What's in a Message? The Longitudinal Influence of a Supportive versus Combative Orientation on the Performance of Nonprofits

In this article, the authors propose that in the long run, a nonprofit organization with supportively oriented positioning (e.g., promoting a cause) is likely to survive longer and achieve more donations compared with a nonprofit with a combative orientation (e.g., fighting against something). To test this proposition, the authors adopt a three-pronged approach that (1) uses publicly available financial data from nonprofits’ tax filings over a ten-year period, (2) measures annual donor pledges from a field study with a registered nonprofit organization, and (3) examines actual donation behavior of participants in a longitudinal lab study. Moreover, the authors test this proposition for donations of money as well as time. They consider various theoretical mechanisms that might cause the proposed effect, such as regulatory focus theory, inertia in giving, and the preponderance of supportive charities.