Corporate Propensity for Long-Term Donations to Non-Profit Organisations: An Exploratory Study in Portugal

Abstract

The motivations for individual and corporate donations to non-profit organisations (NPOs) have been vastly researched. However, companies tend to diversify their donations towards different institutions, hindering the development of substantial and continuous social interventions by charities. Considering the importance of regular support to guarantee NPOs’ sustainability, this study analyses the corporate motivations and the conditions that might favour their propensity for long-term donations. Researchers have conducted twenty semistructured interviews in companies with social responsibility policies and concluded that motivations to donate goes beyond visibility or recognition the donation might bring to the business. Interviewees highlighted the sense of altruism and the perceived importance of their donation for the well-being of people the institutions are supporting. However, managers admitted they diversify their partnerships rather than donate regularly to the same institution and consider that a relationship and proactive marketing approach by NPOs would be a key point to activate long-term donations.

El papel del mecenazgo – una aproximación a las organizaciones sin ánimo de lucro

“…It is crucial for the organization to enhance its strategies regarding resource development by going beyond mere resource mobilization for immediate or urgent situations. It is essential to establish a cohort of financial supporters who are actively involved as partners with the organization (Casais & Santos, 2019). Consequently, creating a database of benefactors can foster close relationships and nurture donor loyalty (Clohesy, 2003).…”

“…Sustainability can be strongly influenced by the NPO's image management; effective management of an organization's public im-age implies its dissemination via various media among the target audience and the organization (Casais & Santos, 2019).…”

Addressing Resource Constraint Issues: Unpacking The Strategies for Sustainability of Nonprofit Organisations

“…Resources are crucial for NPOs to continuously deliver social services (Michalski et al, 2018). Fundraising and financial donations, commercially generated income, relationship marketing, sector and crosssector collaborations, volunteers, and in-kind contributions are among the resources available to NPOs (Casais & Santos, 2018;Ceptureanu et al, 2017). However, NPOs face resource constraints prevalent in the nonprofit sector (Ceptureanu et al, 2017;Claire, 2014;McDonald et al, 2015) due to the trust deficit by stakeholders (Centre for Asian Philanthropy and Society, 2018; Shapiro, Mirchandani, & Jang, 2018).…”

How social performance indicators and leadership contribute to the development of non-profits - an approach to long-term care homes

“…NPOs are generally grounded on the aptitude to maximise the shaped social value expressed both through the NPO mission and its interaction with several stakeholders (Felício et al, 2013;Ferreira et al, 2017). Economic sustainability is a central objective that combines maximisation of social value with investment in innovation and innovative outputs (Brown and Kalegaonkar, 2002;Casais and Santos, 2019;Wells, 2015), partnerships (Barroso-Méndez et al, 2016;Carvalho et al, 2019;MacDonald et al, 2019), and also different forms of support and benefits, sometimes materialised through a diversity of funds (Casais and Santos, 2019;Ferreira et al, 2017;Wells, 2015).…”