Optimal incentives to give

Last registered on May 26, 2020

Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Optimal incentives to give
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0005918
Initial registration date
May 23, 2020

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
May 26, 2020, 5:04 PM EDT

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

Locations

Region

Primary Investigator

Affiliation
Texas A&M University

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Affiliation
Texas A&M University

Additional Trial Information

Status
On going
Start date
2017-09-01
End date
2023-12-31
Secondary IDs
Abstract
We implement a field experiment to examine optimal incentives for charitable giving. The price of giving is varied by offering a fixed match if the donation meets a threshold amount (e.g. "give at least $25 and the charity receives a $25 match''). Different threshold matches are tested in the field with participating charities.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Castillo, Marco and Ragan Petrie. 2020. "Optimal incentives to give." AEA RCT Registry. May 26. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.5918-1.0
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
We implement a field experiment to examine optimal incentives for charitable giving. Potential donors are offered, via an email, a match incentive if they make a donation. The price of giving is varied by offering a fixed match if the donation meets a threshold amount (e.g. "give at least $25 and the charity receives a $25 match''). Different threshold matches are tested in the field with participating charities.
Intervention Start Date
2017-11-01
Intervention End Date
2017-11-28

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
donation rate, donation amount
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
We implement a field experiment to examine optimal incentives for charitable giving. Potential donors are offered, via an email, a match incentive if they make a donation. The price of giving is varied by offering a fixed match if the donation meets a threshold amount (e.g. "give at least $25 and the charity receives a $25 match''). Different threshold matches are tested in the field with participating charities.
Experimental Design Details
See description of design in written paper.
Randomization Method
randomization done in office by a computer
Randomization Unit
treatments randomized at the individual level within each participating charity.
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
112,000 individuals
Sample size: planned number of observations
112,000 individuals
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
Roughly 12,600 individuals in each of 6 treatments and control group, and 8,000 in each of 3 treatments.
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Texas A&M University IRB
IRB Approval Date
2016-11-01
IRB Approval Number
IRB2016-0721M

Post-Trial

Post Trial Information

Study Withdrawal

There is information in this trial unavailable to the public. Use the button below to request access.

Request Information

Intervention

Is the intervention completed?
No
Data Collection Complete
Data Publication

Data Publication

Is public data available?
No

Program Files

Program Files
Reports, Papers & Other Materials

Relevant Paper(s)

Reports & Other Materials