Nonprofits, Social Media, and Mission

Abstract

ABSTRACT Characteristics core to the nonprofit sector’s identity – community building and authenticity – are what drive user engagement on microvlogging platforms like TikTok. Yet, nonprofits are often hesitant to join emerging social media platforms, especially platforms that necessitate a new content style. This hesitancy is due to uncertainties on the platform and insufficient resources to go “all-in.” We interviewed social media coordinators and applied qualitative summative content analysis to illuminate TikTok’s early adopters’ strategies for moving beyond metrics like follower counts and attention to leveraging their social media-based social capital toward mission-oriented goals. The findings indicate that as social media strategies grow more sophisticated, nonprofits build the capacity to work toward mission fulfillment more narrowly. However, the fast-paced nature of the platform defies nonprofit’ commonly reserved approach to social media, such as long-term planning, strong leadership oversight, and brand establishment. Well-meaning CEOs should focus on investing financial resources into content creation rather than controlling content.