Donor perceived relationships with nonprofits using social media: A quantitative correlational study

Abstract

Developing donor relationships through continuous communication streams is the foundation for most nonprofit organizations (NPOs) financially dependent on charitable support. Social media has rapidly evolved as the new phenomena to engage donors in a competitive marketplace. During a time when nonprofit leaders grapple to manage their donor base for loyal support within changing environments, questions remain whether social media exchanges among donors and NPOs can predict communal relationships. The purpose of the quantitative correlational study using standard multiple regressions was to determine whether donor perceived relationships with a NPO using social media enhanced relational attributes of trust, satisfaction, commitment, and communal relationships through the theoretical framework of social exchange and open systems. In a correlational survey design employing an established relationship scale by Hon and Grunig (1999), data were collected online from a representative sampling of annual donors with a NPO through an electronic survey using Survey Monkey. Subsequently, a principal component analysis with standard multiple regressions and a multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) measured connections among social media exchanges and the variables of communal relationships, trust, commitment, and satisfaction. The statistical results revealed significant contributions to the MANOVA and the standard multiple regressions of commitment and satisfaction, though marginal significance with communal relationships and trust. Thereby, acknowledging the interconnectivity of social media provides nonprofit leaders a promising communication practice to foster donor relationships for ongoing support.