Who Will Spare a Dime? Impulse Giving Decisions at the Checkout

Dr. Ruth K. Hansen
Assistant Professor, Nonprofit Management
Director, Institute for Nonprofit Management Studies
College of Business and Economics
University of Wisconsin-Whitewater

Campaigns asking for donations at the checkout of retail stores through rounding-up, donating an amount, or purchasing a token are becoming ubiquitous. The concept of “checkout charity” is really one of impulse giving, i.e., a prosocial activity done under time constraints. Industry reports inform us how much money the corporate campaigns are generating, but we have yet to develop a philanthropic profile of an “impulse giver” or compare them with traditional donors. Using the social heuristics hypothesis, this research helps us to better understand impulse giving and the individuals who engage in it. Women, the middle class, and those who are married or divorced were all more likely to give at the register. In contrast with formal giving, education levels had little relation to giving, and those approaching and over 50 years old were less likely to give. Familiarity with the charity and being Black or African-American correlate with greater amounts donated.

Ruth K. Hansen, PhD, is an assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater’s College of Business and Economics, and director of the Institute for Nonprofit Management Studies. She teaches classes in nonprofit organizations, fundraising, organizational behavior, and research methods. Her research focuses on the theory and practice of fundraising, and equity and inclusion in resource mobilization. Dr. Hansen has more than 20 years’ professional experience as a fundraiser, and is a former board member of AFP-Chicago. Recent publications include “Sector theorists should consider how social values determine unmet needs,” with Gregory Witkowski, published in the volume Reimagining Nonprofits: Sector Theory in the Twenty-First Century (2024), edited by Eva Witesman and Curtis Child, and “Who will spare a dime? Impulse giving decisions at the checkout” with Lauren Dula, in the Journal of Public and Nonprofit Affairs. Her article with Lesley Alborough, “Reframing fundraising research: The challenges and opportunities of interpretivist research practices and practitioner researchers in fundraising studies” was a 2023 Journal of Philanthropy and Marketing Editors’ Choice. She is honored to be recognized with her colleague Dr. Lauren Dula as a 2024 AFP Early Career Emerging Scholar for their research on philanthropy and fundraising.