Essays on Nonprofit Organizations, donations, and fund-raising (original) (raw)

The dissertation explores critical aspects of charitable giving and nonprofit organizations, emphasizing the evolving nature of the nonprofit sector beyond conventional fundraising methods. Four distinct problems are analyzed throughout the chapters, including the influence of media on donor trust, the phenomenon of free riding in public goods, and deviations from game theory predictions in donative behavior. The author suggests that incorporating social norms can enhance mathematical rigor in understanding donor behavior, ultimately improving models predicting charitable contributions.