“What's in it for me?”: The effect of donation outcomes on donation behavior

A common strategy used in charitable appeals is emphasizing the outcomes of an individual's donation. However, the way donation outcomes are framed will have an effect on individual donation intentions. We advance existing theory on charitable behavior by demonstrating that charitable appeals framed around benefits to self (benefits to others) generate higher individual donation intentions when appeals are used in individualistic (collectivistic) cultural contexts and when benefits are distant (immediate). Furthermore, social status is a moderator on the latter relationship, as individuals with relatively high social status have greater donation intentions when viewing charitable appeals emphasizing benefits to self, regardless of when the benefits occur. Individuals with relatively low social status exhibit higher donation intentions when donation outcomes are framed to emphasize immediate benefits to others, or future benefits to self. These findings have important implications for charities and non-profit organizations.