The Effects of Religious Participation and Brand Image on Commitment to Donate to Faith-Based Charities

ABSTRACT Charities are in constant need to raise funds and thereby solicit donations through requesting the public and corporate enterprises. The satisfaction of a brand image by public or corporate enterprises can be highly motivating for raising funds. The main objective of this research is to identify a charity’s brand image and its relationship to trust, commitment, and emotions which are not only critically important for enhancing the charity’s image but also leveraging motivation for donorship. It examines participants and their influence on image, trust, commitment, and emotions toward a religious or faith-based charity. Structural Equation Modeling and multigroup analysis are used to examine the results. It shows that Faith-based charity’s image has a positive association with many of the antecedents. The charity’s brand image didn’t influence emotions directly but indirectly through commitment. Multigroup analysis shows there were some differences noted between the group frequency of religious dedication. The study makes two broad contributions, first, the research broadens the theoretical framework of the brand image regarding religious or faith-based charities by demonstrating how trust, commitment, and emotions influence their image and motivation to donate. Secondly, it enhances the understanding of the diversity of trust and its broader impact on the dedication of religious group participation. By differentiating between the marketing image and brand image, the research provides suggestions for improving the charity’s brand image.