This study examines how perceived authenticity and warmth are associated with parasocial interaction (PSI) and donation intention in response to an AI-powered virtual influencer charity appeal. Rather than claiming that virtual influencers are broadly more effective than human influencers, the study focuses on a bounded setting in which respondents evaluated one mimic-human virtual influencer post. Drawing on parasocial interaction theory and selected insights from self-determination theory, the model proposes that authenticity functions as a credibility cue, warmth functions as a benevolence cue, and PSI captures the resulting quasi-social bond. Using survey data from 240 respondents, the findings support significant links from perceived authenticity to warmth and PSI, and show that warmth and PSI are associated with stronger donation intention, including a significant sequential indirect effect. The contribution is therefore more modest but more precise: the study clarifies how audiences interpret a single virtual influencer charity appeal and identifies warmth as an important emotional mechanism in nonprofit communication. The findings offer a foundation for future experimental research comparing AI and human influencers, alternative virtual influencer types, and actual donation behavior.
Although religious donors are the major contributors in crowdfunding donation, literature suggests that they are more vulnerable to fraud and hidden fees as they regard donation as a sacred value, while vigilant behavior is regarded as secular behavior. Drawing from the Sacred Value Protection Motive (SPVM) an online survey was conducted to 210 donors who have previously donated in a crowdfunding platform using an Indonesian research panel, Kudata. Built upon psychological safety and sacred value frameworks, this research found that donors tend to regard vigilant behavior as a defender for the religious-motivated donation, confirmed with the SVPM. Hence, they feel psychologically safe to question the donation platform. This approach promotes greater vigilance, transparency, and ethical engagement in crowdfunding activities. This research provides valuable insights for enhancing transparency and effectiveness in crowdfunding practices, especially among religiously motivated donors.
It has been shown that people are more likely to donate when they feel physically vulnerable to a public health crisis. However, little is known about an individual difference that may moderate this effect. The current research addresses this gap by investigating whether and how analytic-holistic thinking style influences the relationship between perceived physical vulnerability and donation behavior. Three studies found that, for analytic thinkers, higher perceived physical vulnerability to a public health crisis resulted in a stronger feeling of closeness to donation beneficiaries and higher donation likelihood. For holistic thinkers, variations in perceived physical vulnerability had little effect on closeness or donation likelihood. This research advances the charitable giving literature by identifying thinking style as a moderator of the relationship between perceived physical vulnerability and donation behavior. It also enriches research on analytic-holistic thinking style by demonstrating how the distinct styles of thinking shape donation decision-making processes.
If the electorate is as polarized as evidence suggests, the opportunity to galvanize stakeholders around public policy may be a pipe dream. Yet, that is the charge of marketers involved in policymaking. Therefore, it is crucial to understand what is not yet known-the cognitive process individuals follow when considering a policy. Drawing on theory from marketing, psychology, and political science, this research builds a conceptual framework that identifies the cognitive process individuals follow that results in attitudes and behavior. Implementation examples offer opportunities for practitioners to apply the concepts, and a research agenda provides direction for academics.
Nonprofit organizations benefit from low-cost artificial intelligence (AI) tools that help write persuasive communications, like emotional appeals. However, as research on AI's emotional intelligence is lacking, this experiment tests the effects of AI- vs. human-created emotional appeals (guilt vs. empathy) on donation intentions, issue involvement, and perceptions of ad effectiveness, mediated by guilt and empathy. The experiment employed a between-subjects 2 (agent: AI vs. human) X 2 (emotional appeal: guilt vs. empathy) factorial design. To test the actual effects (not source bias), study participants were not aware of the appeals' author being human or AI. Results suggest AI matched humans in arousing empathy and outperformed humans in arousing guilt. There were no significant differences between human- and AI-generated appeals in persuasive outcomes or perceptions of ad effectiveness. Overall, findings suggest generative AI may possess enough emotional intelligence to write emotional appeals as well as humans, but future work should expand on psychological processes explaining why.
Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives have become central to nonprofit and public sector organizations, including universities, where they function not only as instruments of fairness but also as signals that shape institutional legitimacy and stakeholder engagement. This study investigates how perceptions of university- and faculty-level DEI performance mediate the relationship between students' political ideology and their marketing-relevant outcomes, including institutional identification, word-of-mouth, academic experience, relationship development, and post-graduation engagement. Drawing on social identity theory and uncertainty-identity theory, we conceptualize DEI performance as both a signal of identity inclusion and a mechanism for reducing identity uncertainty. Survey data from 1027students were analyzed to test four hypotheses. The results demonstrate that perceptions of DEI performance differ across socio-cultural groups, and that university-level and faculty-level DEI performance exert distinct effects. University DEI influences macro-level outcomes such as identification and advocacy, while faculty DEI affects micro-level outcomes such as academic experience and relational trust. These findings extend identity-based theories into the nonprofit marketing domain by explaining why DEI initiatives produce divergent stakeholder responses. Practically, the study provides guidance for universities and other nonprofit institutions seeking to design DEI strategies that balance ideological diversity while strengthening legitimacy, trust, and long-term stakeholder engagement.
This research explores how Canadian nonprofit organizations utilize X (formerly Twitter) to build and sustain trust, engage their audiences, and influence electronic word of mouth (eWOM). A content analysis of 1,955 tweets and 492 public replies from 15 nonprofits assessed trust through six dimensions-benevolence, competence, integrity, reliability, openness, and confidence-and evaluated the use of emotional and rational message framing. The findings reveal that human and social services nonprofits most often used trust-building messages, reflecting benevolence, while health charities focused on confidence and providing informational content. Emotionally framed tweets generated significantly more positive eWOM than rational ones and were most strongly associated with benevolence and confidence-building messages. In contrast, competence was more strongly associated with rational appeals. Tweets featuring videos, images, and infographics also achieved higher engagement. This study proposes communication strategies to strengthen trust-based organization - public relationships and promote positive eWOM on X.
Cause-related marketing (CrM) involves partnerships between companies and charities to support social causes. Although CrM can provide important benefits to charities, identifying appropriate partners remains challenging. Prior research indicates that company - cause fit enhances CrM effectiveness. Unfortunately, fit has been conceptualized inconsistently within the literature. In this research, we develop an integrative model of fit in CrM that organizes commonly examined fit forms along two orthogonal dimensions: commonality and valence. Using an online laboratory experiment (N = 513), we show that fit can be conceptualized in four broad categories - negative, neutral, low-positive, and high-positive. Within these four fit categories, we situate specific fit subtypes identified in the literature. Results demonstrate that these fit subtypes differentially influence consumer attitudes toward the partnership and purchase intentions for associated products and services. Theoretical and practical implications for CrM research and partnership selection are discussed.
Nonprofit organizations increasingly rely on communication strategies to build trust and signal credibility to donors and other stakeholders. Despite the central role of communication in nonprofit marketing, empirical evidence on how qualitative features of organizational messaging relate to external evaluations and resource allocation remains limited. This study examines whether communication quality embedded in nonprofit organizational descriptions functions as a strategic marketing signal associated with organizational ratings and financial outcomes. Using a large scale secondary dataset of 8,408 U.S. nonprofit organizations, we apply an embedding based content analysis to quantify latent communication dimensions related to professionalism, transparency, and emotional framing. These dimensions are combined into a composite Communication Quality Index and linked to organizational outcomes, including overall charity ratings, accountability scores, and key financial indicators. The results show that higher communication quality is positively associated with overall and accountability focused ratings. Communication quality is also related to program spending intensity and fundraising efficiency, highlighting potential trade offs between communication investments and cost structures. Overall, the findings position nonprofit communication as a core marketing signal with both evaluative and operational implications.
This study examines the influence of facilitation preference on the desirability of four volunteering benefits: feeling useful, positive social interactions, helping others, and having an enjoyable experience. The moderating effects of brand strength on the proposed relationships are also examined. Data were collected (N = 490) from an online survey panel and analyzed using PLS-SEM. The results indicate that facilitation preference has a positive influence on all four desired benefits of volunteering, confirming its relevance for volunteer recruitment. The results also confirm the negative moderating role of brand strength, weakening the proposed relationships between facilitation preference and the relative desirability of two benefits, feeling useful and positive social interactions. We propose that by increasing the organization's brand strength, individuals' reliance on social reassurance associated with facilitation preference is attenuated. Practical implications, limitations and recommendations for future research are discussed.
