How to build trust in Gen Y in online donation crowdfunding: an experimental study

A charitable organisation, responding to the internet’s increasing role in individuals’ lives, use online crowdfunding platforms to solicit monetary donations. But due to the inherent uncertainties of online environments associated with risks such as privacy breaches, information asymmetry, the misuse of donated money, and fraudulent activities, building trust between the fundraiser and potential donors is a key issue. This study explores whether and how crowdfunding website features to build the trust of Generation Y (Gen Y) in donating online. This study, developing a multi-construct trust model, examined the impact of the core elements of cognitive and affective trust on potential Gen Y donors’ attitudes and donation intentions. The study employed a vignette-based experiment using a 2 X 2 X 2 between-subjects design for testing the causal inferences. A total of eight webpage vignettes were designed by manipulating three factors related to the design features of a donation-based crowdfunding platform i.e. credential information, visual & interactive communication, and narrative style. The experiment data was collected from 233 Indian Gen Y participants. The hypothesised relationships were tested using multivariate analysis techniques.