Donors Less Likely to Give on Smartphones — How Fundraisers Can Combat ‘Mobile Giving Gap’

Donors are less likely to give to charity and also give less money when they’re engaging with their smartphones, according to a new report from researchers at the University of Connecticut and the University of Notre Dame. The researchers call this phenomenon the “mobile giving gap.”

The reason for the difference in giving by device type? People process information and behave differently when using their smartphone. They are much more likely to be “self-focused” than when on other computer devices, researchers say.

That means they are less inclined to think about the needs of others while using their phones, says Kristen Ferguson, an assistant professor of marketing at Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business and one of the authors of “The Mobile Giving Gap: The Negative Impact of Smartphones on Donation Behavior.”

Why it matters: While nonprofits tailor their fundraising appeals for direct mail, personal phone calls, face-to-face meetings, and online communications, they are not adapting their messaging for different types of digital devices. Ferguson says charities are losing out on bringing in more charitable donations and new donors when they ignore this difference.

“The increase in digital giving is attributed to the fact that more people are using their smartphones overall,” Ferguson says. “When you take a step back and compare donation behavior across devices, you start to see this mobile giving gap come in. It’s really important for [charities] to view the smartphone as its own platform.”

What fundraisers can do about it: The report’s authors offer several simple strategies that fundraisers can use to close the mobile giving gap. One key insight: fundraisers should create “other-focused” messaging that highlights the needs of individuals or groups, or spells out that the potential donor can help those who are less fortunate, instead of focusing only on details of the fundraising campaign. The report says this approach leads to increased awareness, which in turn can lead to increased donations.

As Ferguson puts it: “When donation appeals explicitly highlight the needs of others, people using smartphones will become less focused on their own and more conscious of others’ needs, which will dissipate the mobile giving gap and break people out of this self-focused mindset.”