Crowdfunding as Digital Philanthropy: The Impact of Altruism, Responsibility, and Community Engagement on Backer Behavior

Abstract

This study investigates the psychological and social factors that shape backer behavior in crowdfunding, conceptualized as a digitally mediated form of philanthropy, comparing social and commercial campaign contexts. Drawing on Self-Determination Theory and Social Identity Theory, it explores how altruistic behavior, philanthropic responsibility, and community engagement influence both intention and actual participation. Based on a survey of 467 experienced crowdfunding backers, results show that community engagement consistently predicts intentions in both campaign types, while altruism significantly drives support only for social projects. Notably, altruism indirectly influences support for commercial campaigns through community engagement, indicating that prosocial motivation translates into action when socially validated. Philanthropic responsibility moderates these relationships—diminishing the role of community in social contexts but enhancing it in commercial ones. These findings further suggest that engagement functions as a credibility and trust-building mechanism in digital environments, where social signals reduce uncertainty and enable backers to act on altruistic intentions. These also highlight distinct pathways through which values-driven motivations influence crowdfunding behavior and offer guidance for designing transparent and trustworthy resonant campaigns.