Getting others to help: The effectiveness of professional uniforms in charitable fund raising

Abstract

This research contends that prospective donors to charitable organizations impute topic specific expertise to spokespersons who wear professional uniforms. The attribution of topic specific expertise, in turn, strengthens intentions to assist charities. In three experiments, prospective donors listened to public service announcements in which a female spokesperson solicited donations to a crime stoppers program or a leukemia research fund. In study 1, the spokesperson wore either topic relevant uniforms or a generic business suit. Participants in the uniform conditions reported stronger intentions to help than those in the generic conditions. In study 2, the spokesperson wore either topic relevant or topic irrelevant uniforms. Participants in the topic relevant conditions reported stronger intentions and larger monetary pledges than those in the topic irrelevant conditions. The effects of topic relevancy on intentions were more pronounced for the leukemia research fund than for the crime stoppers program suggesting that the nurse's uniform may have been more appropriate for female speakers than the sheriff's uniform. In study 3, the spokesperson who wore topic relevant uniforms was rated as more knowledgeable and socially attractive than the spokesperson who wore topic irrelevant uniforms. The communicative import of uniforms and the utility of developing institutional clothing for charitable organizations are discussed.