In an age where Facebook pages are “liked,” petitions are signed, and people display coloured ribbons of various causes, it may seem as though individual support for charities is more visible than before.
But a University of British Columbia (UBC) marketing study conducted by Kirk Kristofferson, Katherine White, and John Peloza, suggests these symbolic or “token” forms of public support for charitable campaigns make people less likely to provide later, significant contributions to the charity in private.
The study classifies these public forms of support as “slacktivism.”
“Public token support leads to slacktivism,” the study concludes. “In fact, public token supporters are no more likely to provide meaningful support than those who are randomly asked.”
“If non-profit organizations implement public token campaigns under the belief that they act as stepping stones to meaningful support, we find this belief may not be accurate,” the report on the study stated.
The annual Movember campaign is currently underway, during which moustaches are grown to promote the fight against prostate and testicular cancer.
But first-year Carleton University student Joel Szota, who is growing a moustache for the campaign, said he is not making an effort to raise funds for its growth, but that he simply wants to be a part of the Movember movement.
“I’ve seen a lot of people growing moustaches for Movember, and I thought it would be fun to join them,” Szota said.
Though Kristofferson didn’t address the Movember campaign specifically in his paper, he said it is possible the campaign could fall victim to slacktivism.
“These campaigns are very important, because they generate awareness. We are not, in any way, shape, or form saying that awareness is not important because it hugely is,” Kristofferson said. “What we’re saying is, if the goal of the non-profit campaign is to generate revenue, volunteering—the more meaningful forms of support—then we find that the public token support isn’t as effective.”
“Growing a moustache is very public. Is it possible that people are growing a moustache and not doing anything? I’d say the answer is yes,” he said.
But Pete Bombaci, national director of Movember Canada, disagreed.
“There’s nothing about the journey of Movember to me that says slacktivism,” Bombaci said. “Growing a moustache for 30 days and grooming it as our mo-bros do cannot be compared to liking a Facebook page or signing a petition,” he said. “I believe that anyone growing a moustache, whether they’re fundraising or not, is supporting the campaign.”
Bombaci said much of the awareness from the campaign comes by reaching out to friends, family, and colleagues, which sparks discussion about Movember.
“People have been telling me about conversations they have had which were touching on areas they’ve never talked to these individuals about before, whether it was a father to a son, or colleagues at the office where they reached out to each other because they were both growing moustaches and feeling comfortable about those conversations,” he said.
Cameron Henderson, a first-year cognitive science student at Carleton, explained that his Movember journey was a deeply personal one.
“For a few years my moustache was grown for fun,” he said. “But three years ago my grandfather was diagnosed with prostate cancer. Now it represents my support for him.”
