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Main Authors: Kim, Ji Eun, Hemphill, Libby
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2505.11367
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author Kim, Ji Eun
Hemphill, Libby
author_facet Kim, Ji Eun
Hemphill, Libby
contents This study examines the impact of moral framing on fundraising outcomes, including both monetary and social support, by analyzing a dataset of 14,088 campaigns posted on GoFundMe. We focused on three moral frames: care, fairness, and (ingroup) loyalty, and measured their presence in campaign appeals. Our results show that campaigns in the Emergency category are most influenced by moral framing. Generally, negatively framing appeals by emphasizing harm and unfairness effectively attracts more donations and comments from supporters. However, this approach can have a downside, as it may lead to a decrease in the average donation amount per donor. Additionally, we found that loyalty framing was positively associated with receiving more donations and messages across all fundraising categories. This research extends existing literature on framing and communication strategies related to fundraising and their impact. We also propose practical implications for designing features of online fundraising platforms to better support both fundraisers and supporters.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2505_11367
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle The Effects of Moral Framing on Online Fundraising Outcomes: Evidence from GoFundMe Campaigns
Kim, Ji Eun
Hemphill, Libby
Computers and Society
This study examines the impact of moral framing on fundraising outcomes, including both monetary and social support, by analyzing a dataset of 14,088 campaigns posted on GoFundMe. We focused on three moral frames: care, fairness, and (ingroup) loyalty, and measured their presence in campaign appeals. Our results show that campaigns in the Emergency category are most influenced by moral framing. Generally, negatively framing appeals by emphasizing harm and unfairness effectively attracts more donations and comments from supporters. However, this approach can have a downside, as it may lead to a decrease in the average donation amount per donor. Additionally, we found that loyalty framing was positively associated with receiving more donations and messages across all fundraising categories. This research extends existing literature on framing and communication strategies related to fundraising and their impact. We also propose practical implications for designing features of online fundraising platforms to better support both fundraisers and supporters.
title The Effects of Moral Framing on Online Fundraising Outcomes: Evidence from GoFundMe Campaigns
topic Computers and Society
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2505.11367