Pay attention, fund-raisers. New research partially conducted by University of Texas researchers may help you raise more money for your organization. Specifically, the research shows that people who care highly about a cause are more likely to give money to it when they’re told how much money is needed to reach the organization’s goal, whereas people who care very little about a cause are more likely to give if they’re told how much money has already been raised.

Over the course of five studies, researchers looked at the ways people decide whether or not to give to a charitable cause, such as victims of natural disasters, including the earthquake in Haiti and wildfires in Southern California. According to UT psychologist Marlone Henderson, one of the authors of the study, people ask themselves one of two questions when they’re considering giving a charitable donation, depending on how much they care about the issue.

Henderson says that people who do not particularly care about a cause ask themselves, “Is the goal worth pursuing?” If they are given information about the amount of money already raised toward the cause, they see that others care about the cause’s goal. As a result, they conclude that the cause is, in fact, worth pursuing, and are more likely to donate to it themselves. In fact, in one study, donations more than tripled by framing a solicitation letter to those who did not identify with a cause in terms of what had already been raised.

On the other hand, Henderson says, people who already highly identify with a cause ask themselves, “Is this progressing at a pace I find sufficient?” These people are more likely to give if they are told how much money is left to meet a fund-raising goal, such as, “We’re still $100,000 away from our goal.” Henderson reasons that hearing how much more is needed “may be a signal to jump in and get involved, so this effort they care about doesn’t sink.” In the study mentioned above, donations almost doubled when a solicitation letter to those who identified highly with the cause was framed in terms of how much money was still needed.

So what does this mean for organizations hoping to increase donations? According to Henderson, “Our findings … imply that during times when prior contributions or donations by others are particularly salient in the public eye, organizations may take the opportunity to promote philanthropy by approaching those who identify less with the beneficiaries or with the helping group, thereby expanding their circle of potential donors.”

In other words, when a major natural disaster happens and the general public is aware that many people are donating to relief efforts, get in there! That’s the best time to encourage donations from those who don’t usually donate.