Table of ContentsIntroductionSocial Media in Nonprofit OrganizationsConclusionIntroductionNonprofit organizations play an important role in our society by providing goods and services to low-income communities when our government fails to do so. . Yet it is not uncommon to find nonprofit organizations facing a financial crisis and going out of business due to lack of funding. Many nonprofit organizations are primarily funded by fluctuating donations, government support, and fundraising efforts. In this research paper, I will analyze Case Study 12: Recruiting Volunteers and Donors on Social Media by Julia Read, Benjamin Bingle, and Kenneth Meyer to explain how nonprofit organizations strategically use social media. Two basic questions asked at board meetings are: How can we promote our organization? Who can we ask for donations? In recent years, nonprofits have sought different methods to fund their campaign and continue their mission of supporting marginalized communities; social media has been one of these means. “Social media sites are primarily used for their viral ability to spread messages to users, consumers, and other organizations” (Brown, 2015). Over the past decade, social media marketing has revolutionized the way businesses, corporations, and even nonprofits build their brands. Social media has emerged in a big way by increasing awareness, engaging the community and mobilizing activities that will cultivate a relationship with influencers and potentially raise funds. It is important that in this article I explain the relevance of the theory of resource dependence which "is concerned with how organizational behavior is affected by the external resources that the organization uses, such as raw materials" . RDT practically helps create an effective organization by allowing donors to understand the fiscal environment of the organization. Nonprofits are looking for an online presence to help them build and maintain their organization. Broadly speaking, social media has been used to channel primarily three organizational goals in the nonprofit sector: attracting new volunteers, developing resources, and creating social change. Say no to plagiarism. Get Custom Essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get Original EssaySocial Media in Nonprofit OrganizationsAs we know, nonprofit organizations struggle to attract volunteers qualified, as this can be a discouraging burden for board members. “In the past, it could be time-consuming and costly for an organization to reach out to various people. Now, organizations can communicate quickly and more frequently with their members, volunteers and donors through social media” (Brown, 2015). Social media has been a great recruiting tool because of the different mediums used to promote the mission of nonprofit organizations. It is essential that nonprofit organizations understand the benefits of marketing and how to use it effectively. According to the business dictionary, marketing is defined as the management process through which goods and services passfrom concept to customer. In the Bill Perkins case study, the CEO of Hope Center believed that capitalizing on competitions and marketing his nonprofit by hosting an annual 5K and posting it on social media would in turn attract interested people. Social media has a huge impact on volunteers. The first step to recruiting new volunteers is creating engaging and informative content that will reach people who are passionate about your organization's purpose. The center gained exposure by posting selfies and offering small prizes, which led to increased social media connections and two-way communication. At the end of the campaign, Center Espoir staff noticed an increase in the number of volunteers, although most were young people. The Hope Center should have created various forms of social media that could appeal to different demographic and social strata. They often face major complications when it comes to obtaining and managing financial resources to support the mission and objective. It's common for organizations to participate in traditional fundraising, grant writing, endowments, and annual campaigns, but as we know, it's not always healthy to rely solely on the same donors, with recruitment of volunteers. With the help of platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, recruiting donors has made it easier for members to ask for money. These mediums include tools that allow people to donate through an online fundraising platform such as GoFundMe, donation tags on Instagram, and the fundraising tag on Facebook where individuals can click on a cause that is close to their hearts. The Hope Center failed to create a comprehensive campaign that would include people of all backgrounds and ages. In return, organizations often stagnate in their donations. Resource dependence theory (RDT) notes that dependence on critical resources influences various actions and behaviors of organizations. This affects the behavior, performance, and survival rates of nonprofit organizations. “One of the main arguments of resource dependence theory is that organizations are unable to generate on their own all the resources they need to survive, but must obtain and derive various types of resources from their environment” (Lam & Nie, 2019). Thus, in order to improve the survival rates of nonprofit organizations and increase their funding, it is imperative that nonprofit organizations turn to other forms of revenue. Since the people engaged in the social media contests were young and did not have a stable income to be a regular donor to the Hope Center, the revenue generated was very little to none. Although young adults may not be listed as regular donors, they are more likely to donate to nonprofits that call for social change. Social media has become a resourceful space when it comes to cultivating digital social movements and supporting nonprofits. “Advocacy and social change practices have quickly become linked to technological tools and Internet-based outreach” (GoldKind, 2015). A relevant reason why the Hope Center did not function as they had speculated was its lack of promotion of its mission and its lack of appeal to the pathos of society. The case relied so much on the competition and the awards that they failed to publicize the objective.