This study contributes to building a theoretical reference for studying the behavior of monetary donors, as well as establishing a scientific vision for specialized studies in this field. It describes the reality of the monetary donor behavior of Saudi donors in light of scientific models that explain human behavior, enabling charitable organizations to develop their marketing mechanisms, in addition to deriving scientific recommendations that uplift charitable work in the Kingdom.
Introduction to the Study:
This study starts from key facts, including; that the behavior of donation is a variable affected by multiple variables and diverse fields, that the type of donation is related to the characteristics of the donor, and the reasons that prompt them to donate, and that there are signs, situations, and conditions that stimulate the donation behavior at the level of individuals and groups.
The idea of the study emerged to be a building block in the scientific structure necessary for creating a model that enables charitable entities to understand monetary donation behavior among donors.
All modern marketing trends emphasize that understanding the individual being dealt with, through detailed information about them, is the most important factor in successful communication processes that occur between them and organizations. Charitable marketing is not merely an administrative process but is primarily a communication process; based on providing data about community members, and then transforming this data into detailed information, then into communication programs, with the administrative process being a natural response to that and in harmony with it.
The donor is the starting and ending point in charitable activity, and therefore charitable organizations are required to plan and organize the processes of continuously and deeply obtaining detailed information about them, to be able to innovate charitable products that meet their needs and desires, especially since donation does not involve the sensory or quasi-sensory exchange that can occur in other social services.
To talk more about the study, its questions are divided into two sections:
The first section consists of theoretical questions as follows:
A- What is the importance of studying donor behavior in society?
B- What theoretical models can contribute to explaining donor behavior?
C- What are the stages of making a donation decision?
D- What are the factors influencing the donation decision-making process?
The second section consists of field questions as follows:
A- What are the motivations of Saudi donors’ behavior?
B- What charitable areas receive donations from Saudis?
C- What are the stages of making a donation decision among Saudis?
D- What are the times or seasons for donating among Saudis?
E- What is the impact of demographic factors on donor behavior among Saudis?
F- What is the impact of the communication marketing efforts of charitable organizations on donation behavior among Saudis?
G- What are the social criteria affecting donation behavior among Saudis?
H- What are the cultural criteria affecting donation behavior among Saudis?
I- What are the ethical criteria affecting donation behavior among Saudis?
Aspects of the Study:
In this study, the study of "Baker" and "Palma" was reviewed, which are international studies built on the vision of charitable work from multiple angles, as the following presentations and discussions were based on the data of that study, as follows:
The first aspect is the correlation between donation and some personal traits:
It was found that donation is positively correlated with the trait of extraversion, and among the variables that influence donation behavior as concluded by previous studies, is memory which is a primary document on which the psychological processes related to donation behavior are based, as well as self-image, where individual efforts to improve their self-image are related to donations according to social criteria. Individuals who violate social criteria tend to give cash donations to compensate for their violation. The ethical trends and values of the donor that give them a sense of belonging play a significant role in cash donation, especially in ideologically or morally diverse communities as in large cities where the needy do not receive their needs due to some dominant groups refraining from donating for non-ethical reasons.
In the second aspect, there are demographic factors affecting donations:
The most important is religion, and there is an urgent need for the charitable sector in the Kingdom to build local statistical models to predict donation behavior in various contexts (religious, social, health, and educational) and to continuously develop these models to facilitate the benefit of charitable entities. Also, education has been found to have a positive relationship with charitable work; higher education was positively associated with the donation rate relative to income, and no relationship was shown between education and religious donations.
Among other influencing factors are income; studies agree on the positive impact of high income on donation behavior. Also, home ownership was associated with giving, albeit non-constantly, and perceived economic status contributes to increasing the amount of donation. Additionally, age was also found to have a positive relationship with the amount of donation, nationality and marital status: it has been found that the relationship of marriage to donation is positive in many studies, and in other studies it was found that having a partner in the home is related to donating, as well as those with children. The relationship with the workforce also influences, as employee donations are higher than non-employees, and other studies found that retirees donate more than those currently working. The size of the city of residence also affects; it was found that there is a negative relationship between the amount of donation and the size of the city of residence, where smaller cities are associated with lower amounts of donations. Genetic aspects and citizenship also impact, as studies have shown that immigrants are less likely to donate or if they do, it is a little. Also, youth activities and volunteering; those who participated in youth activities are more inclined to donate than those who did not participate, and it was also found that volunteers donate more than others. It was found that individuals’ donations are influenced by what others donate in their surroundings, and here donation is affected by the economic status of the neighborhood and the extent of normative diversity in it; it appears that individuals’ lack of awareness of the need to donate contributes to their lack of donations, and donation to utility organizations decreases with the increase in the number of donors.
