PROSOCIAL Virtual Seminar May 2026 

To register for the PROSOCIAL Virtual seminar on May 12th, 2026, at 2:30 PM (CEST) please fill out the form below. You will receive an email that contains the link for joining the seminar.

Title of the presentation: What Do Charities Maximize? Revealed Preferences from Threshold Matching Campaigns

Speaker:  Ragan Petrie (Texas A&M University)

Abstract: Most research on charitable giving focuses on donors — what motivates individuals to give and how incentives shape their behavior. Far less is known about the organizations on the other side: what do charities optimize, and to what extent do their decisions reflect those objectives? We study this in the context of threshold matching campaigns, where a charity sets a minimum donation level to trigger a match. Using a high-stakes field study with 90 charities, we elicit threshold choices in a real campaign setting — a revealed preference over fundraising strategy. We develop a theoretical framework that bounds threshold choices consistent with maximizing match revenue, out-of-pocket donations, or total fundraising. These bounds reflect the trade-offs charities face regarding the welfare of donors and recipients. We find evidence consistent with heterogeneous motivations across charities.

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Recording of the seminar: The seminar might be recorded and published on YouTube at a later date. We will inform about the recording at the beginning of the seminar. The recording will include the speaker's camera and microphone as well as the presentation slides. Whether and to what extent your data will be recorded depends on what data you disclose before or during participation. If you ask questions in person, these will also be included in the recording. Alternatively, you can ask your questions via chat function, which is not part of the recording and is moderated by the organizing team. This ensures that your privacy is protected.

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