Investigating donor attitudes toward e-philanthropy crowdfunding platforms: a preliminary study in Saudi Arabia

This paper presents a preliminary investigation of the attitudes of regular donors towards an e-crowdfunding donation platform in Saudi Arabia (SA). It aims to understand potential users’ intentions to design a successful technology-based user experience. With e-crowdfunding being a relatively new concept in SA and limited scholarly research available, this study develops a model that examines the influence of attitudes towards charitable organizations and online payment systems on donor attitudes towards e-philanthropy crowdfunding platforms. Factors determining each construct were identified. The methodology employed Pearson correlation and linear regression analyses to test the relationships between these constructs. Findings reveal that both independent variables (attitudes towards charitable organizations and online payment systems) significantly influence donor attitudes towards e-philanthropy crowdfunding platforms, with sufficient validity observed in most of the scale questions. The study provides valuable insights into the elements influencing donor intentions, offering practical implications for designing effective e-philanthropy platforms in SA and improving user engagement. The study contributes to the limited research on e-crowdfunding in SA and its potential in the region’s charitable sector.