The power of asking in volunteering: Evidence from a matched sample

This paper investigates the effect of personal solicitations on the propensity to volunteer. Propensity score matching methods are employed to control for the endogeneity problem, which arises due to non-random solicitation of potential volunteers. The results suggest that the effect of personal solicitations on the propensity to volunteer is considerable, yet is much less than conventional wisdom, once the endogeneity is controlled for.