Research from the Richard Ivey School of
Business finds that one of the more
popular fundraising strategies actually
does more harm than good in terms of
raising money
London, Ontario –Television viewers are
more likely to respond to fundraising
efforts with negative appeals and to
appeals directed at others as opposed to
the self.
In a
study of televised fundraising campaigns
for a public television station,
researchers found that selfish appeals
that offer the viewer something in
return actually lowered donation
behavior.
Appeals
that were most effective were those that
emphasized the benefits to others rather
than the donors themselves. This could
include the station, the community, or
disadvantaged groups.
Empathy-helping appeals, might reference
how budget cuts would affect the
station, how the station needs to meet
financial targets, and how the station’s
programming contributes to the
community, whereas “selfish” appeals
often promise special recognition for
donors, stress high quality programming,
or offer premiums such as cookbooks,
CDs, and DVDs.
The
research, conducted by Mark Vandenbosch,
Richard Ivey School of Business, at The
University of Western Ontario, Robert J.
Fisher, University of Alberta School of
Business, and Kersi D. Antia, University
of Wisconsin-Madison, also provides
important insights into the underlying
reasons as to why people help
organizations that provide public goods,
such as blood donations, public
television and radio, and community
volunteer organizations. The findings
suggest that viewers donate because they
feel an obligation to do so. In other
words, people expect self-criticism or
broader social criticism if they don’t
help when they feel empathy for a person
or organization they care about. Failing
to help under these conditions often
leads to shame due to an inconsistency
between a person’s actual and desired
self.
The
results of the study are contrary to
other theories that suggest people
donate to alleviate the distress they
feel when a cause they believe in needs
help, or to donate to improve their
emotional state by experiencing positive
emotions such as joy or happiness.
Additional findings relate to the length
and timing of pledge breaks, the
characteristics of the hosts, the size
and gender composition of the viewing
audience, and the day of the week and
time of the day.
Professor Mark Vandenbosch can be
reached at 519 661-4019 or
mvandenbosch@ivey.uwo.ca
About the Richard Ivey School of
Business, The University of Western
Ontario
The Richard Ivey School of Business at
The University of Western Ontario (www.ivey.ca)
offers undergraduate (HBA) and graduate
degree programs (MBA,
Executive MBA and
PhD) in addition to non-degree Executive
Development programs. Ivey has campuses
in London (Ontario),
Toronto, and Hong
Kong. Ivey recently redesigned its
curriculum to focus on
Cross-Enterprise
Leadership – a holistic issues-based
approach to management education that
meets the demands of today’s complex
global business world.
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Dawn Milne,
Richard Ivey School of Business
519-850-2536,
dmilne@ivey.ca
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