Is a Donor in Hand Better than Two in the Bush? Evidence from a Natural Field Experiment / Craig E. Landry, Andreas Lange, John A. List, Michael K. Price, Nicholas G. Rupp.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Landry, Craig E.

Contributor:

National Bureau of Economic Research.

Lange, Andreas.

List, John A.

Price, Michael K.

Rupp, Nicholas G.

Series:

Working Paper Series (National Bureau of Economic Research) no. w14319.

NBER working paper series no. w14319

Language:

English

Physical Description:

1 online resource: illustrations (black and white);

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, Mass. National Bureau of Economic Research 2008.

Summary:

This study develops theory and conducts an experiment to provide an understanding of why people initially give to charities, why they remain committed to the cause, and what factors attenuate these influences. Using an experimental design that links donations across distinct treatments separated in time, we present several insights. For example, we find that previous donors are more likely to give, and contribute more, than donors asked to contribute for the first time. Yet, how these previous donors were acquired is critical: agents who are initially attracted by signals of charitable quality transmitted via an economic mechanism are much more likely to continue giving than agents who were initially attracted by non-mechanism factors.

Notes:

Print version record

September 2008.