Charitable donations: Unraveling the mystery of motivation

Americans support charities for a variety of financial, emotional and social reasons, and some of them aren’t so obvious. For example, wealthy donors may be motivated by not only tax and asset protection considerations, but also a desire to limit what they leave to their children to prevent a “burden of wealth.” Younger donors often want to “make a difference,” and donors of all stripes are motivated by a desire to make an altruistic impression. These individuals are more likely to give when asked by someone they know or when their gift will be publicized.