Gift vs Donation

As part of 6 experiments across people in the US, Europe, Hong Kong, and mainland China:

People donated 25.1% more (HK$8.38 vs HK$6.70) to the charity For Children when they were asked to “Gift” rather than “Donate” (e.g. in charity descriptions, on envelopes)

21.8% more employees at a company donated used books (53.5% vs 31.7%) when the email asking them was framed as “A gift to village students” vs “A donation to village students”. They also donated 94% more books on average.

Why?

It’s found that people are more likely to grant money to others they feel “close” with. Like those who are from the same local community, or belong to the same religion, race, or color, or even those who have a similar background (e.g. orphans donating to orphanages).

When you use the word “gift”, you implicitly suggest a closer relationship between the donor and the recipient. That increases the likelihood of charity giving.

Likewise, liking a personal brand (or even the sales representative) can drastically boost the chance of a sale. A great rapport is the basis of great marketing.

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