Seeing is believing: A qualitative study examining how high and ultra‐high‐net‐worth donors utilise evidence to inform their giving and the barriers to and facilitators of the use of evidence

Abstract

Whilst there is growing recognition across the non‐profit literature, that the giving of resources ought to be informed by rigorous evidence, few studies to date have examined how high and ultra‐high‐net‐worth donors use evidence to inform their philanthropy, the type and quality of the evidence they utilise, and how they measure the performance of the charities they support. The primary objective of this study was to examine whether and how philanthropists employ evidence to inform their decision‐making. We employed in‐depth qualitative research methods to elicit the perspectives of philanthropists on how they engaged with evidence and, in so doing, filled a gap in the data. We found barriers to utilising evidence included challenges in accessing evidence, difficulties in assessing the quality and appropriateness of evidence and insufficient resources to capture evidence. Facilitators of evidence use included: making evidence more accessible and enhanced access to professional philanthropy advice and advisors. Despite growing awareness of the importance of evidence, few donors employed sound evidence‐based models of philanthropy.

How trust and relationships impact on the giving decisions of philanthropists

“…interviews which utilised open-ended questions based on a topic guide (Appendix B) informed by the authors' scrutiny of the extant literature and their systematic review. Semi-structured interviews allowed for interpretation in accordance with the participants' own understandings and the probing of complex issues (Greenhalgh & Montgomery, 2024).…”

“…A recent study examining the barriers to and facilitators of the use of evidence by philanthropists (Greenhalgh & Montgomery, 2024) concluded that few donors employ entirely judicious evidence-based models of philanthropy but rather utilise hybrid models in which they seek out or rely upon, the endorsement of a trusted peer and their instincts before engaging with evidence. However, few studies have sought to understand the extent to which personalised trust serves to support or undermine the use of evidence by philanthropists.…”