What motivates giving?

With only two days to put something together, this is my best attempt to describe what motivates giving for February’s Giving Carnival hosted by Jason at A Small Change blog.

1. Addiction – Giving was taught to some people when they were young, and it’s now part of who they are.  Not to give money to a charity would violate who they are and cause pain.
2. Belief – Giving happens when a donor believes his money is going to be used to make a difference.
3. Habit – Giving is something that some people do every year, every month, and every week. It’s something donors have always done, and will always do.
4. Joy – Giving is fun!
5. Love – Giving money to a nonprofit organization makes a donor feel loved. The donor is loved by the employees and people served by the organization.
6. Need – Giving is usually done when there is a need for it. The only money that’s donated when there isn’t a need is donated to foundation’s to invest. 
7. Pain – Giving is something that gives everyone pleasure. If a donor doesn’t give, he often will have pain since he will know people are suffering because he didn’t donate.
8. Productivity – Giving is something that is the most productive way for some people to make a difference. It’s a lot more productive for Bill Gates to make billions of dollars at Microsoft and give that money away instead of volunteering full-time.
9. Person – Giving is often done to a person, not to an organization. I’m guilty since I know I’ve asked for donations from several people and the only reason they wrote me a check was because “I” asked. They were giving to me, not to my cause.
10. Recognition – Giving gives people recognition for their hard work and their ability to earn the money they give to charity.
11. Significance – Giving makes donors feel important and gives them a true sense of feeling that they’ve done something worth while.
12. Trust – Giving is much easier for a donor when he has trust that his donation will be used to make a difference.

I don't claim to be a fundraising expert, but these are twelve elements that I believe motivate giving.

If you think I missed an element or would like to add to this conversation, drop me a note and we can talk.

Comments

[Dave]

I think you could also include:

Responsibility/Gratitude I think some give recognizing that they have been blessed with favorable circumstances. To show their gratitude and/or civic responsibility they choose to give back.