Strategic partnerships with nonprofits in corporate social responsibility (CSR): The mediating role of perceived altruism and organizational identification

To provide insight for nonprofits and for-profits generating synergetic alliance, this study investigates how prior corporate reputation, nonprofit brand familiarity, and fit between company and nonprofit influence supportive CSR outcomes. The study also examines the mediation role of perceived altruism and consumer-company identification in such associations. The results show the significant main effects of corporate reputation, nonprofit familiarity, and company-nonprofit fit on supportive CSR outcomes. More importantly, results show that perceived altruism and the consumer-company identification significantly mediates the influence of a CSR partnership on supportive CSR outcomes. Interestingly, the direct effect of corporate reputation on consumer-company identification was not significant, suggesting that for a company to induce strong identification from consumers, the effects of corporate reputation should be mediated by its altruistic motives for practicing CSR activities.