While some donors boast about their giving, others give anonymously. A novel feature of this paper is that anonymity is endogenously controlled by donors themselves, not exogenously controlled by fundraisers. Is anonymous giving really a virtue, as is generally recognised? Paradoxically, this paper proves that anonymity is a vice for fundraisers even if it is what donors desire. If many altruis...

An analysis of online charity donations reveals that, when males make large donations to attractive female fundraisers, other males respond in kind, providing field evidence for 'competitive altruism' in which helpful acts are used as a display to attract partners.

Fundraisers often start their campaigns by soliciting the wealthier, more recognized, and respected individuals in a community. We examine whether the success of this solicitation ordering in part can be attributed to the fact that it enables individuals to select organizations that have a highstatus donor base. Assuming that individuals prefer to associate with individuals of higher social ran...