Information, Community, and Action: How Nonprofit Organizations Use Social Media (1204.3230v1)

Abstract: The rapid diffusion of "microblogging" services such as Twitter is ushering in a new era of possibilities for organizations to communicate with and engage their core stakeholders and the general public. To enhance understanding of the communicative functions microblogging serves for organizations, this study examines the Twitter utilization practices of the 100 largest nonprofit organizations in the United States. The analysis reveals there are three key functions of microblogging updates-"information," "community," and "action." Though the informational use of microblogging is extensive, nonprofit organizations are better at using Twitter to strategically engage their stakeholders via dialogic and community-building practices than they have been with traditional websites. The adoption of social media appears to have engendered new paradigms of public engagement. Keywords: microblogging; Twitter; social media; stakeholder relations; organizational communication; organization-public relations; nonprofit organizations

• The paper identifies three core tweet functions—information (58.6%), community (25.8%), and action (15.6%)—to classify nonprofit communication strategies.
• It employs an inductive coding process on 4,655 tweets from the top 100 nonprofits to reveal distinct communication typologies.
• The findings provide practical insights for balancing tweet functions to enhance public engagement and strategic messaging in the nonprofit sector.

Overview of "Information, Community, and Action: How Nonprofit Organizations Use Social Media"

The paper "Information, Community, and Action: How Nonprofit Organizations Use Social Media," authored by Kristen Lovejoy and Gregory D. Saxton, investigates how the largest nonprofit organizations in the United States utilize Twitter as a micro-blogging platform. This examination focuses on categorizing the types of tweets and identifying the primary functions they serve in organizational communication and stakeholder engagement. The paper concludes that tweets can be grouped into three broad functions: information dissemination, community engagement, and action mobilization.

Methodology and Analytical Framework

The authors analyzed tweets from the 100 largest nonprofit organizations as listed by "Nonprofit Times 100" in 2008. The sample period spanned from November 8 to December 7, 2009, capturing 4,655 tweets. These tweets were classified into categories through an inductive coding process informed by previous research.

Classification and Key Findings

The paper's fundamental contribution is the typology of tweet functions distilled into three core categories:

• Information: Tweets in this category convey information about organizational activities, events, and relevant news. These account for 58.6% of the tweets.
• Community: This category includes messages aimed at fostering dialogic interactions and building a sense of community. Such tweets include giving recognition and thanks (13.2%), acknowledgement of current and local events (0.4%), responses to public messages (8.2%), and soliciting responses (4.1%). Altogether, community-oriented tweets account for 25.8% of the total.
• Action: Tweets directing followers to perform specific actions, including promoting events (7.8%), appealing for donations (3.1%), selling products (0.5%), recruiting volunteers and employees (0.8%), and advocating for causes (0.6%), comprise 15.6% of the messages.

Organizational Typologies

In classifying the organizations based on their tweeting profiles, three distinct types emerged:

1. Information Sources: Organizations primarily using Twitter for information dissemination.
2. Community Builders: Those focused on engagement through dialogic and community-building tweets.
3. Promoters & Mobilizers: Organizations using Twitter predominantly for action-oriented messaging.

The analysis revealed that the majority of the nonprofits fall under the "Information Sources" category, while fewer organizations were primarily "Community Builders" or "Promoters & Mobilizers."

Practical and Theoretical Implications

This paper has several implications for organizational communication strategies:

• Enhanced Public Engagement: The findings suggest that Twitter allows more effective stakeholder engagement compared to traditional websites due to its built-in interactivity.
• Strategic Use of Functions: Nonprofits can benefit from a balanced approach that incorporates all three tweet functions to foster a holistic engagement strategy, potentially leading to increased public support and trust.

Future Directions

The research opens multiple avenues for future work:

• Broadening the Scope: Future studies could explore how smaller nonprofits and organizations in other sectors use social media.
• Effectiveness of Tweets: Investigating the impact of different tweet types on follower engagement and organizational outcomes would enrich the understanding of social media strategies.
• Cross-Platform Comparisons: Extending the analysis to other social media platforms could provide comprehensive insights into how different tools may be used synergistically.

Conclusion

Lovejoy and Saxton's work provides a valuable framework for understanding how nonprofit organizations can leverage Twitter for various communication functions. By categorizing tweets into information, community, and action functions, the paper highlights the potential of micro-blogging to enhance organizational communication and engagement. This work sets the stage for further exploration and application of social media strategies within the nonprofit sector.