Exploring the effect of framing donation goals as goods versus money on the effectiveness of donation appeals

Abstract

Purpose Enhancing the effectiveness of donation appeals is vital for charitable organizations. While previous research has explored various factors that influence the success of framing donation appeals, limited attention has been paid to how framing donation goals as goods versus money impacts donor responses. This research aims to investigate whether goods framing leads to a higher willingness to donate compared to money framing, and to identify the underlying mechanism driving this effect. Design/methodology/approach The authors conducted one incentive-compatible study and three online experiments to test the proposed effect. Findings Goods framing of donation goals increases individuals’ willingness to donate compared to money framing. This effect occurs because goods framing enhances psychological connectedness between donors and beneficiaries, leading donors to feel that their contributions have greater impact. However, this effect weakens among individuals with a dominant independent self-construal. Research limitations/implications Future research could investigate other boundary conditions, explore alternative framing methods that enhance psychological connectedness and test whether the findings generalize to other resource frames such as time and money. Practical implications The findings offer actionable insights for charitable organizations on how to frame donation goals to improve fundraising outcomes. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper is among the first endeavors to explore how goods versus money framing of donation goals influences donation behavior. It introduces a novel framing distinction and contributes to the literature on psychological connectedness and prosocial behavior.