PhD Defence: Jacob Schjødt

In order to obtain the PhD degree, Jacob Schjødt has submitted his thesis entitled:

Improving Donation Appeal Effectiveness With Marketing Analytics
Empirical Essays on the Content, Context, and Consequences of Donation Appeals on Donation Behavior

This dissertation investigates how charitable organizations can improve the effectiveness of their donation appeals by considering not only what is communicated (content) but also how, to whom, and under what circumstances the appeals are delivered (context). Using marketing analytics and empirical field data, the dissertation is structured around three interrelated projects each comprising a chapter. Chapter 1 provides a meta-analysis of 174 randomized field experiments, identifying which content elements in donation appeals (e.g., social norms, donor agency, impact framing) most effectively influence donation behavior, and how their effects vary depending on communication channels, donor types, and charitable causes. Chapter 2 maps the real-world direct marketing practices of 44 leading Danish charities, highlighting how current donor retention and win-back tactics align—or misalign—with research-based recommendations. Chapter 3 addresses a potential downside of donation appeals—donor reactance and churn—and tests novel donation appeal interventions (e.g., appeal breaks, opt-outs, impact messages) that mitigate these risks while enhancing net revenue. Together, the studies underscore the importance of contextualized, donor-centric communication strategies and demonstrate how academic marketing research can generateinsights with real-world ecological value for the nonprofit sector.

The thesis will be available from research.cbs.dk

Primary Supervisor:

Professor Torsten Ringberg
Department of Marketing
Copenhagen Business School 

Secondary Supervisors: 

Visiting Researcher Edlira Shehu
Department of Marketing
Copenhagen Business School 

Assessment Committee:

Professor Felix Eggers (Chair)
Department of Marketing
Copenhagen Business School 

Professor Eva-Maria Merz
Department of Sociology
Vrije University Amsterdam 

Professor Jan Becker
Department of Marketing and Service Management
Kühne Logistics University 

Date: 27 october 2025
Time: 10:00-12:00
Online: TEAMS

*Please note that the microphone and camera of all spectators must be turned off.

Location: Solbjerg Plads
Room: SP113
Reception: FUHU (3rd floor above the canteen)

*The CBS PhD School will host a reception, which will take place immediately after the defence.