What motivates people to display philanthropic behaviour?

The main drivers of philanthropic donation behaviour are defined by Eight Mechanisms:

1. Awareness of need
2. Solicitation
3. Costs and benefits
4. Altruism
5. Reputation
6. Psychological benefits; impure altruims or warm glow
7. Values
8. Efficacy

I would like to focuse in the concepts of altruism, warm glow and efficacy.

• Altruism: Acts of philanthropy can be inspired by a ‘true’ or ‘pure’ concern for the well-being of recipients or the creation of a public good or service. People simple demand more for the public good.
• Impure altruism or warm glow: Some people get some private benefits (positive reputation, a sense of duty or satisfaction... ) from their gift per se, like a "warm glow". Its a selfish motive but with no bad connotations.
• Efficacy: People are more likely to engage in philanthropic behaviour when they perceive their contribution to be more effective.

These concepts are not contradictories, but probably the mechanisms of donation could differ if your are a small donor, a big philantropist or your are company. Probably you will put emphasis or priorizes these three concepts in a different way.

Acces to related articles (in pdf):

• Testing Mechanisms for Philanthropic Behaviour (2011)
• Eight Mechanisms that Drive Charitable Giving (2011)
• Impure altruism-warm glow (1990)

pd: Discussion cycle in Barcelona organized by Ivàlua and Obra social "la Caixa" New Forms of Philanthropy and Social Transformation

photo: (*) Photosolde
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