Study Reveals How Consumers Feel About Giving to Charity at the Register

Good Scout, Austin, Texas, released the results of a new study examining American shoppers' feelings about donating to charity at the register. The findings of the Change at the Checkout Report illustrate specific consumer preferences, sentiment and motivations.

The report found that 71 percent of the survey respondents have donated to charity at the register. Also referred to as "donation at point-of-sale," this fundraising tactic has been highly lucrative for nonprofits for more than a decade. According to America's Charity Checkout Champions report, $350 million was raised for a variety of causes through charitable checkout campaigns in 2012.

In recent years, there has been speculation in the cause marketing community regarding the perceived oversaturation and consumer fatigue in regards to charitable donations at the checkout line. Good Scout conducted an online survey to 3,030 Americans across all age, gender, ethnicity and social backgrounds to delve into this issue, and found that quite the opposite sentiment exists—the majority of Americans enjoy donating to charitable causes at the register.

"Whether at a grocer, pharmacy, clothing retailer or even a fast food chain-our study found that consumers ultimately enjoy being given the opportunity to donate to a cause while conducting an everyday activity," said Maureen Carlson, president of Good Scout.

Consumers surveyed listed "charity brand recognition" as the No. 1 reason they feel compelled to give to charity at the register. The second leading reason is personal connection to the cause.

Good Scout also examined consumer recall—that is, whether shoppers are able to recall the specific charities to which they donated at the register. According to the report, nearly half of American shoppers remember the last charity to which they donated at checkout, and 79 percent felt positive about their contribution.

"Despite perceived oversaturation of charitable donation at checkout campaigns, our findings prove that consumers are not only donating to charity at the register, but they actually like doing so and being asked to do so frequently," said Good Scout's Brittany Hill, vice president of research and insights. "Furthermore, nonprofits should look at retail donation campaigns not merely as transactional fundraising opportunities—instead, as true platforms driving organizational branding and consumer engagement opportunities."

Download the full report here or visit www.goodscoutgroup.com for more information.