Why Donors Are Willing to Donate without Trusting Nonprofits on TikTok? A Qualitative Research of the Chinese Short Video Platform

• In Event: Hybrid Organization and (Non-)Digital Practices

Abstract

Research Purpose
This paper seeks to investigate the factors that prompt charitable giving on TikTok. And to seek an understanding of how TikTok users can effectively discern the trustworthiness of fundraising campaigns. By conducting in-depth interviews with TikTok users to gain deeper insights into their experiences and perspectives of giving, this paper contributes to the broader understanding of charitable giving on short video platforms.

Literatures Review
Both western and eastern literatures find that nonprofits are using social media platforms to connect with their external stakeholders (Lovejoy et al.,2012; Zhou and Pan, 2016). Among diverse social media available to nonprofits, one example of the active use of short videos for charitable purposes is the Ice Bucket Challenge in 2014. Vaidya (2014) confirmed that Ice Bucket Challenge raised more than $100 million toward solutions and increased awareness for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). While it showcased the fundraising potential of short videos, current research primarily highlights the importance of nonprofits' use of social media. For example, Wiley et al. (2022) analyzed 1160 video posts from 58 nonprofits on TikTok and found that nonprofits are successfully adapting to new networking strategies on TikTok.
Donors’ giving decisions rely on their personal tastes and preferences, also are influenced by their own personal background and trust in maintaining their own historic giving decisions(Breeze, 2013). TikTok has the potential to be a powerful social media platform for building trust and inspiring donations for charitable causes. However, the complexity of the media can prove a challenge for nonprofits looking to develop an effective social media strategy (Tian et al., 2021). There is a lack of academic literature dedicated to users of short videos for charitable purposes. This gap in research underscores the need for a more thorough discussion into the importance and effectiveness of short video content in charitable activities.

Theoretical Framework
In this paper, I use social capital theory to analyze the data collected by interviews with 8 Chinese users who donate on TikTok. The first-round interviews happened in August 2022. Further, the second-round interviews will happen in November 2023.
Social capital refers to the "networks, norms, and social trust that facilitate coordination and cooperation for mutual benefits" (Putnam 1993, p.167). From sociological perspectives, the importance of the social capital in making giving decisions has been discussed (e.g., Schervish and Havens 1997; Rowe 2001; Brown and Ferris 2007).
In this paper, I clarify how charitable giving on TikTok was made and how social capital, especially trust was affected in this process.

Conclusion
As the result of analyzing the interviews, in the case of charitable giving on TikTok, instead of trust in NPOs, the type of trust that triggers people to donate is thin trust in unknown recipients. If the situation continues where donation is regarded as a one-off action and no emphasis is placed on feedback to donors, the problem of distrust in NPOs will not be resolved and may even get worse.

References

Breeze, B. (2013). How donors choose charities: The role of personal taste and experiences in giving decisions. Voluntary Sector Review, 4(2), 165-183.
Brown, E., & Ferris, J. M. (2007). Social Capital and Philanthropy: An Analysis of the Impact of Social Capital on Individual Giving and Volunteering. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 36(1), 85–99.
Lovejoy, Kristen; Waters, Richard; and Saxton, Gregory D. (2012）. Engaging stakeholders through Twitter: How nonprofit organizations are getting more out of 140 characters or less, Public Relations Review, vol.38, no.2, pp.313-318.
Putnam, R.D. (1993). Making Democracy Work. Making Democracy Work: Civic Traditions in Modern Italy. Princeton University Press, Princeton, USA.
Rowe, W.T. (2001). Saving the World: Chen Hongmou and Elite Consciousness in Eighteenth Century China. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.
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Tian, F., Labban, A., Shearer, R. et al. (2021). The Impact of Social Media Activity on Nonprofit Donations in China. VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations, 32, 488–497.
Vaidya, M. (2014). Ice bucket challenge cash may help derisk ALS drug research. Nature, 201(4), 1080.
Wiley, K., Schwoerer, K., Richardson, M., & Espinosa, M. B. (2022). Engaging stakeholders on TikTok: A multi-level social media analysis of nonprofit Microvlogging. Public Administration.
Zhou, H., & Pan, Q. (2016). Information, community, and action on Sina-Weibo: How Chinese philanthropic NGOs use social media. VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations, 27(5), 2433–2457

Author

• Qiuyi Chen