دانشگاه اصفهان مطالعات وقف و امور خیریه 3115-7475 4 1 2026 03 21 Analyzing Donor Appreciation Practices in Isfahan Health Charities Facing Diverse Motivations Based on Motivational Crowding Out Theory and the Islamic Hierarchy of Motivations واکاوی رویه‌های تقدیر از خیّرین در خیریه‌های سلامت اصفهان در مواجهه با تنوع انگیزه‌ها بر اساس نظریۀ تخلیۀ انگیزشی و سلسله‌مراتب انگیزه‌های اسلامی 219 242 30711 10.22108/ecs.2026.148712.1182 FA وحید مقدم استادیار، گروه معارف اهل البیت علیهم السلام، دانشگاه اصفهان، اصفهان، ایران محمدصالح طیب نیا استادیار، گروه معارف اهل البیت علیهم السلام ، دانشگاه اصفهان، اصفهان، ایران سمانه خسروانیان کارشناسی‌ارشد اقتصاد اسلامی، گروه اقتصاد، دانشکدۀ علوم اداری و اقتصاد، دانشگاه اصفهان، اصفهان، ایران Journal Article 2026 04 22 <strong>Introduction </strong><br />This research was conducted in the domain of health charities in Isfahan to explore donor appreciation practices, focusing on thank-you gifts and the hierarchy of Islamic motivations. The main problem is that while charities use such gifts to retain donors, unawareness of the "motivational crowding out" phenomenon (Frey & Jegen, 2001) can reverse their intended effects. Specifically, providing uniform gifts in Iran's religious context can cause "spiritual degradation," reducing a donor's motivation from sincerity (Ikhlas) to mere reputation-seeking, which may ultimately invalidate the charitable act. Given the vital role of health charities, scientifically managing donor motivation is essential for preserving their spiritual capital and ensuring long-term financial sustainability. Regarding the research background, Western studies (e.g., Muller & Rau, 2020; Chao, 2017) confirmed crowding out within the intrinsic/extrinsic dichotomy, and Chapman and Thai (2026) showed incentive effectiveness heavily depends on donors' motivational profiles. However, domestic literature has merely identified horizontal participation factors, completely neglecting the longitudinal and hierarchical dimensions of Islamic motivations. The main limitation is the inability to interview donors directly due to institutions' strict privacy policies, thus relying on managers' perceptions and reports. Finally, the research questions are: 1) What types of thank-you gifts do Isfahan health charities use, and what are their objectives? 2) How do managers perceive donors' motivations and handle the crowding-out phenomenon within the Islamic motivational hierarchy to prevent spiritual degradation?<br /><strong>Methodology</strong><br />This study employed a qualitative, descriptive-exploratory approach to systematically identify the current state and classify the experiences and perceptions of health charity managers in Isfahan, addressing the lack of sufficient prior research in Iran. The study population comprised managers and experts from health charities in Isfahan. Using accessible purposive sampling, seven key informants from five prominent charities (Maksa, Kasa, Emdadgaran Ashoura, Isfahan Diabetes, and Hazrat Abolfazl) were selected. Data were collected through in-depth, semi-structured interviews (lasting 30 to 90 minutes). The interview guide focused on three core themes: types of appreciation methods, organizational objectives, and challenges in preserving donors' sincerity (*Ikhlas*). All sessions were recorded with informed consent and transcribed verbatim. Data were analyzed using directed qualitative content analysis. Following multiple close readings of the transcripts, semantic units related to gift types, purposes of giving, and managers' perceptions of donor sincerity and motivation were identified and organized through a two-step process of open coding and categorization. To enrich the data, public documents (e.g., charity websites, appreciation plaques, and text messages) were reviewed, and methodological triangulation was applied. The primary limitation of this study is its reliance on managers' perceptions and reports rather than direct interviews with the donors themselves. Due to the strict sensitivity of charity institutions regarding information disclosure and donor privacy, this necessitates caution in generalizing the findings.