Reviewing Factors Related to Charitable Giving

By Richard Shank

Researchers in the Netherlands published a study outlining the factors that determine charitable giving. In short, individuals with more social capital tend to be more philanthropic than others, and the strongest predictor of giving is simply being asked to give.

Most research centered on charitable giving finds that individuals with large numbers of social contacts and higher education tend to give significantly more often than others. In the U.S., this means that individuals who belong to a larger number of civic organizations, regularly attend church, or are active in professional associations tend to give more than others.

This study of more than 1,500 persons in the Netherlands demonstrated that giving in that nation occurs for very similar reasons in the U.S. People with more social capital contribute more to charity than others. Several attempts have been made to understand why this is. This article attempts to cut through the thicket of various explanations in order to understand the root causes of charitable giving.

Previously, it was thought that an individual’s personality, higher education, and more social capital tended to lead to both greater social participation and philanthropic giving. Many of these studies assumed that these traits were more likely to lead to voluntary giving. Studies of charitable decision-making conclude, however, that strongest predictor of giving is being asked to give. These characteristics (education and social capital) merely opened doors into groups most where charitable solicitation and education occurs. In other words people with greater civic and religious affiliations are simply more likely to give, precisely because they are most often solicited for donations. Furthermore, membership in these groups has been shown to increase awareness of the need for charity.

Research such as this implies that successful fund development involves two interrelated tasks: First, to be successful, organizations in need must elevate awareness related to the need for charitable giving and demonstrate how the funds are directly related to the need; second, fundraising efforts are best targeted through civic, professional, and religious memberships, where charitable awareness is high, charitable giving is an accepted norm, and charitable resources are more abundant.

Source: Wipeking, P., Mass, I. 2009. Resources that make you generous: Effects of social and human resources on charitable giving. Social Forces 87(4): 1973-1996.

Comments? Tell us what you think: askaia@matherlifeways.com