Do Pledges Lead to More Volunteering? An Experimental Study

https://doi.org/10.1111/ecin.13022

51 Pages Posted: 22 Jul 2019 Last revised: 8 Apr 2023

See all articles by C. Monica Capra

C. Monica Capra

Claremont Colleges - Claremont Graduate University

Bing Jiang

Department of Economics and Business, Virginia Military Institute

Yuxin Su

Université Côte d'Azur - SKEMA Business School

Date Written: January 1, 2022

Abstract

The effect of pledges on donations is ambiguous. Pledges can boost donations because pledges make it easier for people to accept a request without incurring the costs of donating right away. However, pledges can also decrease donations because individuals who pledge renege on their promises. In this paper, we study the effect of pledges on volunteering using an online experiment. We find that pledges decrease immediate rejection to volunteering requests, but pledges are often reneged later, resulting in no overall change in volunteering rates. We provide a theoretical framework for understanding the conditions under which these results emerge.

Keywords: Charitable Donations, Volunteering, Pledges, Warm-Glow, Altruism, Experiment

JEL Classification: C9, D9, D64

Suggested Citation

Capra, C. Monica and Jiang, Bing and Su, Yuxin, Do Pledges Lead to More Volunteering? An Experimental Study (January 1, 2022). https://doi.org/10.1111/ecin.13022, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3423105 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3423105

C. Monica Capra (Contact Author)

Claremont Colleges - Claremont Graduate University ( email )

170 E. Tenth Street
Claremont, CA 91711
United States
909 607 3372 (Phone)

HOME PAGE: http://https://scholar.cgu.edu/monica-capra/

Bing Jiang

Department of Economics and Business, Virginia Military Institute ( email )

Virginia Military Institute
335 Scott Shipp Hall
Lexington, VA 24450
United States
540-464-7451 (Phone)
540-464-7005 (Fax)

Yuxin Su

Université Côte d'Azur - SKEMA Business School ( email )

Block A4-A5, N 99 Ren’ai Road
Dushu Lake Science and Education Innovation Dist.
Suzhou, Jiangsu 215123
China

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