Personal connections impact philanthropy

Personal connections with a charity are important to people who offer philanthropy, new research from the University of Texas and other universities confirms.

Researchers from UT, the University of Chicago and Sungkyunkwan University conducted five studies of 1,462 people.

When people identified less with a cause, they were more motivated by appeals that focused on what had already been accomplished.

By contrast, people who identified more with a cause were better persuaded by appeals focused on what the group needed to meet its goal.