This study explores value co-creation and co-destruction across the macro, meso, and micro levels of a service ecosystem by examining the development of Japan's donation system. Although service-dominant logic (SDL) has become a central framework in marketing, its application in public sector ecosystems remains limited. Similarly, some studies have addressed how value co-creation and co-destruction unfold interdependently in the context of an ecosystem. By analyzing the 15-year history of Japan's "hometown tax" donation system, this study reveals how reciprocal gifts, conceptualized as goods, expand the perceived value of donations, while simultaneously creating friction among stakeholders. As local governments sought to attract donations with increasingly appealing reciprocal gifts in the system, the central government viewed these practices as value-destructive, leading to regulatory interventions. The findings illustrate the intertwined relationship between value co-creation and co-destruction, underscoring the importance of institutional design and transformation not only for the diffusion of donation practices but also for the service ecosystem as a whole.
This study explores service quality for a rural county's public administration using resident survey data to assess satisfaction with quality of life and community services. Five dimensions are identified as Public Safety, Police and Fire, Leisure Activities, Child Care, and Health Care. A Family Life Cycle framework is used with results showing a higher propensity to move among younger people, particularly those without children. Older people without children tended to report higher satisfaction ratings across all dimensions. A binary logistic regression model is used to predict the resident's propensity to move. Recommendations include expanding opportunities for leisure and providing more affordable quality health care. This study contributes to nonprofit and public sector marketing by demonstrating how segmentation strategies, particularly Family Life Cycle (FLC), can inform citizen-centric service delivery and strategic planning.
Despite its strategic relevance, nonprofit organization's oftentimes lack to implement strategic brand concepts systematically. Drawing on implementation theory, this study developed a nonprofit implementation framework in which the relationship between nonprofit brand orientation and brand implementation as well as six implementation impediments were conceptualized. To test the framework, two empirical studies were conducted. Study 1: The findings from the survey of 139 nonprofit marketing and branding managers revealed that while nonprofit brand orientation has a positive effect on brand implementation, this effect is contingent on organizational conditions and is substantially weakened by several impediments: lack of resources, short-term focus, weak brand communication, limited brand expertise, low professionalization, and a lack of perceived importance. Study 2 focuses on how to overcome the brand implementation problem in practice. 22 qualitative expert interviews with German nonprofit brand managers were conducted and six solutions to overcome the impediments were identified. This research contributes to the literature on nonprofit brand management by deepening the understanding of the implementation of brand orientation in nonprofits and showcasing adaptive strategies to overcome barriers.
The effect of consumer moral beliefs such as libertarianism on attitudes toward regulation is an important and relevant question, heightened by the fact that attitudes toward the right of authorities to regulate and enforce public health behavior appear to be in flux. We apply the theory of reasoned action to hypothesize that personal outcome expectations influence attitudes toward reckless driving controls. Our unique theoretical contribution is to add not normative influence but norms as a complementary psychological antecedent to attitude. Two surveys (one with experimental manipulation) are undertaken to test the integrity of our measures and our hypotheses. Three of the four dimensions of the "libertarianism" norm that we empirically identified (and confirmed in replication) explained 20-25% of overall attitudes to forty reckless driving control (RDC) concepts. This was a far greater influence than the rationally based antecedent, self-reported reckless driving behavior. Future research that differentiates between the vehicle taking control and authorities taking control through "big brother" tracking of careless behavior is discussed.
Sustaining an adequate blood supply requires a deep understanding of donor behavior, yet research on how donor experiences influence behavioral outcomes remains limited. This study addresses this gap by examining how blood donation experiences, including cognitive, emotional, physical/sensorial, and social experiences, shape donor pride and, in turn, influence donor citizenship behavior (BDCB) and donor loyalty. Using PLS-SEM, survey data from active blood donors in Thailand reveal that emotional and social experiences significantly enhance donor pride, which fosters higher levels of advocacy, commitment, and long-term loyalty. However, cognitive and physical/sensorial experiences do not exhibit a significant effect on donor pride, underscoring the need for emotion-driven engagement strategies. This study contributes to nonprofit marketing literature by highlighting the emotional and social dimensions of donor experiences as key drivers of sustained donation behavior. Therefore, the research findings extend experiential marketing research into the nonprofit sector and provide practical insights for blood donation organizations. Practical recommendations for strengthening donor relationships and ensuring a sustainable donor base are provided. Limitations and directions for future research are also discussed.
