WHEN LUMP-SUM (VS. PERIODIC) GIVING ENCOURAGES DONATIONS: THE ROLE OF JOINT VS. SEPARATE APPEALS
(A2026-133584)

AUTHORS

MINGHAO XU, University of Leeds; Shankha Basu, University of Leeds; Rajen Anderson, University of Leeds; J. Jo�ko Brakus, University of Leeds

ABSTRACT

Do more payment options help or hurt potential donors’ willingness to give? Three preregistered experiments show that charities can simply present periodic and lump-sum donation appeals jointly to increase donation intentions, performing significantly better than presenting the periodic appeal alone. We found an increase in donation intention for the lump-sum option under joint evaluation. Additionally, this effect is driven at least in part by changes in perceived magnitude: the lump-sum amount is perceived as less substantial when presented together with a periodic frame than when presented separately, compared with separately. These results suggest that the preference for periodic donation appeals narrow under joint evaluation, leading to an overall increase in donation intentions due to a decrease in the perceived magnitude of lump-sum appeals.