Ethical and Effective Fundraising Communication – An Oxymoron?
(A2023-114113)

AUTHORS

Roman Antoschin, WHU - Otto Beisheim School of Management; Christian Schlereth, WHU - Otto Beisheim School of Management; Christine Eckert, European Business School Oestrich Winkel, Universitz of Technology Sydney; Hannah Erlebach, WHU - Otto Beisheim School of Management

ABSTRACT

Non-profit organizations (NPOs) nowadays face the challenge of having to design donation appeals that are both effective, i.e., economically successful, and ethical, i.e., not perceived as attention-grabbing or cliché. In this research, we investigate whether asking consumers for recommendations through surveys is a reliable tool for NPOs to obtain guidance on balancing these goals. We contrast consumers’ recommendations from a survey with actual donation behavior from the same pool elicited in a field experiment. The results reveal that survey recommendations can be misleading: Irrespective of whether respondents based their recommendations on NPO’s economic goals or ethical aspects, these recommendations contradict what works best in the field experiment. Drawing on dual process theory, we provide a first reasoning for the discrepancy and link it to “mindless giving” – a tendency of consumers to act based on instincts rather than rational reasoning when faced with donation decisions.