The Relationship Between the Age of Donors and the Age of Beneficiaries: An Investigation

Abstract

The proliferation of charitable organizations in recent years has led to heightened competition for donor contributions. Consequently, there is an increasing imperative to understand how advertising appeals can be optimized to enhance awareness and encourage future donations. One underexplored consumer segment in this context is that of older consumers. In this research, we explore the possibility that older consumers are more likely to donate to advertisement appeals with children than those without children. We draw on research suggesting that especially for older consumers, it is important to help children (rather than adults), since they are likely to outlive adult beneficiaries and effectuate influence beyond the donor's lifetime. Moreover, we posit that the presence of children triggers salience of parenting motivation in older consumers. We tested these hypotheses over four studies, including secondary data (N = 1000 advertising campaigns) and three controlled experiments (N = 627). Our findings demonstrate consistent support that older (versus younger) consumers report greater actual donations and higher donation inclinations to assist refugee beneficiaries with children than those without children. The interaction effect was further substantiated by a distant self (older self) and near self (control) moderator, with participants in the distant-self condition expressing significantly higher donation intentions for refugees with (versus without) children whereas there were no significant differences among participants in the near-self condition. Notably, the effect is mediated by parental motivation. In addition to theoretical understanding, this research offers a novel approach to develop effective advertising and marketing communication. © 2025 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.