Why I give money to unknown people? An investigation of online donation and forwarding intention

Online donation contributes significantly to marginalized and vulnerable people because it is helpful for beneficiaries or donation requesters to receive attention and finance funding from a large number of people. Drawing on social learning theory and trust transfer theory, this article proposes a model to investigate the effects of different factors on online donation intention and forwarding intention. Based on data collected from 266 responses, this study uses the structural equation modeling technique to test the research model. The results show that different antecedents impact online donation variously. Trust in online donation platform, peer influence, and enjoyment in helping others are positively related to online donation intention. Tie strength and enjoyment in helping others have direct and significant effects on forwarding intention. This research contributes to IS research by investigating different antecedents in the context of online donation and including the consideration of forwarding intention of the online donation request.