Civil Society Organizations and Donor Behavior

Last registered on April 06, 2026
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Civil Society Organizations and Donor Behavior
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0018276
Initial registration date
April 02, 2026

Initial registration date is when the trial was registered.

It corresponds to when the registration was submitted to the Registry to be reviewed for publication.

First published
April 06, 2026, 8:14 AM EDT

First published corresponds to when the trial was first made public on the Registry after being reviewed.

Locations

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Primary Investigator

Name
Fernando Deodato Domingos
Affiliation
FGV-EAESP Sao Paulo School of Business Administration
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Carolina Melo
PI Affiliation
Insper
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PI Name
Vera Oliveira
PI Affiliation
Insper
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Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2026-04-07
End date
2026-07-08
Keywords
Behavior, Welfare
Additional Keywords
donor behavior, charitable giving, civil society organizations, trust, social impact, donation decisions
JEL code(s)
D64, L31, D83
Secondary IDs
P.545.2025 (FGV IRB)
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
This study examines how individuals make donation decisions toward civil society organizations when presented with different information regarding impact evaluations. In an online survey with Brazilian residents, participants are presented with information about a fictitious nonprofit organization and asked about their perceptions of the organization and willingness to donate. The study experimentally varies how information about the organization's impacts is presented.

The main objective is to understand how different forms of communication influence trust in the organization and donation behavior. Outcomes include self-reported trust, perceived effectiveness, and stated willingness to donate, as well as the amount participants choose to allocate in a hypothetical donation decision.

By focusing on how individuals respond to different types of information, this study aims to contribute to a better understanding of donor behavior and the role of communication strategies in shaping support for civil society organizations.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Deodato Domingos, Fernando, Carolina Melo and Vera Oliveira. 2026. "Civil Society Organizations and Donor Behavior." AEA RCT Registry. April 06. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.18276-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Participants are presented with information about a fictitious civil society organization operating in Brazil. All participants view a standardized description of the organization’s activities. The intervention consists of varying how information about impact evaluation is communicated. Participants are randomly assigned to different conditions that differ in whether and how impact evaluation is mentioned or explained.
Intervention Start Date
2026-04-07
Intervention End Date
2026-06-08

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Trust in the organization (binary or Likert-based measure)
Perceived effectiveness / positive impact of the organization
Willingness to donate (binary)
Donation amount (continuous, hypothetical allocation between 0 and 100)
Primary Outcomes (explanation)
Trust and perceived effectiveness are measured through self-reported survey questions following exposure to the treatment. Willingness to donate is measured as a binary response indicating whether the participant would donate. Donation amount is measured using a continuous slider where participants allocate a hypothetical amount between 0 and 100 units of currency (see final question in survey, page 12)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Prior donation behavior (past 12 months) - to be used both for balance tests and for exploratory heterogeneity analysis.
Socio-demographic characteristics (age, gender, education, income, race, location) - to be used both for balance tests and for exploratory heterogeneity analysis.
Video exposure duration (for participants assigned to the video treatment)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)
Prior donation behavior is measured as a binary variable. Socio-demographic variables are self-reported and categorized as shown in the survey instrument.

For participants assigned to the video treatment, exposure duration is recorded to assess whether participants actually watched the content. This measure will be used as a manipulation/compliance check and may support additional analyses based on effective treatment exposure.

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
This study is an online randomized experiment in which participants are assigned to different information conditions about a nonprofit organization. All participants view a baseline description of the organization, and treatment groups differ in whether and how additional information about impact evaluation is presented. Outcomes are measured immediately after exposure.
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
Randomization is implemented through the Qualtrics survey platform.
Randomization Unit
Individual-level randomization.
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
Not applicable (individual-level randomization; clusters = individuals).
Sample size: planned number of observations
800–1,600 individuals.
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
Approximately:

200–400 individuals per arm
4 arms total (2 control, 2 treatment)
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
he study is powered to detect minimum effect sizes between 0.2 and 0.3 standard deviations for the main outcomes, assuming: Total sample size: 800–1,600 individuals 4 balanced groups Power: 80% Significance level: 5% (two-sided test)
Supporting Documents and Materials

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IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
FGV Research Ethics Committee (CEPH)
IRB Approval Date
2026-03-13
IRB Approval Number
P.545.2025
Analysis Plan