Show me the outputs! The influence of charitable outputs and charitable cause phrasing on charitable giving

Abstract

Charitable outputs, the immediate effects of charitable organization services, are among the most vital messages for encouraging rational giving, and different outputs should thus affect fundraising effectiveness. However, this topic has received relatively little attention from scholars. Fundraising practice includes two types of charitable outputs—goods‐oriented and services‐oriented, raising the question of how charitable organizations should use these two types of charitable outputs to increase donor support. The findings of four main experimental studies show that the fit of the types of charitable outputs and charitable cause phrasing can promote charitable giving. Specifically, goods‐oriented (vs. services‐oriented) charitable outputs have a better facilitating effect when charitable cause phrasing is concrete (vs. abstract). We also find evidence for the mediating role of ability perception and effort perception in this effect of fit, reflecting different formative pathways that influence individuals' giving. Our research proposes a categorization perspective of charitable outputs and provides managerial guidance for designing fundraising messages.