How Charities Get You to Give More

Researchers are using controlled experiments and psychological testing to better understand why people feel compelled to donate to a charity--or give it a pass. Some of their findings turn conventional charity wisdom on its head. While heart-rending stories can inspire donors, it turns out other tactics work well, too. Among them:

Giving donors a spotlight: Public recognition can motive donations even for small donors, not just rich ones who get their names on stadiums. An experiment by professors at Harvard and Yale showed that just promising to mention donors' names in a newsletter raised the probability of their giving to 13.7% from 11% and boosted gift sizes to an average of $66 from $58.

Flaunting big-name donors: An experiment involving TechnoServe, a charity focused on international development, showed that identifying the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation as a matching donor increased the probability of an individual giving by about 22%. The effect persisted after the matching period. It's hard for individuals to evaluate charities, experts say, so knowing that a big name has donated suggests the cause is a good bet.

Providing a reason to spread the word: An experiment by Clarence Wardell III, co-founder of online microphilanthropy platform tiny Give, and George Mason University professors Ragan Petrie and Marco Castillo showed that donors were more willing to seek donations from Facebook friends if there were an incentive--in this case an additional $1 or $5 in the donor's name in return for posting about the charity on their own Facebook pages. The money came from a research grant.

Anna Prior

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