Promoting Volunteerism: An Empirical Examination of the Appeal of Persuasive Messages

Abstract

Two studies examined the persuasive appeal of messages that promote involvement in volunteer work. Four messages were created by combining two different strategies of argument (one providing reasons for volunteering, the other countering reasons for not volunteering) and two different forms of reasons for volunteering or not volunteering (abstract, value-based reasons versus concrete, specific reasons). In both studies, college students with and without current volunteer experience judged the counter-abstract-reasons-for-not-volunteering and provide-concrete-reasons-for-volunteering messages to be the most persuasive. However, the effectiveness of a message also depended on the goal of the appeal (that is, recruitment of new volunteers or retention of current volunteers). The implications of these findings for campaigns designed to promote volunteerism are discussed.