Digital Commons Network^™

Distance In Diocese : Annual Appeal Giving In The Catholic Church, Elaine Wissuchek

Honors Theses

The distance between a donor and a charity is hypothesized to affect charitable giving for self-regarding and altruistic reasons. Distance increases transaction costs, reducing the potential extrinsic benefits received by donors; it decreases social pressure for giving, and limits the ability of donors to monitor the charity’s management. Donors also have intrinsic preferences for proximity. This study does not find the hypothesized negative correlation between distance (measured as driving time) and donations to annual appeals for Catholic dioceses.