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May 27, 2008

Want Bigger Gifts? Ask People to Volunteer Before Asking for Money

Asking people to volunteer their time at a charity before asking for their money increases the amount they ultimately give to an organization, a new study has found.

Conducted by two university researchers and published by the Center for Responsible Business based at the University of California’s Berkeley campus, this month, the new study examined how people react in varying situations in which they are asked to give and volunteer.

In one part of the study, 199 participants got a description of a charity that fights lung cancer. One hundred of those people were asked how much of their time they would give to the organization and then asked how much they would be willing to donate. The remaining participants were only asked how much they would donate to the charity.

People who were asked about volunteering pledged an average gift of $36.44, while those only asked to give money said they would give $24.46 on average.

In another part of the study, 193 undergraduates were given information on a charity that helps children with a chronic illness. A third of the students were asked to volunteer and to give money to the charity, a third got the same two questions in reverse order, and the remaining students were asked no questions. All three groups were then given the opportunity to make a donation.

Students who were asked to volunteer first gave more than those in the other two groups, while those who were initially asked to make a donation gave the least.

Questions about giving time and donating money provoke different mindsets in potential donors, the researchers concluded. Compared with monetary considerations, asking people to volunteer, they write, leads to bigger gifts because it triggers emotional associations related to empathy, interacting with others, and identification with a cause.

— Holly Hall

Tuesday May 27, 2008 | Permalink

Comments

1. While I agree in principle, bigger gifts have seldom resulted from the majority of volunteers who have served as Board members for the non-profit organizations where I have worked. They may have given more than they would have otherwise, but it has been an ongoing struggle to get them to give as much as they were believed to be capable of giving.

   — Ed Davis    May 28, 10:22 AM    #

2. Thanks for commenting, Ed. The respondents in the survey are like your board members, I think. They “gave more than they would have otherwise” after being asked about volunteering.

   — Holly Hall    May 28, 11:58 AM    #

3. Hi Holly:

   I remember seeing something from Independent Sector perhaps 6 or 8 years ago that found that volunteers were 1.5 times as generous as non-volunteers. I’ve long since forgotten their methodology, but I think it was better than this study’s “intent to give” question. That is, I think it tracked actual donations. At any rate, it passes the smell test for me.

   It’s not so different from the old saw that says if you want someone’s money you start by asking for their advice.

   Warm regards,
   Paul Jones

   Check my blog on cause-related marketing at: http://causerelatedmarketing.blogspot.com.

   — Paul Jones    May 29, 04:30 PM    #

4. Hi Paul,

   Indeed, we also use actual donation as our measure in many of our studies. And people in the time-ask condition actual gave more “real” money (i.e., their own money) than in the money ask condition and control. Our order of magnitude effects (across about 10 studies) are also in the 1.5 ot 2 x range, so it parallels your remembered study from the Independetn Sector. Warmly, Jennifer Aaker.

   — Jennifer Aaker    Jun 3, 05:54 PM    #

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