Individuals are often reluctant to donate to charities based on cost-effectiveness. Across several studies we provide evidence that this reluctance might result from reputational concerns: people judge less positively people who deliberate rather than empathize when donating. Across several measures, we found that people who deliberate are perceived as less moral, but are seen as more reasonable. The results hold across the gender of the person being evaluated, the stakes involved, and are found using different experimental stimuli. In addition, displaying empathy even though one deliberates reduces the negative reputational effect.