Tag Archives: Kate Smitko

How Twitter Can Help Nonprofit Development

Posted in Research by

Topic

Kate Smitko from Royal Roads University conducted a study to understand how relationships are formed through tweets. The hope was that nonprofit organizations could use this understanding to build and strengthen relationships with current and potential donors through Twitter.

Method

  • Smitko used textual analysis to analyze tweets and response tweets (ones with an “@” symbol) from two nonprofit organizations.
  • On Feb. 18, 2011, tweets from the organizations were recorded and categorized during a 12-hour period.

Results

The following strategies of persuasion were found in the tweets:

  • Ethos (credibility of character)
  • Pathos (emotional appeal)
  • Logos (logical reasoning)
  • Eucharistia (thanking)
  • Communicatio (direct communication)
  • Repetition
  • More than 90 percent of the tweets included at least one of these elements. Ethos was most prominent, with logos as second.
  • United Way of Toronto used ethos in the majority of its tweets and Care2 tended to use logos.
  • Individual and group linking was also prominent, with tweets that included an individual or an organization by using the “@” symbol. This type of communication used elements of the strategies of persuasion, particularly communicatio and eucharistia.

Limitations

This study focused on what organizations are doing rather than discovering the effectiveness of the strategies that were used. Also, the sample included only two nonprofits’ tweets during a one-day period.

Conclusion

  • When nonprofit organizations compose tweets to connect with current or possible donors, they should consider the ethos strategies, which the study showed was the strategy used most often in the analyzed tweets.
  • By focusing on not only the organization’s credibility of character but also the donor’s, a nonprofit organization can seem more appealing to donate to and also generate a larger following.
  • Twitter is a practical and effective way for people to create and strengthen relationships, and nonprofit organizations should continue to take advantage of this tool.

Smitko, K. (in press). Donor engagement through Twitter. Public Relations Review. doi:10.1016/j.pubrev.2012.05.012