Giving Time or Money: Which Altruism Feels More Effective?

When it comes to charitable behavior, most people want to have an impact and are more likely to give when they expect to make a difference. The present research investigates which altruism feels more effective: giving time or money. We test the hypothesis that gifts of time are perceived as containing more of the self (i.e., a greater “self-gift overlap”) than monetary gifts, which increases their perceived value, and hence their perceived effectiveness. Consequently—all else being equal—people are more likely to help when asked to volunteer their time than when asked to donate their money to charity (whether by earning to give or by donating pre-earned money). Accordingly, four preregistered studies (N = 2,420) support the prediction that perceptions of self-gift overlap and perceived effectiveness sequentially mediate the effect of charitable gift type on people’s choice to give (Studies 1) and that the mediational path through perceived effectiveness dominates other paths documented in previous research: perceived control and moral praiseworthiness (Studies 2 and 3). Then, in line with our proposed mechanisms, we show the mediating and moderating role of perceived gift value (Study 3) as well as the moderating role of perceived effectiveness (Study 4).