Democratized transactional giving is a form of corporate philanthropy and the latest evolution in cause marketing, (defined as when for-profit companies join forces with nonprofits to promote a cause) where consumers, and not the brand in question, have maximum control over the causes they choose to support.
The result is that consumers can convert any unused rewards issued by the company in the form of points, miles or other units to causes and nonprofits of their own choosing.
In democratized transactional giving decisions and brand advocacy responsibility has been passed on to the consumer – a level of control that inspires a strong behavioral influence.
Edelman PR found in its 2012 Goodpurpose Study that "72% of consumers would recommend a brand that supports a good cause over one that doesn’t, a 39% increase since 2008.
Humans’ hard-wired capacity for empathy fuels the desire to help those in need, because people can imagine themselves in the same situation.