Fundraising Study Benefits Local Organization
A team of researchers, headed by Dr. Catherine Eckel, Professor of Economics in the School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences at UTD, is helping to design and to conduct the first fundraising campaign for Vision Regeneration. Founded in 1998, Vision Regeneration is a local nonprofit organization whose mission is to eliminate destructive, violent behavior by changing the cultural environment of at-risk youth by transforming attitudes and values. These changes happen because of the intervention and provision of alternative life experiences that draw on those of ex-gang members and former offenders. The organization received the White House award for Achievement Against the Odds in January this year.
In addition to the UTD team, Vision Regeneration is assisted by the Foundation for Community Empowerment. Dr. Eckel and the team will provide up to $50,000 in matching contributions to Vision Regeneration with the support of a grant from the National Science Foundation. Vision’s benefit from participation in the Eckel study is that the grant money can be used to leverage additional contributions from private donors. In the first phase of the fundraising campaign, a select group of major donors is asked to contribute additional matching monies. Private and grant funds then are used to leverage funding from additional donors. In the study, the donors are divided into four equally sized groups, three of which receive matching offers to their donations but at different rates, and the fourth or “control” group that does not receive matching offers but is solicited to donate.
This study is a unique example of how research can be used to understand why individuals contribute money and how worthy causes can use their contributions more effectively to benefit the Dallas community.
- Updated: February 21, 2007
