Donors are as shallow as everyone else
This is sort of old news (from a few weeks ago anyhow) but I want to make sure that readers of the fundit are on the cutting edge of philanthropy research…
An East Carolina University research team set up an experiment where people of varying degrees of attractiveness raised money in a door-to-door campaign. Their conclusion: attractive women, particularly blondes, make the best solicitors. They raised more than double the hourly amount of other solicitors.
The study also looked at race and found that a white blonde was less
successful asking for money from a cultural minority than when a
minority asked another minority for money. Physical attractiveness,
though, influenced amounts of giving despite race.
No surprise, but results were entirely driven by the response of men who answered the door — when women answered the door attractive female solicitors lost their advantage.
A few other highlights from the study:
- Blondes raised more than brunettes (even when they were both assessed as being equally “attractive” by an independent panel)
- Personality and assertiveness had less impact than beauty
- Assertive solicitors raised less than shy solicitors
- Offering to enter people in a chance to win $1,000 encouraged more giving
- Being told that others had made donations encouraged more giving
I am happy to hear that the shy people raised more than the pushy ones.
You can find the full publication here.
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