Results Information and Donor Behavior

Last registered on December 04, 2018

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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title

Results Information and Donor Behavior

RCT ID

AEARCTR-0003528

Initial registration date

November 20, 2018

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

December 04, 2018, 11:26 AM EST

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

Locations

Country

United States of America

Region

Primary Investigator

Name

Shannon Coyne

Affiliation

Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University

Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name

Sami Horn

PI Affiliation

Cargegie Mellon University

Contact Investigator

PI Name

Dean Karlan

PI Affiliation

Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University

Contact Investigator

Additional Trial Information

Status

On going

Start date

2018-11-01

End date

2019-02-27

Keywords

Other

Additional Keywords

charitable decision making, impact information, donor behavior

JEL code(s)

Secondary IDs

Abstract

This study examines how the display of results and impact-related information affects donor behavior on a large charity rating website.

External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation

Coyne, Shannon, Sami Horn and Dean Karlan. 2018. "Results Information and Donor Behavior." AEA RCT Registry. December 04. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.3528-1.0

Former Citation

Coyne, Shannon, Sami Horn and Dean Karlan. 2018. "Results Information and Donor Behavior." AEA RCT Registry. December 04. https://www.socialscienceregistry.org/trials/3528/history/38270

Sponsors & Partners

Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)

This study examines how the display of results and impact-related information affects donor behavior on a large charity rating website.

Intervention Start Date

2018-11-10

Intervention End Date

2019-02-27

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)

The following outcome variables will be measured at the user level, using Charity Navigator's data analytics and web tracking tools:

1. Number of page views
2. Whether or not a user donates to charity (1/0)
3. Total donation amounts per user
4. Average donation amounts per user
5. Number of charities donated to
6. Proportion of total donations to charities with impact info

Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)

Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

This study examines how the display of results and impact-related information affects donor behavior on a large charity rating website.

Experimental Design Details

Randomization Method

Online A/B test. Users visiting the Charity Navigator website will be randomized into one of two conditions.

Randomization Unit

User level

Was the treatment clustered?

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters

n/a

Sample size: planned number of observations

We estimate approximately 3,000,000 users based on the previous year’s traffic to Charity Navigator's website, however this may be higher or lower depending on the number of actual visitors during the date of intervention.

Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms

We will include all users who access the website between the set dates. The sample is powered to detect differences in treatment effects.

Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)

Our intended sample size is approximately 3,000,000 users total. Based on power analyses, we estimate that this is adequate to detect a 1% change in page views, a 4% change in whether or not a user donates, and a 10% change in the average donation amount.

Supporting Documents and Materials

IRB