At the November 2010 Society of Marketing Advances Conference in Atlanta, Kevin Shanahan of Mississippi State University, Chris Hopkins of Clemson University, and Les Carlson received a Best Paper Award in the Marketing Research Track for their paper, "Increasing Proclivity to Donate to Nonprofits Employing Print Advertisements: Depictions of Self-Inflicted Versus Blameless Victims."

The study essential shows that it matters to potential donors if individuals depicted in a nonprofit donation appeal advertisement are "victims" because of own decisions or because of circumstances beyond their control.