Fundraising? Find a generous male friend and smile, says study

Analysis of fundraising pages shows men are competitively generous: a big donation early on, helped by an attractive picture, can be key to success

When fundraising for charity, picking a cause close to people's hearts and subjecting yourself to a sufficiently gruelling physical ordeal might help, but scientists suggest there could be an even easier way to swell the coffers. Picking a flattering photo and persuading a male friend or relative to make a hefty donation to your fundraising page early was found to significantly boost donations - for women at least.

A study of fundraising pages from the 2014 London Marathon showed that men become competitively generous when they see another man has already given a large sum of money. The effect was especially striking when men stood to impress an attractive female, the study revealed. In these circumstances, men quadrupled their average donations from 10 to 40 when another man had already pledged a large sum.

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