Community Attachment, Communication Mediation, and Nonprofit Participation: An Integrated Community Communication Approach

Abstract

Nonprofit participation in the form of giving and volunteering has long been viewed as the building blocks of participatory democracy. Yet, prior research has rarely treated nonprofit participation as a distinctive form from the general construct of civic participation. Extending Communication Mediation Model, we examine nonprofit participation behaviors within community-based communication possesses. We use structural equation modeling to investigate the paths of influence among community attachment variables, nonprofit-specific media use and discussion, and individuals’ volunteering and giving behaviors. Results highlight the importance of nonprofit-specific discussion in (1) directly promoting giving and volunteering behaviors (2) mediating the influence of nonprofit-specific traditional media use, and (3) translating community attachment into greater giving and volunteering activities. Different community and communication mechanisms are identified to predict nonprofit giving versus volunteering.