Balancing generosity with profitability: The role of relative market price and value perceptions in crypto philanthropy

Considering the exponential increases in donations made in cryptocurrencies in recent years, the decision-making process that underlies crypto philanthropy demands deeper insights. Given that both individual donors and recipients are motivated to own multiple types of cryptocurrencies to strategically diversify their investment, our research examines the influence of different cryptocurrencies’ relative market price on the donation amount. The results derived from on-chain data and five experiments indicate that donors tend to set a lower donation amount for higher-priced cryptocurrency than for lower-priced cryptocurrency to protect the profitability of their crypto portfolios. To alleviate the profitability concerns and encourage larger donations in higher-priced cryptocurrencies, potential recipients could intensify donation campaigns at times when analysts predict lower future values, or emphasize the number of cryptocurrency coins that would remain in the donor’s wallet after donation. By uncovering new insights into the effects of relative market prices, future value predictions, and crypto-wallet designs, our findings provide guidance for marketers, practitioners, and policymakers interested in crypto philanthropy.