Underlying Mechanism to the Identifiable Victim Effect in Collective Donation Action Intentions: Does Emotional Reactions and Perceived Responsibility Matter?

While numerous studies have shown that individual donors respond more generously to identifiable victims than to statistically equivalent victims, the impact of the identifiable victim effect (IVE) on collective donations remains unknown. This article addresses this research gap by proposing an explanatory framework that incorporates both rational and irrational perspectives. Two between-subject experiments were conducted to determine the effect and mechanism of IVE on collective donation behavior. A total of 610 participants with prior donation behavior were recruited. ANOVA and multiple regression analysis are used to examine the main effect, as well as the mediation and moderated effects. The results suggest that in Chinese charitable contexts, an identifiable victim effect leads to significantly stronger intentions for collective donation actions, as it increases both donors’ emotional reactions and perceived responsibility. In addition, the fundraising method moderates the impact of IVE on collective donations. Several significant implications for NPO practitioners are discussed.