Personalized fundraising: A field experiment on threshold matching of donations

B-Tier
Journal: Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization
Year: 2022
Volume: 200
Issue: C
Pages: 1-20

Score contribution per author:

1.005 = (α=2.01 / 2 authors) × 1.0x B-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

We study a form of threshold matching in fundraising where donations above a certain threshold are topped up with a fixed amount. We show theoretically that threshold matching can induce crowding in if appropriately personalized. In a field experiment, we explore how thresholds should be chosen depending on past donations. The optimal choice of thresholds is rather bold, approximately 75% above past donations. Additionally, we explore how thresholds should be set for new donors as a function of their personal characteristics and demonstrate the benefits of personalization as opposed to setting a general threshold that applies to all recipients of a fundraising call.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:eee:jeborg:v:200:y:2022:i:c:p:1-20
Journal Field
Theory
Author Count
2
Added to Database
2026-01-24