Digital Activism for Social Causes: Understanding Clicktivism and Substantive Actions

Abstract

Successful fundraising is one of the main challenges for charities and non-profit organizations. At the same time, the widespread adoption and proliferation of social media (such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube) and crowdfunding platforms (such as GoFundMe and Indiegogo) put forward novel opportunities to these organizations. Our research builds upon theories from social psychology and social movement to develop a model for explaining and predicting social media users’ engagement in symbolic online action (i.e. clicktivism) as well as substantive action (e.g., donating money or time) in support of a social cause. Using data from 4,539 crowdfunding campaigns, this short paper also reports on a preliminary exploration of symbolic and substantive actions on a donation-based crowdfunding platform. The outcomes of this research will inform charities and non-profit organizations in developing more effective digital communication and grassroots fundraising strategies.