For example, a reason a car starts is that its ignition is turned. In the context of explaining the actions of beings who act for reasons (i.e., rational agents), these are called motivating reasons—e.g., the reason Bill went to college was to learn; i.e., that he would learn was his motivating reason.
For instance, a cause of a car's beginning operation is that its ignition is activated. In the context of explaining the actions of entities driven by reasons (i.e., rational actors), these are referred to as motivating factors—e.g., the reason Bill attended college was knowledge acquisition; i.e., knowledge acquisition was his motivating factor.