A Fundraiser’s Guide to Getting Narcissists to Give

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The Theory

Narcissists’ anti-social traits are well known. They have trouble developing healthy relationships. They tend to be aggressive if given negative feedback.

But just because narcissists lack empathy doesn’t mean they won’t give to a cause. It just means their motivations have more to do with ego than with altruism, according to recent research led by Sara Konrath, a professor at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy.

The Test

Konrath became interested in learning more about what motivates narcissists to give when she observed the ALS Association’s 2014 ice-bucket challenge, in which millions of people posted videos of themselves getting drenched by a bucket of ice water to raise awareness — and money — for ALS research.

“Many of them didn’t seem to have a genuine interest in the cause,” says Konrath. “I was skeptical they were actually making a donation.”

Konrath surveyed 9,062 people about their participation in the ice-bucket challenge and asked a series of questions intended to gauge their level of narcissism.

Results

As Konrath expected, people who only posted a video and didn’t follow up with a donation scored much higher on the narcissism scale than people who posted a video and donated money or who donated without posting a video at all.

Dig Deeper

The results don’t mean narcissists won’t give. In a follow-up survey that assessed narcissism levels and asked participants about their volunteer activity, Konrath found that narcissists were more willing to give their time to a cause when they are publicly recognized or when they receive something in return. Narcissists also tended to volunteer more when a solicitation was highly emotional or signaled distress. The reason, Konrath speculates, is that narcissists are tuned in to the vulnerabilities of others and like to cast themselves as heroes.

Find It

The Strategic Helper: Narcissism and Prosocial Motives and Behaviors, by Sara Konrath, Meng-Han Ho, and Sasha Zarins, Current Psychology, 2016