Use of Social Media for Fundraising by Non-Governmental Wildlife Conservation Organizations in Karen

Abstract

Social media scholars and users in the nonprofit sector describe social media as a relatively new phenomenon that is a powerful and a present channel of communication. The study looked into the use of social media for fundraising among nongovernmental organizations in wildlife conservation in Karen by examining why some organizations were successful and others were not. The objectives of the study were to examine the effectiveness of social media (Facebook, Twitter, Crowdfunding and websites) as a fundraising tool used by nongovernmental wildlife organizations to raise funds, evaluate ways in which organizations engage their social media audience for fundraising, and identify the emerging trends in the use of social media for fundraising. The research used both descriptive and observation research designs and the data for the study was collected using questionnaires, interviews, and observation of social media accounts of the organizations. The findings indicated that social media is effective in engaging with an organization’s audience as it creates a platform for people who care about the same cause as an organization to come together. About 80% of the organizations under study engaged the social media followers with brief posts on Twitter and Facebook; which ended with links to the organizations’ websites or crowdfunding sites. Using new social media fundraising features and tools such as Hootsuite was identified as an emerging trend that had been adopted by 50% of the organizations that were studied. The conclusion of the study is that social media complements traditional fundraising practices by increasing the geographical coverage and reducing the time spent in reaching existing and potential donors. The study recommends that NGOs using social media sites for fundraising may capitalize on building relationships and stewardship before embarking on asking for money. Further research may be done on specific aspects of social media.