Charitable giving in a shopping context

KU Leuven , 1 or 2 semesters
Towards a better understanding of the various ways people can donate while simultaneously engaging in shopping.
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Charitable giving in a shopping context
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Donations have traditionally been solicited by nonprofit organizations, but they are increasingly integrated into the shopping experience. Consumers now have various opportunities to support charitable causes while making purchases. A common example is charity checkouts, where customers can round up their total to donate the difference. Beyond this, numerous other mechanisms encourage giving during shopping. This project seeks to systematically map and categorize these donation methods, exploring their differences and implications. By understanding these variations, charities can make more informed decisions about integrating fundraising into shopping environments.

  • The project runs from 22 September 2025 - 10 July 2026.
  • The project is available in the Fall and Spring semester.
  • Number of placements available: 2 per semester.

Prerequisites

  • High level (3rd or 4th year) undergraduate student
  • Minimum GPA 3.4

Important note: 

Students must remain registered as an undergraduate student at their U.S. or Canadian home institution while participating in the program. The student's home institution must complete the Learning Agreement after acceptance into a project, even if credits will not be transferred to that institution. Transfer of credits is decided by the students' home institution.

Submitting an application, does not guarantee that the student will be offered a placement. The research projects are also available to our domestic degree students; therefore, projects may already be full at the time of applying. Final decision on your admission is solely taken by the Research Supervisor at the host institution.

Faculty Department

Faculty of Economics & Business / Department of Marketing

We are a group of more than 30 professors, postdocs and PhD students, working at three KU Leuven campuses (Leuven, Antwerp, and Brussels). We are a research-oriented department that conducts high-quality and managerially relevant research. Our research focuses on the three domains of marketing: marketing modeling, marketing management & strategy, and consumer behavior. We publish our work in major international journals like Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Marketing, Journal of Retailing, Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, and Journal of Service Research. Our group members are active participants of international conferences such as EMAC, Marketing Science, ACR, and La Londe, and act as editorial board members of leading journals. We are also active in hosting our own conferences, such as the yearly Katia Campo Retailing Symposium. We have a strong focus on communicating and transferring our research to decision makers outside academia via e.g., press articles, podcasts, and our LinkedIn group.