Understanding the influence of implicit theories on donor's preference for time or money

Abstract

Charitable giving depends on either time or money. Understanding what motivates donors to choose one resource over the other is crucial for various nonprofit organizations. This research, rooted in implicit theories, examines how donors' beliefs about the fixedness or malleability of human attributes influence their preference of donation resource. Three experiments revealed that donors who believe human traits are fixed (entity theory) are more inclined to donate money, while those who view human nature as malleable (incremental theory) are more likely to donate time. The results also suggest that analytic thinking mediates the monetary donations of entity theorists, whereas holistic thinking influences incremental theorists to give their time. This study provides invaluable insights for nonprofit organizations aiming to optimize their fundraising strategies, illustrating how beliefs about human nature can sway preferences for different donation resources.