Prosocial motives: Helping with the Heart, the Head, by the Book, or through the Binoculars

Psychology researcher Arvid Erlandsson summarises a recently published review article proposing a new typology for understanding prosocial motives. In this video, Arvid explains four overarching categories of prosocial motives: (1) Emotional reactions, (2) Moral principles, (3) Anticipated impact, and (4) Anticipated personal consequences. Learning about diverse motives can help fundraisers “appeal to” the prosocial motives that matter the most for any specific segment of donors.

Erlandsson, A., & Dickert, S. A typology of psychological mechanisms underlying prosocial decisions. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 0(0), https://doi.org/10.1177/08997640241280983