Framing generosity: how choice set information presentation influences donation and sharing intentions on charitable crowdfunding platforms

Purpose The primary objective of this research is to investigate how choice set information presentation strategies (format and content) for monetary donation requests on individuals' willingness to donate and share. Design/methodology/approach Grounded in the information framing theory, a pilot study and four experiments (N = 579) were adopted to examine the roles of choice set information format (numeric vs numeric-plus-text) and content (concrete vs abstract) in users' intentions to participate, with perceived donation efficacy as a mediator and scarcity of beneficiaries' resources as a moderator. Findings The results show that monetary donation requests using numeric-plus-text (vs numeric-only) presentations increase users' willingness to donate and share. Similarly, concrete (vs abstract) information descriptions enhance donation and sharing intentions. Moreover, perceived donation efficacy mediates these relationships, while beneficiary resource scarcity serves as a boundary condition moderating the observed effects. Originality/value This study offers a novel perspective on how the format and content of choice set information presentation in donation appeals influence donor behavior. By applying the lens of information framing theory, we advance theoretical research on prosocial participation and provide actionable insights for online crowdfunding platforms seeking to optimize monetary donation requests to elicit greater prosocial action.