Increasing targeted advertising has exposed consumers more frequently to additional charitable requests after they have made an initial donation, with almost 85% of people making additional donations to the same of a different charity after the first donation. Although this implies that people are consistent in their giving behaviour, their follow-up donations can be reduced if stimulated by unsuitable motivation due to a shift in motivation after an initial donation. In particular, the motivation to help other may stem from a genuine desire to benefit others and oneself, hence being an altruistic other-benefit motivation (focused on the benefits to others) or an egoistic self-benefit motivation (focused on the donors’ own interests/rewards). Among prosocial motives, egoism and altruism are the most important ones in terms of persuasion. So, charitable campaigns often use messages that appeal either of these benefits that may induce different responses from potential donors. For instance, people respond more positively to an other-benefit message when it is presented in public, while a self-benefit message is more effective in private settings.
However, little is known about the effectiveness of other-benefit versus self-benefit messages when they are used in a sequential donation context due to lacking information and research. Therefore, this study aims to contribute to the knowledge gap in several ways. First, it is among the first to demonstrate the effectiveness of combining different message appeals in a sequential donation context. Secondly, it shows how altruistic decisions boost one’s moral status and cause the motivation shift from being altruistic to egoistic. Third, the findings will offer practical implications regarding a combination appeal strategy, donations maximisation, and potential future investigations into the impact of such motivation shift upon active donations.
Method and sample
Pilot study:
- This study examined if prior moral behaviour leads to egoistic helping rather than altruistic helping. 126 college students participated (44% female, average age of 22.69) and were asked to write about an occasion where they behaved morally. They were then randomly assigned to either a self-benefit or an other-benefit message. Their willingness to volunteer was measured on a 9-point Likert scale.
Study 1:
- Study 1 examined people’s responses on sequential requests when it comes to two different charities. Only an other-benefit message was used in the first charity request and both other-benefit and self-benefit messages were used in the second one. 150 adult participants in the USA were recruited (49% female, average age of 35.64) and could only take part in one study. They were asked to respond honestly to the charities’ advertisements and then their willingness to volunteer and their moral status were measured.
Study 2:
- Study 2 complimented Study 1 by adding a time gap and investigating the impact of sequential requests from the same organisation versus different organisations. 600 participants participated in the Time 1 session, with 302 (44% female, average age of 37.33) attending the Time 2 session after 24 hours.
Study 3:
- Study 3 examined whether a motivation shift occurs when the participants are asked to contribute a real money donation to a charity. Two different charities were used and there was also a 24-hour gap like Study 2. 122 participants (53% female, average age of 39.63) completed the second session and 2 were removed from the analysis.
Key findings
- When people consider themselves moral, egoistic helping that focuses on one’s self-interest (e.g., personal satisfaction, reputation…) is more appealing than altruistic helping that focuses on others’ benefits. Also, when people have agreed to a charity request for the first time, they show more donation intent in the subsequent request.
- However, they are more likely to respond more positively to an egoistic rather than an altruistic subsequent charity request, implying that the first selfless decision influences a second decision that is more personally beneficial. In general, the connection between the first charitable act and the intention to donate again is influenced by the person’s moral standing and the type of message they receive.
- The relationship between different charities and how they ask for donations can significantly impact people’s willingness to give. When people are asked to donate to different charities one after another, they tend to change their motivation. On the other hand, if they are asked to donate to the same charity twice, they usually stick to their initial reason for donating.
Recommendations
- Charities can enhance donations by strategically sequencing their appeals. Following an altruistic appeal with an egoistic appeal proved to be effective in boosting contributions. Therefore, charities are advised to structure their sequential campaigns this way.
- Contrary to the negative impact often associated with moral licensing (when someone does something good, and then they feel it gives them a “license” to do something less good without feeling guilty), with the right messaging, individuals affected by moral licensing can still contribute positively to charities. By conveying messages that align with donors’ moral licensing tendencies, charities still have the opportunity to increase donations e.g., sending an egoistic message highlighting a donor’s recent generous donation.
- Charities engaged in collaborations or partnerships with other institutions, including commercial and public sectors, can leverage the above findings. In particular, information exchange between collaborating charities regarding donors’ prior donations allows for targeted message appeals. For instance, after an altruistic donation to one charity, an egoistic appeal from a different charity may be more effective than another altruistic appeal from the same charity.
- Charities should have customised campaigns on crowdfunding platforms such as Facebook Fundraiser, GoFundMe, Just Giving, and DonorsChoose. This can provide opportunities for charities to collaborate and deliver campaigns based on an altruistic–egoistic message order. By leveraging social media and email channels, these platforms can target donors who have previously contributed to other charities with tailored message appeals for higher donation intent.
Researcher
More information
The research article is also available on eprints.