How Political Identity and Charity Positioning Increase Donations : Insights from Moral Foundations Theory

Marketers can strategically target potential donors based on their political identity. Drawing upon the moral foundations that underlie political identity, we examine conditions in which charity positioning increases donations based on alignment with political identity. In doing so, we demonstrate the moderating role of moral identity internalization, which is a robust predictor of donation behavior. In three studies, our results reveal that when the moral foundations of a charity through management processes (Study 1) or mission (Studies 2 and 3) align with the donor’s political identity, donations increase. This effect is enhanced among those with higher moral identity internalization. These results offer theoretical contributions as well as practical implications for organizations soliciting donations, providing insight into the extent to which charity positioning based on moral foundations can differentially influence donations based on political identity