National Campaigns for Charitable Causes A Literature Review

• Published in: Nonprofit and voluntary sector quarterly Vol. 42; no. 2; pp. 219 - 240
• Main Authors: van Leeuwen, Marco H. D., Wiepking, Pamala
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01.04.2013; Sage; SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC
• Subjects: Advertising campaigns; Campaigns; Categories; Charities; Crossnational studies; Determinants; Donations; Format; Fund raising; Gain; Incentives; International comparisons; Literature Reviews; Mass Media; Netherlands; Proximity; Regulation; Regulations; Reputation; Spain; Studies; Sweden; Trust; United States of America; Netherlands; Sweden; United States > US; Spain; motives; national campaign; giving; literature review; philanthropy
• ISSN: 0899-7640; 1552-7395; 0899-7640
• DOI: 10.1177/0899764012467084

The authors present the first cross-national comparison of more than 300 national campaigns for charitable causes in the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, and the United States for the period 1950 to 2011. The authors study frequency and amounts raised, discuss successful and failed campaigns, and review the literature with regard to potential determinants of success. The authors group these determinants into three categories: (a) perceived characteristics of recipients, notably their need, agency, and blamelessness; (b) donor characteristics, such as geographical and cultural proximity, a gain in status or reputation, and material incentives; and (c) structural characteristics of the giving regime, such as the frequency and media formats of campaigns, fundraising rules and regulations, and trust.