Abstract: When charitable organizations conduct charitable advertising, they need to use different advertising appeals to improve the donation effect. Based on self-construction theory, Elaboration Likelihood Model and information framework theory, this study verifies the matching effect of charity advertising appeal and self-construction through four experiments. The research results show that the advertising appeals that highlight the information of charitable organizations can make independent donors have higher willingness to donate; the advertising appeals that highlight the information of the recipients can make dependent donors have higher willingness to donate. In addition, the information framework of charitable advertising (promoting framework vs. defense framework) has a regulatory effect on the matching effect of charity advertising appeal and self-construction. Adopting a promotion framework can improve the matching effect between charity appeals and independent donors; using a defensive framework can improve the matching effect of grantee appeals and dependent donors. This study provides theoretical support for charity organizations to design charity advertisements for different types of donors, and has certain theoretical significance and practical value.

Key words: charity advertising appeal, self-construction, information framework, willingness to donate