The third aspect discusses the signs, situations, and circumstances that stimulate donation behavior:
There are five factors influencing the fundraising process: planning for fundraising, the good reputation of the organization, caring for the employees involved in fundraising, involving volunteers professionally in fundraising, and using the internet for fundraising.
The fourth aspect speaks about donation behavior and terrorism issues:
Concerns have been raised about the charitable sector in the Kingdom: dispersion and weak synergy of efforts.
Therefore, it is expected that the image of charitable work in the minds of people is characterized by generality and lack of clarity; thus, it is not surprising that many potential donors have many questions in their minds about the fate of their donations. The situation becomes more difficult amid repeated terrorist acts within the Kingdom and abroad, which come in the name of religion and jihad.
There is an effect of emotional stability and extraversion on donation, as an increase in the amount donated to charitable institutions is positively related to the trait of extraversion, measured by indicators, including; the average number of times money is donated monthly. The study results showed that at least once monthly donation was at 47.4%, while twice a month had 25.6%, three times a month 13.5%, and four times or more was 13.5%, while 0% indicated they never donate.
57.9% of the total sample of the study prefer to donate directly to the needy, which is the largest group in the study sample, while 10.8% prefer to donate to a specific charitable organization, which is the smallest group in the study community.
71.2% of Saudis prefer to direct their donations to the needy directly or to independent individuals who transmit them directly to those in need, therefore around 29% prefer donating to charities, which is a natural result amid the high religious motivation of donors, and the elevated social criteria and familial and social ties among the segments of Saudi society.
Ordering donation times and seasons:
The researchers in this study organized various times and seasons for donation according to the degree of Saudis' approval, and the order came as follows:
- In the first place, "My donations increase in the month of Ramadan," with a very high approval degree and an average of (4.35 out of 5.00).
- In second place came the phrases "My donations continue and are not affected by seasons," "My donations increase when I receive my monthly salary," and "My donations increase during the ten days of Dhul-Hijjah" regarding the approval of the study sample with averages of (3.80 - 4.09 out of 5.00).
- The phrases "I respond to media campaigns for fundraising," "I donate when offices for charities are available in public places," and "I donate when visiting mosques with charity office," came in third place regarding the approval of the study sample, with average approvals between (3.24 - 3.29 out of 5.00).
The researchers also ranked various donation methods according to the degree of approval from the study sample as follows:
1. The statement "I prefer direct cash donations to charities," ranked first, with an average approval rating of (3.63 out of 5.00).
2. "Donating via ATM is easy for me," ranked second, with an average approval rating of (3.06 out of 5.00).
3. "Donating via Visa and credit cards is easy for me," came in third with an average approval of (2.94 out of 5.00).
4. The phrase "Donating via sending an SMS is easy for me," ranked fourth, with an average approval of (2.89 out of 5.00).
5. The statement "Donating via my bank's website is easy for me," ranked fifth, with an average approval of (2.87 out of 5.00).
6. The statement "Donating via phone banking is easy for me," came in sixth with an average approval of (2.86 out of 5.00).
7. Finally, the monthly deduction came with the statement "I currently have a fixed donation via monthly deduction," ranked seventh, with an average approval of (2.84 out of 5.00).
Motivations for Donation:
While the results of the motivations behind donations were divided according to their average approval into two main groups, according to the study scale:
The first group carried motivations that significantly influenced, with the motivation for donating money for the desire for reward from God coming in first with an average approval of (4.94 out of 5.00). Then, the motivation for donating money for the desire to alleviate the suffering of others came in second with an average approval of (4.72 out of 5.00). The motivation for donating money to ward off calamity, illness, and poverty away from the donor was in the third place with an average approval of (4.64 out of 5.00), and finally, the motivation for donating money for the feeling that donation is a right for the needy was in the fourth place with an average approval of (4.43 out of 5.00). The second group came with a moderate degree, with one motivation being donating money sometimes to get rid of the pressure from the donation seeker, with an average approval of (2.67 out of 5.00).
Speaking of the criteria affecting donations, social criteria came first, with an average approval of (3.82 out of 5.00), where the index "My donation is a secret between me and God; I strive not to reveal it in my community," ranked first in terms of the study sample's approval with a very high average of (4.60 out of 5.00).
Other indexes came, such as "Those whose opinions matter to me encourage me to donate," ranked second with a high average of (3.92 out of 5.00), and the index "Donation is a social requirement, not a personal freedom," in the third with an average approval of (3.59 out of 5.00), and the index "Money donation is surprising to some influential social groups" in the fourth with an average approval of (3.18 out of 5.00).
Cultural criteria came in second place, with an average approval of (3.81 out of 5.00), where the index "Cash donation is a good habit in our society" ranked first concerning the approval of the study sample with an average approval of (4.05 out of 5.00), and the index "There are cultural activities that enhance the desire for cash donation" in second place with an average approval of (3.56 out of 5.00).