<br /><strong>Findings</strong><br />Analysis of interviews, field observations, and digital documents revealed that Isfahan health charities utilize a wide spectrum of appreciation tools. These include plaques and trophies (for recurring and major donors), thank-you messages and expenditure reports (for small-to-medium donors), personal phone calls (for significant contributions), visual feedback like patient photos and field visit invitations (for altruistic donors), formal ceremonies (for influential donors), facility naming (for infrastructural donors), and reciprocal administrative/medical services. The charities' objectives primarily centered on retaining existing donors (the core goal) and attracting new ones; notably, no organizational strategy existed for elevating motivation or achieving "motivational crowding in." Managers intuitively recognized four motivational levels among donors: expanded self-interest (e.g., receiving tax exemptions), human altruism (e.g., feelings of empathy and reciprocity), otherworldly motivation (e.g., fulfilling vows and expiations), and divine sincerity (Ikhlas, solely to attain divine pleasure). The most critical finding was the complete absence of systematic evaluation regarding how these gifts impact donors' future behavior. Decision-making was purely intuitive, relying on personal experience and imitation of other charities, with no data or analysis to measure long-term effectiveness. Consequently, despite their valid concern for preserving donors' sincerity, charities lack the scientific knowledge and tools required to manage motivations and prevent "spiritual degradation" in their current appreciation practices.<br /><strong>Discussion and Conclusion</strong><br />Findings show that appreciation practices in the studied charities, despite apparent diversity, are managed within an intuitive, unscientific framework rooted in organizational survival logic. Instead of actively managing motivation, charities focus solely on maintaining the status quo, as any targeted intervention to elevate motivation carries the risk of losing donors. This structural conservatism, lack of scientific protocols, and quantitative definition of success (donation volume) are three main barriers to transitioning from the current state. Theoretically, this study demonstrates that motivation crowding theory in religious societies requires a cultural addendum. In the Islamic model, crowding out is not merely substituting motivation, but an ontological descent in the hierarchy of divine proximity, entailing theological consequences (e.g., the invalidation of the deed). This fundamental difference highlights the necessity of developing indigenous models for motivation management. Practically, it is recommended that charities create a motivational profile for major donors by recording their behavioral signs (e.g., tendency toward anonymity) and apply a tiered appreciation model: for sincere donors, only private prayers and confidential impact reports; for altruists, visual feedback (photos and videos); and for the self-interested, public appreciation and naming. However, due to reliance on managers' perceptions and lack of direct access to donors, future research must employ mixed methods and direct donor access to validate these models and develop charity-specific operational protocols.<br /><strong>Acknowledgments</strong><br />The authors would like to express their sincere gratitude to the health charities participating in this study (Maksa, Kasa, Emdadgaran Ashoura, Isfahan Diabetes, and Hazrat Abolfazl (PBUH)), as well as all the managers and experts who generously shared their valuable experiences despite the sensitivity of the subject. Their invaluable cooperation was the cornerstone and main driving force of this research.<br />  خیریه‌های سلامت برای حفظ و تداوم مشارکت خیّرین از هدایای تشکر بهره می‌برند، اما تنوع انگیزه‌های خیّرین و ناآگاهی از پدیدۀ تخلیۀ انگیزشی می‌تواند این ابزارها را به عامل کاهندۀ انگیزه‌های درونی تبدیل کند. این پژوهش با هدف واکاوی چگونگی مدیریت انگیزۀ خیّرین با محوریت هدایای تشکر در خیریه‌های سلامت اصفهان انجام شد. این مطالعه‌ از نوع کیفی با رویکرد توصیفی-اکتشافی بود. داده‌ها از طریق مصاحبه‌های نیمه‌ساختاریافته با مدیران و کارشناسان خیریه‌های سلامت اصفهان گردآوری شدند تا ادراک خیریه‌ها از انگیزه‌های خیّرین و رویه‌های تقدیر از آنان تحلیل شود. خیریه‌ها از طیفی متنوع از هدایا عمدتاً با هدف حفظ خیّرین استفاده می‌کنند، اما تصمیم‌گیری‌ها کاملاً شهودی و فاقد ارزیابی نظام‌مند هستند. حساسیت شدید به حفظ اخلاص و انگیزه‌های الهی به پنهان‌سازی اطلاعات و عدم تمایل به اشتراک‌گذاری تجربیات منجر شده است. همچنین، تمرکز خیریه‌ها صرفاً بر جلوگیری از ریزش خیر است و هیچ راهبرد سازمانی برای ارتقای انگیزه (تراکم انگیزشی) وجود ندارد. در بستر فرهنگی-دینی ایران، تخلیۀ انگیزشی نه صرفاً جایگزینی انگیزۀ بیرونی با درونی، بلکه تنزل معنوی در سلسله‌مراتب انگیزه‌های اسلامی است. فقدان مدل علمی و پروتکل‌های مبتنی بر شواهد اثربخشی بلندمدت هدایای تشکر را تهدید می‌کنند. زمینه‌سازی برای تدوین چارچوب تعاملی، آموزش مدیران و گذار به رویکرد علمی برای حفظ سرمایۀ معنوی و کارایی خیریه‌ها ضروری است. https://ecs.ui.ac.ir/article_30711_4b4b18e95d8eb79f716a70cb65d384d8.pdf