Study: Donations Drop in Response to Tote Bags, Mugs

Do thank-you gifts actually increase contributions? Two Yale University researchers tried to answer this question in a recent study of charitable behavior. They looked at how external incentives influence a person's willingness to engage in charitable behavior, to be precise — and found that when you offer a thank-you gift as part of an initial donation request — such as a pen, tote bag or mug — people end up donating less than if you just asked them how much they'd be willing to donate.