Which fundraising incentive offers work and which may backfire?

In this 7-minute video, Dr Cassandra Chapman summarizes 153 research studies on the effectiveness of incentives for charitable giving. She talks through the difference between material vs social incentives, and argues that incentives can be either self-benefiting if the donor benefits from the offer or other-benefiting if the beneficiary benefits. Dr Chapman talks through examples and tells you which incentives the balance of evidence suggest work best in your next fundraising appeal.

Read the full article:  Chapman, C. M., & Thai, H. A. (2025). Incentivizing charitable giving: A systematic review of self- and other-benefiting incentives for donating money. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly.