Motives and barriers to bequest giving

Abstract

Much is known about motivations for giving to charities generally. However, much less has been identified about bequestors as a unique type of charitable donor. This paper explores the motives and barriers for charitable bequest giving. Hypotheses are drawn from the general philanthropic literature and tested using survey data from Australia, a nation distinguished by very high lifetime (inter vivos) giving but low estate (post mortem) giving. The results show that belief in the efficacy of charitable organizations is requisite for leaving a bequest, as the deceased donor has no control over the enactment of the gift. This effect is mediated by the perceived difficulty of making a charitable bequest, which forms an important barrier for leaving such a legacy. Having family whose financial needs are perceived as not taken care of and the perception of financial inability to make a difference also form barriers for bequest giving. The results confirm that bequests constitute a distinctive charitable behaviour, with unique motives and barriers compared to other types of inter vivos giving. While charitable behaviour in general is driven by altruistic attitudes and political and religious values, as well as social reputation, these factors do not affect charitable bequest making as expected. Surprisingly, we find a negative relationship between financial resources and the inclination to leave a charitable bequest. The article ends with suggestions for ways charities might connect more meaningfully with their bequestors or with donors who might consider bequeathing to them.

Bequest expectations among the U.S. older adults: The roles of generational differences and personality traits

“…Various factors (e.g., educational attainment, income, and health status) that were found significant in the hierarchical framework for savings motives (Canova et al, ; Xiao & Noring, ) showed consistent significance in their associations with bequest motive that was described as being a higher level motive in this hierarchical framework of savings. The association between financial resources and bequest motives is also consistent with the findings in the previous studies (Wiepking et al, ).…”

“…Other household‐related factors can also influence bequest motive. For example, wealth and income, lifetime savings, and the cost of leaving a bequest (Boskin, 1976); being widowed, financially insecure, and having dependent children (Wiepking, Scaife, & McDonald, ) were examined in the literature. Arrondel and Grange () proposed that the number of children, lifetime income, and inheritance received during a person's life can affect bequests.…”

The Family Tribute in Charitable Bequest Giving

“…To the extent that one's family role becomes more important (possibly as a result of mortality reminders), this family role may crowd out charitable desires. Such an explanation fits with the findings of Wiepking, Scaife, and McDonald () who explain, “The more salient the family role identity, the more likely the estate will go to relatives…” (58). Thus, the recasting of a current giving framework of “self versus charity” into a bequest giving framework of “family versus charity,” especially when combined with a heightened attachment to in‐group members resulting from the mortality salience inherent in planning for one's own death, may explain why family considerations are so much more important in bequest giving and why participation is so much lower than in current charitable giving.…”

“…Similarly, in a series of focus groups of donors with planned charitable bequests in the United States, Sargeant, Hilton, and Wymer () also identified lack of family need as a core factor influencing charitable bequest decision making. In an Australian survey comparing attitudes of 440 current donors who had planned bequest gifts against 406 current donors whose wills did not including charity, Wiepking, Scaife, and McDonald () identified “family need” as one of three main barriers to charitable bequest planning, along with lack of solicitation and cost of planning. These results showing the importance of family considerations in focus groups and smaller surveys fit with nationally representative statistics.…”

To share or not to share? Explaining willingness to share in the context of social distance

“…Previous studies also showed that there are differences in altruistic behaviours of children (Benenson, Pascoe, & Radmore, ; Harbaugh & Krause, ) and in the context of dictator games (Eckel & Grossman, ; Jones, ). Another study by Wiepking, Scaife, and McDonald () emphasized the importance of altruism for acting in a prosocial way. This finding matches the results of a study by Bellotti et al (), which also demonstrated that altruism is one motivational factor, albeit with differences between the user and provider side of sharing.…”