With Strings Attached: Nonprofits and the Adoption of Donor Choice

Abstract

Donors' ability to attach strings to their contributions has become increasingly prevalent in the nonprofit sector. Using the case of workplace charity, this article examines the determinants of nonprofit organizations' adoption of donor choice as a mode of fund-raising. Drawing from a nationwide survey, it tests three competing tenets to explain United Ways' implementation of donor choice. Employing logistic regression analysis, the findings indicate that United Ways allow for donor control when facing donors' demands for choice, regardless of the composition of the local market or fundraisers' organizational characteristics.