How Efficient Is the Use of Social Networks for Romanian NGO’S?

Social networks have become increasingly popular among organizations, as a consequence of their popularity among individuals. Due to factors such as: reduced costs of usage, large and dynamic audience, possibility of developing relationships; nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) have become very active online, using social networks as the main communication channel. There is a wide range of literature published on why and how NGOs should be visible on social networks as well as on new media as means of fundraising. This is a very important issue, since scarce finance is a problem for most NGOs. In the same time, the pool of potential donors is much larger than the one directly contacted by NGOs using traditional channels of fundraising. Therefore, in the present socio-cultural context, raising awareness online is not a very difficult endeavor, but as appealing as it might be, raising money online requires considerable effort. In this context, the present paper investigates the degree in which Romanian NGOs are actively raising money using social networks. Being the first investigation of this kind, the research starts with analyzing the NGOs website and uses an exploratory approach across various online channels. The online investigation is supplemented by interviews conducted with the representatives of these NGOs. The study highlights some best practices in the field, and explains the associated strategies