This article develops and tests a conceptual model examining the effects of retailer’s use of two
community engagement strategies, partnership and philanthropy. A survey, featuring one of four
randomly assigned promotional messages, was created and distributed to customers of a retailer that
were also members of a women’s social organization. Analysis on the sample of 440 respondents
indicates that engagement strategies cause different reactions. Specifically, partnership strengthens
consumer identification with the retailer, while philanthropy strengthens feelings of purchase
satisfaction. Moderation tests imply that using both strategies together can encourage consumers
to behave more relationally, yielding additional returns for a retailer.