservation and fundraising.

Anecdotal evidence from philanthropic fundraisers shows that virtual reality (VR) technology increases empathy and can influence people toward pro-environmental behavior. Non-profit organizations are increasingly marketing their causes using virtual reality and they report increased donations when VR technology is employed. In VR, users are immersed in situations intended to feel more like the real world through technology, such as 360° video viewed through 3D headsets that block out visual and auditory distractions. The framing of the message as either positive or negative has long shown to have an effect on behavior, although consensus on the impact of framing has not been reached in relation to encouraging contributions to public goods. This paper focuses on field experiments used to investigate the effects of varying degrees of visual immersion and positive versus negative message framing on respondents’ contributions to a conservation charity. Participants were exposed to a five-minute underwater film about coral reefs and the importance of protecting them. We employed a 2x2 experimental design using 3D head-mounted displays comparing 360° film footage vs. unidirectional film and a positive message vs. a negative message. After watching the film, each participant completed a short questionnaire and had the opportunity to donate to a marine conservation charity. In addition, we tested a control treatment where no video was observed. The video was filmed in Indonesia which is host to some of the world’s most biodiverse reefs that are under great threat from human activity. We also conducted the study in Indonesia, sampling a total of 1006 participants from the Bogor city area and tourists on the island of Gili Trawangan—which is popular for scuba diving and snorkeling. We find significant differences in observed behavior and reported emotions between all treatments compared to the control condition. Among the tourist sample, we find significant differences between the 360° film with a negative message which garnered significantly larger average donation amounts compared to the unidirectional film with both positive and negative framing. Overall, we can infer from these studies that virtual reality is an effective way to raise awareness of environmental threats and encourage behavioral action, especially when tailored to target groups. New technology, such as the VR head-mounted display, is highly effective at attracting interest which is an important point to encourage organizations to invest in new technologies.

Investigation and Research on Peripheral Hemoglobin and Serum Ferritin Levels of Regular Voluntary Donors with Large Number Donation

To investigate and study the serum ferritin and hemoglobin levels of regular voluntary donors with large number donation. 165 regular voluntary donors with large number donation in our region from January 2013 to January 2018 were enrolled as observation group, and their peripheral RBC, HCT and Hb levels were detected by automatic blood analyzer, SI and SF levels were detected by automatic chemistry analyzer. 155 healthy persons with nodonation were enrolled as control group, and their peripheral RBC, HCT, Hb, SI and SF levels were estimated and were compared with observe group. The average age and average donation volume of voluntary donors inobservation group were (34.7±6.1) years old and (3324±167)ml respectively. The laboratorial data showed that the RBC, HCT Hb and SI levels of male showed no significant difference between the two groups(P＞0.05), however, the SF level of male in observation group was significant lower than that in control group(P＜0.05). The RBC, HCT Hb and SI levels of female showed no significantly difference between the two groups(P＞0.05), but the SF level of female in observation group was significantly higher than that in control group(P＜0.05). Pearson correlation analysis showed that the age not correlatied with SF level in observation group(P＞0.05). Spearman correlation analysis showed that the donation volume in observation group negatively correlated with peripheral SF level (P＜0.05). The SF level of regular voluntary donors with large number donation is lower than that of control group with nodonation. Health status tracking plan and nutrition management guidance should be given to regular voluntary donors with large number donation.

Examining Donor Preference for Charity Religious Affiliation

In the United States, most charitable donations go to religiously affiliated organizations, yet the impact of a charity’s affiliation on donor behavior is currently unclear. To better understand this impact, I use a laboratory experiment to explore how a charity’s religious affiliation drives donor behavior. In doing so, I contribute to the understanding of how charity affiliations impact donor decisions. In the experiment, subjects select one charity from a list of eight, with each charity varying in religious affiliation. Masked and unmasked sessions differ in the inclusion of religious affiliation from half the charities, with masked sessions omitting religious affiliation of the charities. I find that adding religious language decreases donation frequency for Christian charities competing against other religious charities. Furthermore, adding religious language increases the average donation size for secular charities competing against Christian charities, but decreases average donations for Christian charities competing against other religious charities. Subjects prefer charity religious affiliation to match their own religious identity; however, subject strength of religiosity is more predictive in charity choice than religious affiliation.