A significant obstacle confronting blood donation agencies and the healthcare sector in general is the continuing decline in blood donation. One promising approach to influencing the prosocial behavior of blood donors seems to be electronic word of mouth (e-WOM), for instance, in the form of Instagram posts. The impact of e-WOM on the emotions of the recipient (i.e. the donor), however, is still underexplored. Using a qualitative empirical approach (a content analysis of 12 interviews) and the emotion-based framework of WOM, we aim to analyze which emotions user-generated e-WOM posts about blood donation elicit in the recipient and which prosocial tendencies these emotions trigger. The results indicate that positive emotions (e.g., happiness or positive excitement) are more prevalent than negative ones (e.g., guilt). With the exception of pride, all other emotions promote positive prosocial tendencies toward blood donation. First, our research contributes to (e-)WOM literature since we advance the conceptualization of e-WOM by exploring the nature and impact of emotions, in this case the prosocial tendencies elicited by e-WOM. Second, as these prosocial tendencies are suitable levers for promoting blood donation, we simultaneously contribute to blood donation research by specifying the role of emotions in blood donation behavior.
The COVID-19 pandemic created varied impacts among nonprofit organizations in the US and globally, including changes in operating costs, employment, and services, which are well documented; however, in the aftermath of the pandemic other challenges are being felt in unexpected ways that are shifting how nonprofits market themselves moving forward. This study explores the unique challenges that nonprofits have faced using social media for marketing purposes since the pandemic. Qualitative data from focus group participants representing small-sized nonprofits suggests that social media is still useful for marketing and brand awareness, but there are limits to their applicability and effectiveness for fundraising, particularly for tracking donor information and receiving timely resources. Further, the pandemic forced organizations to build their social media capacity and innovate, and these effects are forcing nonprofits to evaluate their technical capacity moving forward. Implications for nonprofit organizations in terms of capacity building training are provided, in addition to mechanisms for small nonprofits to align social media use with their mission and leverage networks and partnerships to increase technical capacity.
Wildlife conservation advertisements rely on emotional appeals to elicit empathy and encourage donations, yet little research has explored how specific animal characteristics - cuteness, emotional closeness, and familiarity - shape these responses. This study investigates how these characteristics moderate the relationships between donation motivation, social responsibility, and empathy, ultimately influencing willingness to donate. Participants were exposed to static conservation advertisements featuring animals with varying levels of cuteness, closeness, and familiarity. The findings highlight the dominant role of perceived cuteness, which significantly enhances empathy both directly and by amplifying the effect of social responsibility appeals. Emotional closeness also moderates social responsibility's influence on empathy, but unexpectedly, greater closeness weakens this relationship, suggesting a saturation effect where emotionally connected individuals may not require additional persuasion. Contrary to expectations, familiarity does not significantly predict empathy, challenging the assumption that well-known species inherently evoke stronger emotional engagement.
Embedded marketing provides brands with a strategic approach to effectively reach audiences, whose engagement has become increasingly elusive. This work introduces cause placement, a form of embedded marketing whereby messages about prosocial causes-the offerings of nonprofit organizations-are inserted into entertainment programming. Across the two studies, the authors investigate the effects of different message factors on the effectiveness of cause placement. In the first study, a "branded" cause yields better recall of the cause and better attitude toward the cause than an unbranded one regardless of placement modality. There is no significant difference among the groups for intention to support the cause, likely due to a ceiling effect. In the second study, participants recall the cause more effectively when the main character's behavior conflicts with their image, regardless of whether the character is perceived as a "good guy" or "bad guy." There is an interaction effect between the character's behavior and image: attitudes toward the cause are more positive when the behavior aligns with the "bad guy" image but shows no difference when the behavior aligns with the "good guy" image.
Prior studies have investigated donation behavior across different groups; however, limited research has systematically examined how political ideologies shape the underlying motivations for donating. Accordingly, this study explores why individuals adhering to three ideologies (conservatism, kemalism, and nationalism) engage in donation behavior. Data were collected through focus groups and semi-structured interviews and then analyzed using qualitative content analysis. As a result, six distinct themes representing common and unique donation motivations among ideological adherents were identified. Individuals in all three groups commonly make donations motivated by warm glow-giving. Conservatives' and kemalists' donations mitigate their feelings of guilt. Nationalists and kemalists view donations as a means to achieve value congruence with the adhered group. Conservatives make donations with the expectation of receiving rewards hereafter. Donations are crucial for Kemalists to gain recognition in society. Lastly, nationalists regard helping others as a civic duty. By linking political ideology with donation behavior, the study advances theoretical understanding of ideological drivers of giving and provides practical insights for nonprofit organizations to develop ideology-sensitive donor engagement strategies.
