Publication Type
Journal Article
Version
publishedVersion
Publication Date
1-2026
Abstract
Can displays of charity capacity cues paradoxically harm charities' fundraising efforts? Six pre-registered studies provide evidence of a charity capacity curse whereby donors penalize charities for displaying capacity cues, such as human resources capacity, organizational capacity, and financial capacity cues. This curse occurs because donors perceive higher-capacity charities as needing less help. As donors typically donate based on need, they donate less to charities with superior capacity signals. This effect is attenuated when: (1) higher-capacity charities' needs are made salient, and (2) donors reflect on how their decision impacts end-beneficiaries. This research contributes to the literature on effective altruism and charity perceptions while offering managerial insights for charities seeking to optimize their fundraising communications.
Keywords
charity capacity, consumer bias, effective altruism, perceived need, prosocial behavior
Discipline
Marketing | Psychology
Research Areas
Marketing
Publication
Journal of Consumer Psychology
Volume
36
Issue
1
First Page
36
Last Page
58
ISSN
1057-7408
Identifier
10.1002/jcpy.70000
Publisher
Wiley
Citation
ZHANG, Shirley (Lijun); ALLARD, Thomas; HARDISTY, David; and WANG, Shane.
The charity capacity curse. (2026). Journal of Consumer Psychology. 36, (1), 36-58.
Available at: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/lkcsb_research/7948
Copyright Owner and License
Wiley
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
External URL
https://api.elsevier.com/content/abstract/scopus_id/105010141305