Charitable organizations often rely on multi-step solicitation processes in which potential donors are first asked whether they wish to donate, with information about specific causes or donation details disclosed later in the process. We study how the timing of information disclosure and perceived commitment affect donation decisions, and we test these mechanisms using controlled experiments. In Experiment 1, we find that separating the decision to donate from information about specific causes significantly reduces the probability of accepting a fixed donation request relative to a one-step ask. Providing information about transaction costs or emphasizing non-commitment does not increase giving, whereas eliminating uncertainty about causes restores donation rates to the one-step level. A follow-up Experiment 2 conducted in a conventional fundraising environment with a single, well-known charity and flexible donation amounts yields similar results: one-step solicitations generate more donations than two-step solicitations. The findings demonstrate that the sequencing of information within a solicitation, independent of the information itself, plays a central role in shaping charitable-giving behavior.
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