Thinking about the same things differently: Examining perceptions of a non-profit community sport organisation

Highlights► Individuals reacted positively or negatively to CSOs when they maintained existing values and beliefs about what a CSO should do. ► Positive and negative reactions are more likely when individuals maintain higher levels of interest in key dimensions (sport and community) of a CSO. ► The extent that CSOs are perceived to be legitimate increased significantly as perceptions of organisational image improved. ► To improve image perceptions, CSOs need to be acutely aware of the dimensions on which legitimacy is judged.