Getting More by Asking for Less: The Effects of Request Size on Donations of Charity¹

Abstract

In the context of an annual fundraising drive for the American Society, two field experiments were conducted to test the relative effectiveness of suggesting either small or large contributions. In experiment 1, as part of a door‐to‐door campaign 300 people were randomly assigned to: (a) a standard request for contributions (control); (b) the standard request plus the words, “even a penny will help”; or (c) the standard request plus the words, “a generous contribution would really help.” As hypothesized, asking for a generous contribution significantly decreased the percentage of people who donated and failed to increase the average size of contribution by those who gave. Inconsistent with previous findings, the even‐a‐penny condition did not increase donating. In the second experiment conceptually similar requests were made in a mail‐out campaign: 6,000 requests were made—2,000 suggested relatively small amounts (options beginning at $5); 2,000 suggested large amounts (options beginning at $5); and 2,000 were unspecified with regard to recommended amount (control). As expected, compared to the control condition, asking for small amounts increased the proportion of donors to nondonors without decreasing the average size of contributions, while asking for large amounts decreased the proportion of donors to nondonors without increasing the size of contributions. It is suggested that the findings have important implications for charitable fundraising.

Who gives? A literature review of predictors of charitable giving. Part Two: Gender, family composition and income

“…One such strategy is the argument that one 'cannot afford a donation'. Legitimising paltry contributions by adding the phrase 'every penny helps' or 'even a penny helps' in a solicitation for contributions may neutralise these strategies (Cialdini and Schroeder, 1976;Reingen, 1978;Brockner et al, 1984;Weyant and Smith, 1987;Doob and McLaughlin, 1989). When even a penny helps, one easily appears to be an unhelpful person if one does not donate, which makes it difficult to say no.…”

Generosity and Philanthropy: A Literature Review

“…Increasing the amount requested may increase the amount donated if the amount requested is not perceived as excessive (Doob & McLaughlin 1989). However, one study found that a request for a "generous contribution" rather than a specific amount decreases the likelihood that a gift will be made in door-to-door solicitations (Weyant & Smith 1987). Desmet (1999) found a positive effect of asking for more on average donations in a direct mail campaign among irregular donors, but not among regular donors.…”

“…One such strategy is the argument that one "cannot afford a donation". Legitimizing paltry contributions by adding the phrase "Even a penny helps" in a solicitation for contributions may neutralize these strategies ( (Brockner et al 1984;Cialdini & Schroeder 1976;Doob & McLaughlin 1989;Reingen 1978;Weyant & Smith 1987). When even a penny helps, one easily appears to be an unhelpful person if one does not donate, which makes it difficult to say no.…”

“…When used in a direct mail context, the phrase may even decrease the amount donated, exactly because it legitimizes paltry contributions (DeJong & Oopik 1992). One final limitation of the technique is that it does not seem to work with high-income donors (Weyant & Smith 1987). Hornstein, LaKind, Frankel, and Manne (1975) found that news radio broadcasts reporting "good news" produced increased generosity towards total strangers in an abstract game situation, in part because of a more positive outlook on human nature.…”

Charitable Giving and Nonbinding Contribution-Level Suggestions — Evidence from a Field Experiment

“…The lab experiments by Briers et al (2007) with 2 suggestions of 0.5€ or 3€ generates lower return as compared to no suggestion case. Weyant and Smith (1987) examine the effect of, both, smaller and larger suggestions.…”