Increasing Charitable Donations for One BLUE HEART

Topics: Charity, Philanthropy Words: 767 Pages: 2

Chen, M. Y. (2020). Portraying product or cause in charity advertising: how execution style and appeal type affects prosocial attitudes by enhancing perceived personal roles. International Journal of Advertising, 39(3), 342-364.

Summary: This article examines the influence of different appeal types and execution styles on charity marketing campaigns based on two psychological studies. Those studies compare the effectiveness of cause- and product-oriented visual advertising for encouraging donations, finding that those approaches worked better for international or long-term and local or short-term campaigns, respectively. The author concludes that charity advertising should seek to maximize its effectiveness by finding the right visuals and appeal types for campaigns with different characteristics.
Interesting Quote: Chen (2020) asserts that “charity campaigns which engage donors by boosting perceptions of their personal roles in the contribution process are likely to be more effective” (p. 361).
Assessment: This source uses new scientific evidence and existing literature to enhance the understanding of psychological mechanisms in charity advertising. It will allow me to gauge the effectiveness of different visual appeals used by the one BLUE HEART at a time charity and support my point that donors’ self-perception is critical for increasing donations.

Mulder, M. R., & Joireman, J. (2016). Encouraging charitable donations via charity gift cards: A self-determination theoretical account. Journal of Nonprofit & Public Sector Marketing, 28(3), 234-251.

Summary: This article examines the advantages of letting donors control the flow of their donations through charity gift cards that offer choices between multiple charitable projects. A study conducted by the authors shows that this method significantly increases contributions by reinforcing the donors’ sense of agency and reassuring them that their money will be allocated correctly. Furthermore, charity gift cards encourage their recipients’ pro-social attitudes and improve their disposition towards the specific charity, increasing the likelihood of future donations.
Interesting Quote: According to Mulder and Joireman (2016), satisfying consumers’ need for feelings of self-determination is “positively related to the consumer’s charitable self-concept and satisfaction” (p. 242).
Assessment: This scholarly and authoritative article’s application of the self-determination framework and survey data yields important insights into donor psychology and motivations. I can draw on those insights to argue for using charity gift cards or similar choice-based mechanisms to encourage donations to the one BLUE HEART at a time foundation.

Siemens, J. C., Raymond, M. A., Choi, Y., & Choi, J. (2020). The influence of message appeal, social norms and donation social context on charitable giving: investigating the role of cultural tightness-looseness. Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice, 1-9.

Summary: This article investigates the effect of cultural differences on giving behaviors, as seen in two studies examining American and Korean donors’ charity-related attitudes. The authors note that donors from cultures that emphasize strict adherence to cultural rules are motivated by internalized norms and respond to charity advertising messages that use them. Conversely, people from more individualistic cultures are susceptible to the observer effect, making them more likely to make donations when other people are watching.
Interesting Quote: Siemens and colleagues (2020) observe that “organizations must be aware of social norms and cultural differences when messages are designed for different markets” (p. 6).
Assessment: This source utilizes substantial research and offers useful findings into social factors that may affect the outcomes of charity advertising campaigns in different markets. I will use its insights to propose optimal marketing strategies for one BLUE HEART at a time to use in engaging with different demographics in the United States and elsewhere.

Yin, B., Li, Y. J., & Singh, S. (2020). Coins are cold and cards are caring: The effect of pregiving incentives on charity perceptions, relationship norms, and donation behavior. Journal of Marketing, 1-17.

Summary: This article compares the effects of monetary and nonmonetary pregiving incentives on donor attitudes and behaviors. Using evidence from seven studies, the authors argue that while monetary incentives may encourage more people to donate, they also reduce the size of average donations by reinforcing exchange-oriented norms. Thus, using them may be an effective strategy for lesser-known charities, but could be counterproductive for established organizations and long-term campaigns. Nonmonetary incentives are less effective for encouraging donations but maintain communal norms.
Interesting Quote: Yin and others (2020) suggest that “if charities want to enhance communal norms,” they should send “a gift with a delayed request for help” (p. 15).
Assessment: This source is very well-researched and presents extensive findings that are relevant to the topic of increasing charitable donations. I will use it to determine the ideal incentive strategy for the one BLUE HEART at a time organization, incorporating the authors’ suggestions of gifts with delayed donation requests.

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