Keeping the Faith : Origins of Confidence in Charitable Organizations and its Consequences for Philanthropy

Origins and consequences of charitable confidence are investigated with the Giving in the Netherlands Panel Survey 2002-2004 (n=1,246). Charitable confidence is higher among the higher educated, children of volunteers, younger age groups, those with more faith in people, those who are aware of standards of excellence for fundraising organizations, and among persons with altruistic and joy-of-giving motives for philanthropy. In a regression analysis, the relationship of confidence with philanthropy is found to be moderately strong. The relationship is strongest for donations to organizations that deal with social problems that are difficult to solve, like poverty, illness, and violation of human rights. Beliefs about program spending and irritation about fundraising campaigns confidence partly explain why confidence matters for philanthropy, especially for those with altruistic motives for giving.