How Personal Nostalgia Influences Giving to Charity

Abstract

Charitable organizations in the U.S. have found it increasingly difficult to raise funds from donors. With a decline in the number of donors and with the number of charitable organizations increasing, there is a greater need than ever to emotionally engage the giver and encourage him/her to increase their giving to charitable organizations. One such emotional construct is personal nostalgia. Linking personal nostalgia to charitable giving, this research argues that age, discontinuity, loneliness, past experiences and recovery from grief influence personal nostalgia that the donor may experience. Personal nostalgia in turn will provide emotional utility and familial utility to the donor. This in turn will strengthen the commitment of the donor to the charitable organization which would lead to charitable giving. From an academic standpoint it adds to the literature in the areas of personal nostalgia and charitable giving. From a Managerial standpoint, charitable organizations could benefit by identifying significant personal experiences of the donor and evoke personal nostalgia in their fundraising appeals. References available on request.