Key Academic Research on Philanthropy and Donor Behavior
A comprehensive collection of influential academic papers on donor psychology, fundraising strategies, corporate philanthropy, volunteerism, and philanthropic impact.
Donor Behavior & Psychology
Fundraising Tactics & Strategies
1
Karlan, D., & List, J. A. (2007). Does price matter in charitable giving? Evidence from a large-scale natural field experiment. American Economic Review, 97(5), 1774–1793.
Found that offering a 1:1 matching gift significantly increased donation response but higher match ratios (2:1 or 3:1) did not yield additional gains. Concludes that the presence of a match alone motivates donors, rather than the size of the match.
2
Shang, J., Reed, A., & Collier, J. (2020). Moral identity and fundraising appeals (in Journal of Marketing Research).
Found that making donors' moral identity salient in fundraising appeals (e.g., calling them "caring" or "kind") can raise average gift size. Emphasizes that donors give more when the donation aligns with their self-concept or ideal moral identity.
3
Gneezy, A. et al. (2014). Avoiding overhead aversion in charity. Science, 346(6209), 632–635.
Shows that donors often prefer 100% of their donation to go directly to programs, a phenomenon called overhead aversion. When overhead was covered by a lead donor, total contributions rose, indicating that clarifying overhead coverage can spur giving.
Corporate Philanthropy
Peterson, D., Van Landuyt, C., & Pham, C. (2021). Motives for corporate philanthropy and charitable causes supported. Journal of Strategy and Management, 14(4), 611–627.
Analyzes how businesses often pursue both altruistic and strategic goals (e.g., marketing or reputation) when selecting charities to support. Emphasizes that nonprofits seeking corporate funding must tailor proposals to align with the firm's philanthropic and brand interests.
Varadarajan, R., & Menon, A. (1988). Cause-related marketing: A coalignment of marketing strategy and corporate philanthropy. Journal of Marketing, 52(3), 58–74.
Introduces cause-related marketing (CRM), where corporate donations link to product sales, benefiting both charities and brands. Finds that successful CRM campaigns require credibility, clear cause alignment, and transparency to build consumer trust and avoid backfire.
Saxton, G. D., & Wang, L. (2014). The social network effect: The determinants of giving through social media. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 43(5), 850–868.
Although focusing partially on individual donors, it shows that corporate sponsorship or influencer involvement on social media can amplify charitable campaigns. Corporate tie-ins on social platforms drive greater reach, often leveraging a firm's audience for philanthropic outcomes.
Volunteerism
Fidelity Charitable & VolunteerMatch. (2019). Time and Money: The role of volunteering in philanthropy (Research report).
Finds that volunteers donate an average of 10 times more money to charities than non-volunteers, underlining the synergy between volunteering and monetary giving. Concludes that satisfied, engaged volunteers often become loyal donors and ambassadors for the nonprofit.
Clary, E. G., Snyder, M., & Ridge, R. (1998). Volunteer motivations: A functional strategy for the recruitment, placement, and retention of volunteers. Nonprofit Management & Leadership, 9(1), 33–48.
Identifies six psychological functions (including values, social, career, protective) that volunteering can fulfill, suggesting nonprofits match volunteer roles to these motivations. Volunteers who see their motivations met are more likely to continue and also donate.
Philanthropic Impact & Emerging Trends
1
Bourassa, F., Brocato, R., & Condon, C. (2022). How impact data changes the way donors give. Stanford Social Innovation Review.
Shows that donors often shift support to organizations with clear outcome metrics when data allows side-by-side comparisons of effectiveness. However, providing impact data alone does not necessarily increase overall giving—donors reallocate rather than donate more.
2
Osili, U. O., et al. (2021). Charitable crowdfunding: Who gives, to what, and why? Lilly Family School of Philanthropy.
Surveys find that crowdfunding donors are typically younger and motivated by a sense of direct, tangible impact. Concludes that nonprofits can tap new donor segments by running project-specific crowdfunding, though retaining these donors over time remains a challenge.
3
Porter, M. E., & Kramer, M. R. (2002). The competitive advantage of corporate philanthropy. Harvard Business Review, 80(12), 56–68.
Argues that strategic philanthropy aligns a company's charitable giving with its core competencies, creating shared value. Influenced how major foundations and corporations view philanthropy as a means to enhance both social impact and business objectives.
4
Chappell, N., & Koshy, C. (2024). Donor perceptions of AI: Implications for the future of charitable giving. (Study report).
Finds that while donors appreciate AI improving nonprofit efficiency, they demand transparency about data use. Warns that donors remain wary of overly personalized or "manipulative" AI communications, suggesting a balance between automation and human touch.
Notes & Additional Context
Each reference is intentionally concise, focusing on the core findings as they relate to fundraising, donor motivations, or philanthropic effectiveness.
The summaries provided are designed to highlight the most relevant insights for practitioners and researchers in the philanthropy field, while maintaining brevity and clarity.
Studies often overlap across thematic areas (e.g., some address both donor psychology and fundraising tactics). In such cases, each is placed in the category that best represents its main emphasis.
The categorization system used in this collection prioritizes the primary focus of each study, though many papers contain insights that could be valuable across multiple domains of philanthropic research.
For extended reading or deeper methodological details, consult full texts in journals such as Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly (NVSQ), Voluntas, and Journal of Nonprofit & Public Sector Marketing, or search the authors' names in academic databases.
These recommended journals represent the leading publications in nonprofit and philanthropy research, and contain the complete methodological details, data analysis, and extended discussions that could not be included in these brief summaries.