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Abstract
We test how donors respond to new information about a charity’s effectiveness. Freedom
from Hunger implemented a test of its direct marketing solicitations, varying letters by
whether they include a discussion of their program’s impact as measured by scientific
research. The base script, used for both treatment and control, included a standard
qualitative story about an individual beneficiary. Adding scientific impact information
has no effect on average likelihood of giving or average gift amount. However, we find
important heterogeneity: large prior donors both are more likely to give and also give
more, whereas small prior donors are less likely to give. This pattern is consistent with
two different types of donors: warm glow donors who respond negatively to analytical
effectiveness information, and altruism donors who respond positively to such
information.