How Can Bill and Melinda Gates Increase Other People's Donations to Fund Public Goods?

17 Pages Posted: 4 Apr 2012

See all articles by Dean S. Karlan

Dean S. Karlan

Yale University; Northwestern University - Kellogg School of Management; Innovations for Poverty Action; Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL); National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER); Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR)

John A. List

University of Chicago - Department of Economics

Date Written: April 2012

Abstract

We develop a simple theory which formally describes how charities can resolve the information asymmetry problems faced by small donors by working with large donors to generate quality signals. To test the model, we conducted two large-scale natural field experiments. In the first experiment, a charity focusing on poverty reduction solicited donations from prior donors and either announced a matching grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, or made no mention of a match. In the second field experiment, the same charity sent direct mail solicitations to individuals who had not previously donated to the charity, and tested whether naming the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation as the matching donor was more effective than not identifying the name of the matching donor. The first experiment demonstrates that the matching grant condition generates more and larger donations relative to no match. The second experiment shows that providing a credible quality signal by identifying the matching donor generates even more and larger donations than not naming the matching donor. Importantly, the treatment effects persist long after the matching period, and the quality signal is quite heterogeneous - the Gates’ effect is much larger for prospective donors who had a record of giving to 'poverty-oriented' charities. These two pieces of evidence support our model of quality signals as a key mechanism through which matching gifts inspire donors to give.

Keywords: asymmetric information, charitable fundraising, matching grant, public goods

JEL Classification: D12, D71, D82, H41, O12

Suggested Citation

Karlan, Dean S. and Karlan, Dean S. and List, John A., How Can Bill and Melinda Gates Increase Other People's Donations to Fund Public Goods? (April 2012). CEPR Discussion Paper No. DP8922, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2034140

Dean S. Karlan (Contact Author)

Yale University ( email )

Box 208269
New Haven, CT 06520-8269
United States

Northwestern University - Kellogg School of Management ( email )

2001 Sheridan Road
Evanston, IL 60208
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Innovations for Poverty Action ( email )

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New Haven, CT 20009
United States

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) ( email )

E60-246
77 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02139
United States

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

1050 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States

Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR) ( email )

London
United Kingdom

John A. List

University of Chicago - Department of Economics ( email )

1126 East 59th Street
Chicago, IL 60637
United States

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