Recognition in social media for supporting a cause: Involvement and self-efficacy as moderators

Abstract

We investigated the effect of recognition for supporting a cause on the social networking site Facebook, and measured cause involvement and self-efficacy as moderators in intention to donate and volunteer. We used a 2 × 2 × 2 between-subject factorial design, and obtained 262 responses from an online survey. Results indicated that social recognition, high involvement, and high self-efficacy resulted in more positive behavioral responses. In addition, social recognition served as a greater motivator to donate and volunteer for individuals with low cause involvement than it did for those with high involvement. Results further suggested that the positive effect of social recognition was amplified for individuals with high self-efficacy compared with those with low self-efficacy. Practical implications for the marketing of nonprofit organizations using social media are discussed.