PhD researcher in nonprofit marketing and fundraising, Marketing Campus Brussels

Brussels

(ref. BAP-2023-501)

Last modification : Monday, July 24, 2023

The Department of Marketing, with campuses in Antwerp, Brussels and Leuven, is an ambitious group of scholars. We are committed to excellence in research and teaching, and attach great importance to managerial relevance. Our research focuses on the three marketing domains, namely marketing modeling, marketing management and strategy, and consumer behavior. Within these domains, our areas of expertise focus, among others, on: • socially responsible marketing (e.g., fundraising, sustainable consumption, consumer ethics); • retailing (e.g., online and multichannel shopping, retail innovation, retailer- manufacturer relationships); • consumer decision making (e.g., behavioral economics, self-control); • service marketing (e.g., customer experience management, complaint management, service innovation); • sport sponsoring. Our work gets published in major international journals like Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Marketing, Journal of Marketing Research, Marketing Science, Journal of Consumer Psychology, International Journal of Research in Marketing, Journal of Retailing, and Journal of Service Research. We have many productive partnerships with industry and authorities, both national and international.

Website unit

The growing nonprofit sector is marked by increasing levels of competition and financial viability as one of its greatest challenges. It is becoming vital for nonprofit organizations to approach their marketing activities and fundraising in more strategic and professional ways, with an increased focus on, among others, cost-effectiveness and building long-term relationships with donors.

In the nonprofit marketing and fundraising domain, there are still many gaps that require scientific research. We are looking for an enthusiastic researcher who will focus on this domain for 4 years. In consultation with the supervisors (Prof. Dr. Tine De Bock and Prof. Dr. Irene Roozen), the central research questions will be defined at the start of the PhD trajectory. Possible topics, though not exhaustive and very much open to personal input, might be: overhead aversion (the phenomenon whereby donors show an aversion to overhead costs of nonprofit organizations), charity checkouts (the phenomenon whereby customers, at the end of their online or offline shopping trip, are being asked if they are willing to donate to a charitable organization, for example by rounding up their bill and donating the difference to a good cause), charity labels (think, for example, about the ratings assigned by the Charity Navigator in the US or the label as developed by the Belgian Association for Ethics in Fundraising), and perceived donation effectiveness (this is an important driver of charitable giving and encompasses a donor's perception of the difference being made by means of his/her donation).

At the start of the PhD trajectory, there is time to explore these and other topics in the area of nonprofit marketing and fundraising as to define the central research questions. After a further and in-depth reading of the existing literature, several studies will be set up to fill the defined gaps in literature and contribute substantially to this research area.

The project consists of the following aspects:

• You follow the doctoral program at the Faculty of Economics and Business, KU Leuven. More information is available via the following website: https: // feb.kuleuven.be/research/PhD/businesseconomics/Business

• You prepare a doctoral dissertation in the domain of nonprofit marketing and fundraising, supervised by Prof. Dr. Tine De Bock and Prof. Dr. Irene Roozen. As part of this doctoral trajectory, you explore the existing literature in an in-depth way, clearly define relevant research questions, and conduct multiple qualitative and/or quantitative studies to answer these questions.

• You get the opportunity to participate in national and international collaborations, to follow seminars and to present your research in Belgium as well as abroad.

• You aim to publish the findings of the research project in (English) peer- reviewed scientific journals and actively look for other forms of science communication (also directed toward the professional nonprofit world).

• You become an active member of a dynamic research group with a pleasant working environment for everyone who has an interest in doing scientific research at an international level.

• You make a (limited) contribution to the teaching portfolio of the Department of Marketing (e.g., supervising master's theses and business projects).

We are looking for a PhD student who:

• obtained a Master degree in (Applied) Economics, Business Administration or Commercial Engineering, or a related discipline (e.g., Psychology, Sociology, Statistics, Marketing, Consumer Behavior), or will have such a degree at the start of the PhD (to substantiate during sollicitation).

• obtained at least, on average, distinction during the studies and satisfies the entrance requirements of the doctoral program (https: // feb.kuleuven.be/research/PhD/businesseconomics/Business).

• has a strong interest in scientific research in the area of nonprofit marketing and fundraising.

• has experience with quantitative research, qualitative research, and statistical analyses (f.ex. through setting up and analyzing experiments, or through executing and analyzing in-depth interviews). Being able to analyse (large(r)) data sets with software programs (such as SPSS, STATA, SAS or R) is a plus.

• has strong communication skills (both oral and written) and likes to work in a team, but also has the ability to work independently and take initiative.

• has the skills to present research results to both an academic and non- academic audience.

• has the skills to analyse theoretical papers and empirical studies in a critical way.

• has the skills to develop and write down project proposals if necessary.

• has a fluent (scientific) writing style (in English).

• is able to bring the PhD trajectory to a successful conclusion, with the necessary supervision.

We offer a full-time employment (100%) as PhD student for 4 years at the Department of Marketing, Faculty of Economics and Business (KU Leuven). During this period, you have the opportunity to significantly contribute to the academic and professional world, taking place in a stimulating and international research environment and supervised by Prof. Dr. Tine De Bock and Prof. Dr. Irene Roozen. You have the opportunity to work with experienced researchers and professionals from both academia and the nonprofit sector. In addition, you will receive the necessary support and guidance in developing your (academic) career, including the opportunity to apply for scholarships. The doctoral program implies and facilitates taking multiple (methodological) courses and the attendance at conferences allowing one to specialize in the subject.

The start date can be agreed upon and is somewhat flexible (earliest start is January 2024 and preferably before mid-February 2024).

For more information, please contact Prof. Dr. Tine De Bock ([email protected]) and Prof. Dr. Irene Roozen ([email protected]).

You can apply for this job no later than 16 October 2023 via the online application tool.

We will inform all candidates on 27 October 2023 the latest about whether or not they are selected for the next round based on their CV and motivation letter. The selected candidates will be invited for an (online) interview which will take place on 10 November 2023. For this interview, candidates will be asked to prepare an assignment (deadline assignment: 6 November 2023). On 15 November 2023 at the latest, it will be announced whether or not candidates are selected for the job.

KU Leuven seeks to foster an environment where all talents can flourish, regardless of gender, age, cultural background, nationality or impairments. If you have any questions relating to accessibility or support, please contact us at [email protected].