Abstract
We study how military events, casualties, and media mentions affect same-day donations to a large Ukrainian nonprofit providing lethal assistance to the Ukrainian military during Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. We find that Ukrainian civilian casualties drive donations: a 1\% increase in casualties results in a 0.13% increase in the number of donations and a 0.11% increase in the donation amount. Donation patterns follow patterns observed following natural disasters. News from Russian sources tends to drive the frequency of donations, while international news coverage influences the total amount given.
Co-authors: Margaryta Klymak (King's College London), Andrew Kosenko (Marist College), and Katya Vasilaky (Cal Poly)