Skip to main content
  • Boston College
  • Carroll School of Management
  • Event Calendar
  • Boston College
  • Carroll School of Management
  • Event Calendar
  • Login Logout
BC CCC full title logo
BC CCC acronym logo
  • About
    • People
    • Contact Us
    • Our Approach
    • Privacy Policy
    • Website FAQ
  • ESG Research & News
    • Resource Library
    • Topics
    • Magazine
    • Reports
    • Briefs
    • 21st Century Corporate Citizenship
    • Ready Response: Emerging Issues
  • Executive Education
    • Course Catalog
    • Event Calendar
    • Online Courses
    • Certificate Programs
    • The Summit: A Learning Experience to Fast Track Your ESG Certification
    • Companywide Workshops
    • Webinars & Virtual Events
    • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Membership
    • Become a Member
    • Maximize Your Membership
    • CSR Job Listings
    • Renew Your Membership
    • Member List
    • Member Networks
    • Advisory Boards
    • Inquire About Membership
    • Knowledge Request
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Membership Checklist
    • Speaker Volunteer Opportunities
  • Conference
    • Speakers
    • Who Should Attend?
    • Agenda
    • FAQS
    • Sponsors
    • 2023 General Sessions
    • Breakout Sessions
    • Innovation Awards
  • Blog
Search this site Clear search field
  1. Home
  2. Research Briefs
  3. Perceived control impacts donors’ likelihood to give money versus time

Perceived control impacts donors’ likelihood to give money versus time

  • Jun 28, 2022
  • News and Publications, Research Brief
  • Corporate Community Involvement
time vs money

Keywords: Charity, contributions, giving, matching gifts, volunteer

Takeaway: For corporate citizenship professionals seeking to increase participation in giving campaigns, individuals are more likely to give money rather than volunteer their time when they feel they have more control over their donation, and how a message is framed can impact perceived control.

Suggested audience: Top leaders, corporate citizenship professionals, marketing departments

Prior research suggests that while charities benefit more from monetary donations, many donors prefer to donate their time by volunteering. To explore how a greater number of donors might be induced to give money, researchers conducted a series of seven studies with nearly 2,800 participants, who were presented with a variety of hypothetical and incentive-based scenarios involving various charitable causes (e.g., ending hunger), donation amounts, action types (e.g., volunteering time versus donating money), degrees of volunteer/donor control (how time/money will be used), and message framings (“I give my charitable dollars” versus “I spend my charitable dollars”). They measured how in-control participants felt by gauging their agreement with statements such as, “I would have control over the way my time [money] would be used,” and, “I would be involved in how my time [money] would be used,” They also looked at the impact of other factors that might affect the choice to donate, including personal satisfaction from giving/volunteering and personal connection to the acts of giving/volunteering (“represents who I am”).

Key findings:

  • Framing a donation as “spending” rather than “giving” helped participants feel more in control, and therefore increased the number of monetary donations.
  • When the level of perceived control was higher, the average gift amount was also higher.
  • This strategy did not increase the amount of time volunteered.

If citing, please refer to original article: Costello, J. P., & Malkoc, S. A. (2022). Why are donors more generous with time than money? The role of perceived control over donations on charitable giving. Journal of Consumer Research.

Related News & Publications:

creating partnerships

Member Meetup | Powerful partnerships: Opportunities beyond nonprofits

At the June 2022 Member Meetup, members discussed non-traditional community involvement partners--including business competitors. Speakers from TELUS and the Pitney Bowes Foundation offered examples of successful, collaborative programs.
InnovationAwards-1280x720-01

The link between corporate citizenship and innovation

THE CORPORATE CITIZEN | SPRING 2022: Celebrating the first annual Corporate Citizenship Innovation Awards, and their inspiration and sponsor, Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP.
adjust grantee oversight

Adjust grantee oversight to achieve intended outcomes

RESEARCH BRIEF - Researchers examined survey responses from 242 nonprofit organizations that received funding from foundations. They analyzed how non-monetary factors in the grantee-grantor relationship are linked to...
corporate giving trends 2022

Corporate Giving Trends: A #BCConf22 Session Highlight

WEBINAR: Re-watch this popular session from #BCConf22. CSR leaders discuss how their companies are working collaboratively with stakeholders to deliver holistic giving programs that are more equitable for all.
BC CCC logo Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship
Carroll School of Management
140 Commonwealth Ave, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467 | 617.552.4545 | ccc.bc.edu
About / ESG Research & News / Executive Education / Membership / Conference / Blog
Facebook page Twitter profile LinkedIn profile
Boston College

Copyright © 2023 Trustees of Boston College