Does the advancement of Digital Funding for NGOs/CSOs and social causes sustain accountability and transparency?

• In Event: Data Management, Transparency, and Accountability

Abstract

1.Objectives of the paper
To explore the organizations and individuals that raise resources for social, ecological and humanitarian causes due to natural disasters, among others. To analyze the transparency and accountability developed with the new digital fundraising systems: crowdfunding, influencers, fundraising blogs, and other initiatives in social networks.
2. Hypothesis or research question, as appropriate
In recent years, before digitization, NGOs/CSOs in Latin America and the Caribbean had made great progress in transparency and accountability systems. With the advance of digitization, are these transparency control mechanisms maintained or has accountability regressed with the emergence of fundraising through digital systems?
3.Used methodology
The methodology to be used is exploratory (i); therefore, as many experts have indicated, it does not require the elaboration of a hypothesis but a research question (ii).
The different methodological tools will be: a wide reading of the available documents on the subject and the review of the different proposals and opinions expressed in the world and regional conferences of the ISTR. And also the review of the main results achieved or contributions of colleagues related to the research question.
Although the focus of the work will be on Argentina, we will also explore works and opinions from countries in the Latin American and Caribbean region.
There will be 5 in-depth qualitative interviews to referents of social organizations, academics and people dedicated to digital fundraising. Conceptual answers linked to the research question will be sought (iii). There will also be 20 semi-structured interviews where the forms of collection will be analyzed.
A point of reference to be taken into account is the Argentine organization Asociación de Ejecutivos en Desarrollo de Recursos para Organizaciones Sociales (AEDROS) and also some "influencers" who individually have gained notoriety in Argentina.
4.Main results or contribution
From an in-depth analysis of the information obtained, both written and interviews, we intend to initially answer the research question. We believe that this is a phenomenon that affects many countries and therefore the answers obtained in this research will be of interest to all colleagues at the conference.

References

5.References
Notes:
(I) "Exploratory studies are normally carried out when the objective is to examine a topic or research problem that has been insufficiently studied, about which there are many doubts, or which has not been addressed before." Hernandez Sampieri, Roberto; Fernández Collado, Carlos; Baptista Lucio, Pilar. Research Methodology. Mc Graw Hill, Va Edición, Mexico, 2010, p. 79.
(ii) - "When defining the scope of the study (exploratory, descriptive, correlational or explanatory), the researcher decides whether or not to establish hypotheses. In exploratory studies, no hypotheses is established." (Hernandez Sampieri, Roberto; Fernández Collado, Carlos; Baptista Lucio, Pilar). Research Methodology. Mc Graw Hill, , Mexico, 2010, p. 113.
(iii) -- For Strauss and Corbin (1990:17) the qualitative researcher must take a step back, critically analyze the situation, recognize and avoid biases in order to obtain valid and reliable data and, likewise, must attain abstract thinking. To achieve these objectives, the researcher must have social and theoretical sensitivity, maintain analytical distance and, at the same time, draw on his or her experience and theoretical knowledge. They must also have an astute power of observation and interactive capacity (p.35, Estrategias de Investigación Cualitativa, Irene Vasilachis de Gialdino (coord.), Barcelona, Gedisa Editorial, 2006).
Planned Interviews to be carried out
● Vice President of the Association of Executives in Resource Development for Social Organizations (AEDROS), Inés Felice, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
● Former Director of the Department of Associations and Foundations of the General Inspectorate of Justice (IGJ) of Argentina, Luis Calcagno.
● Executive Director of the Argentine Network for International Cooperation (RACI), Guillermo Correa.
● Olga Nirenberg, professional and teacher of long experience in Design and Evaluation of Social Projects.
● Analia Bettoni - Project Coordinator - Institute for Cooperation and Development (ICD) - Montevideo - Uruguay.
Links of crowdfunding platforms to survey:
● ARGENTINA: https://cafecito.app/
● MÉXICO: https://hipfunds.org/
● ESPAÑA: http://goteo.org/
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Authors

• Pablo Baraldi Marsal, Universidad de Buenos Aires

• Daniela Lorena Diestre, Independent consultant