Ethical responsibility criteria came in third place, with an average approval of (3.62 out of 5.00), where the index "The older I get, the more I realize the importance of donating money" ranked first in terms of the study sample's approval with an average approval of (4.15 out of 5.00), and the index "I trust my ability to donate regardless of my financial situation" ranked second with an average approval of (3.91 out of 5.00), while the index "I should talk to my family about my donations" ranked third with an average approval of (2.79 out of 5.00).
The study concluded in its theoretical framework to a set of results, the most important of which are:
First: Donation behavior is a variable influenced by various variables, including religious beliefs and values, psychological attitudes and levels of scrutiny, social values, norms, and social systems, economic factors such as supply and demand, and communicative aspects such as advertisements, fundraising campaigns, and depictions of donations in series and films.
Second: The study presented some scientific results indicating an effect of emotional stability and extraversion on donations, that donation is positively related to the trait of extraversion, and an increase in the volume of donation to modern charitable organizations is positively associated with social trust, and the importance of differentiating the degree of an individual's tendency towards charitable work focused on the traits of generosity and compassion.
Third: The study reviewed results confirming that individuals with high personal standards tend to donate and respond to religious and social criteria that urge donations, and that ethical responsibility enhances donation behavior among members of the prevailing social class, and they may refrain from donating to non-prevailing groups, which is a trait that does not exist in the Muslim community where the faith bond is the strongest among its members.
Fourth: In the aspect of demographic factors affecting donations, a set of general variables related to the donor was presented, as studies found that these variables impact the type and amount of donation; these include (religion, educational level, income, home ownership, perceived economic level, age, gender, marital status, number of children, relationship with the workforce, size of city of residence, genetic factors, citizenship, youth activities, and social context).
Fifth: The study provided an overview of a group of signs, situations, and circumstances that stimulate donation behavior by analyzing and presenting findings from studies that attempted to explore the nature of the relationship between signs and elements of social situations and donation behavior, including (awareness of the beneficiaries’ need for donations, altruism, scope of donation, solicitations for donations, cost of donating, material returns of donations, psychological returns, the main donor, and appropriate persuasion techniques).
Sixth: The study reviewed scientific attempts to build a model that enables charitable organizations to understand the monetary donation behavior of potential donors and predict it, to assist charities in achieving balanced and stable performance, avoiding beneficiaries from unexpected shortages in their services.
Seventh: The study presented models and their value, starting with economic models and then psychosocial models, represented in the perspective of the eight factors guiding donation behavior, and the planned action model (rational).
The field study concluded with the following results:
First: Saudi donations increase during religious occasions such as Ramadan and the ten days of Dhul-Hijjah, and also when receiving the monthly salary, with indicators confirming its continuation throughout the year.
Second: The study concluded that Saudis highly prefer direct cash donations to charitable organizations, and some technological means that deliver donations directly to charities.
Third: The study found a variance in the opinions of Saudis regarding the impact of communication methods (traditional and modern) on their monetary donations, as their overall influence did not exceed the moderate level, and they indicated the superiority of traditional methods over modern, which indicates the presence of other factors with an impact on donation behavior among Saudis.
Fourth: The findings of the study revealed that Saudis have personal motivations that drive them towards donating, where the motivation axis scored the highest averages in the study with a very high degree of (4.28).
Fifth: The study results showed positive trends among Saudis towards charitable institutions and their functions in Saudi society, with an overall average for the axis of (4.01), a result that aligns with the main assumptions of the general model of the study (planned action).
Sixth: The study indicated that Saudis have an understanding of the level of ease in executing donations, an awareness of the effort required to perform the donation, and a clear perception of ways to achieve the intention to donate, where this axis scored a high average of (3.66).
Seventh: The study concluded that there is a positive trend among Saudis towards donating cash to others, located in the fourth grade of the five-point scale, with an average of (3.63), and cash donation is one of the most important indicators of the attitude towards helping others, indicating the entrenchment of this behavior within Saudi society.
Eighth: The results indicated the influence of social, cultural, and ethical criteria, but with a different perception than societies where the donor seeks social recognition, as Saudis recognize the existence of social pressure towards donating, and expect that yielding to this pressure will yield feelings of satisfaction and pleasure in society, but they do not want recognition from others for that act.
Ninth: The study concluded that Saudis prioritize their trust in charitable organizations over other considerations when making a donation decision, and then engage in the stages of decision-making naturally in cases of lowered trust.
Tenth: The study concluded that the compelling conditions influencing the donations of Saudis are: type concerning gender and marital status, educational level, average number of monetary donations per month, type of residence and ownership, age, income, and profession.
The study is rich in information, both statistical concerning every angle of its discussion and information branching from each item. At the end of the study, we find valuable recommendations addressing each issue it raises on the analytical and discussion scale, and we advise returning to this study and benefiting from all it contains, focusing on the core issues in the world of Saudi donor behavior.
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