Get 20M+ Full-Text Papers For Less Than $1.50/day. Start a 14-Day Trial for You or Your Team.

Learn More →

Motivating millennials to engage in charitable causes through social media

Motivating millennials to engage in charitable causes through social media Purpose – It has been suggested that the future success of non‐profit organizations lies in ensuring the sustainable involvement of the Millennial generation through social network sites. Facebook is a social media (SM) network that creates new research contexts and methodologies in service management. Organizations must now engage in learning how customer‐with‐customer interactions in SM could work best for them. The purpose of this paper is to better understand the factors influencing Millennials support for social causes through their autonomous engagement in the public environment of SM. Design/methodology/approach – The authors conducted two studies of events for social causes (breast cancer and youth homelessness). In each, two Facebook event pages appealing to others‐benefits and self‐benefits were designed. Participants were randomly assigned the task of examining the appeal pages online. The dependent variables were two sets of intentions in support of the cause (online and offline). The effectiveness of an others‐benefit vs a self‐benefit Facebook appeal, the influence of empathetic identification with these causes and the direct and mediating effects of autonomous motivation was studied. Findings – The studies provide consistent evidence that, to gain Millennial's support for social causes through SM, it is better to appeal mainly to the benefits others derive than to benefits to the self. Autonomous motivation is a strong predictor of supportive intentions and it also significantly mediates the positive influence of empathetic identification with a cause. Self‐reported behavioral data following the youth homelessness event provided empirical evidence that the supportive intentions data were valid predictors of actual behaviors. Originality/value – The paper used innovative experimental and correlational research methodologies to address Millennial's social behaviors within a SM context. The paper also introduced self‐determination theory of motivation to this literature. From a practical standpoint, Millennials readily engage in impression management. Therefore, their supportive activities should be publicly lauded. Managers should also identify those Millennials who already empathize with the cause and facilitate their ability to influence other members in their networks. SM are changing at a fast pace and managers should employ Millennials in developing pertinent strategies and practices to keep pace. Taking advantage of marketing “with” Millennials can facilitate the development of new approaches for creating and supporting cause events. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Journal of Service Management Emerald Publishing

Motivating millennials to engage in charitable causes through social media

Download PDF
15 pages

Loading next page...
 
/lp/emerald-publishing/motivating-millennials-to-engage-in-charitable-causes-through-social-4PqbE43h2h
Publisher
Emerald Publishing
Copyright
Copyright © 2014 Emerald Group Publishing Limited. All rights reserved.
ISSN
1757-5818
DOI
10.1108/JOSM-05-2013-0122
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

Purpose – It has been suggested that the future success of non‐profit organizations lies in ensuring the sustainable involvement of the Millennial generation through social network sites. Facebook is a social media (SM) network that creates new research contexts and methodologies in service management. Organizations must now engage in learning how customer‐with‐customer interactions in SM could work best for them. The purpose of this paper is to better understand the factors influencing Millennials support for social causes through their autonomous engagement in the public environment of SM. Design/methodology/approach – The authors conducted two studies of events for social causes (breast cancer and youth homelessness). In each, two Facebook event pages appealing to others‐benefits and self‐benefits were designed. Participants were randomly assigned the task of examining the appeal pages online. The dependent variables were two sets of intentions in support of the cause (online and offline). The effectiveness of an others‐benefit vs a self‐benefit Facebook appeal, the influence of empathetic identification with these causes and the direct and mediating effects of autonomous motivation was studied. Findings – The studies provide consistent evidence that, to gain Millennial's support for social causes through SM, it is better to appeal mainly to the benefits others derive than to benefits to the self. Autonomous motivation is a strong predictor of supportive intentions and it also significantly mediates the positive influence of empathetic identification with a cause. Self‐reported behavioral data following the youth homelessness event provided empirical evidence that the supportive intentions data were valid predictors of actual behaviors. Originality/value – The paper used innovative experimental and correlational research methodologies to address Millennial's social behaviors within a SM context. The paper also introduced self‐determination theory of motivation to this literature. From a practical standpoint, Millennials readily engage in impression management. Therefore, their supportive activities should be publicly lauded. Managers should also identify those Millennials who already empathize with the cause and facilitate their ability to influence other members in their networks. SM are changing at a fast pace and managers should employ Millennials in developing pertinent strategies and practices to keep pace. Taking advantage of marketing “with” Millennials can facilitate the development of new approaches for creating and supporting cause events.

Journal

Journal of Service Management – Emerald Publishing

Published: Jun 10, 2014

Keywords: Innovation; Networking; Non‐profit organizations; Motivation; Social networks; Autonomous motivation; Charities; Self‐determination theory; Empathy; social causes

References

  • Impure altruism and donations to public goods: a theory of warm‐glow giving
    Andreoni, J.
  • Doing good or doing well? Image motivation and monetary incentives in behaving pro‐socially
    Ariely, D.; Bracha, A.; Meier, S.
  • Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood: A Cultural Approach
    Arnett, J.J.
  • The moderator‐mediator variable distinction. Social psychological research: conceptual, strategic and statistical considerations
    Baron, R.M.; Kenny, D.A.
  • How social is the animal? The human capacity for caring
    Batson, D.C.
  • Beyond traditional word‐of‐mouth: an expanded model of customer‐driven influence
    Blazevic, V.; Hammedi, W.; Garnefeld, I.; Rust, R.T.; Keiningham, T.; Andreassen, T.W.; Donthu, N.; Carl, W.
  • Understanding generation Y and their use of social media: a review and research agenda
    Bolton, R.N.; Parasuraman, A.; Hoefnagels, A.; Migchels, N.; Kabadayi, S.; Gruber, T.; Loureiro, Y.K.; Solnet, D.
  • Social network sites: definition, history, and scholarship
    Boyd, D.M.; Ellison, N.B.
  • Ethical consumers among the Millennials: a cross‐national study
    Bucic, T.; Harris, J.; Arli, D.
  • The ‘what’ and ‘why’ of goal pursuits: human needs and the self‐determination of behavior
    Deci, E.L.; Ryan, R.M.
  • The his and hers of prosocial behavior: an examination of the social psychology of gender
    Eagly, A.H.
  • The benefits of facebook ‘friends’ social capital and college students’ use of online social network sites
    Ellison, N.B.; Steinfeld, C.; Lampe, C.
  • Generation Y: purchasing power and implications for marketing
    Farris, R.; Chong, F.; Dunning, D.
  • Customer sociability and the total service experience: antecedents of personal word‐of‐mouth intentions
    Ferguson, R.J.; Paulin, M.; Bergeron, J.
  • Millennials, social media, moral identity and support for social causes: do gender differences count?
    Ferguson, R.J.; Paulin, M.; Jost, N.; Schattke, K.; Fallu, J.‐M.
  • Using web 2.0 technologies to connect with new supporters
    Fine, A.
  • An empathy‐helping perspective on consumers’ responses to fund‐raising appeals
    Fisher, R.J.; Vandenbosh, M.; Antia, K.D.
  • Self‐determination theory and work motivation
    Gagné, M.; Deci, E.L.
  • On the hierarchical structure of self‐determined motivation: a test of top‐down and bottom‐up effects
    Guay, F.; Mageau, G.A.; Vallerand, R.J.
  • Video of Jay Kandampully interviewing Evert Gummesson about service research and social media
    Gummesson, E.
  • Transitioning from service management to service‐dominant logic: observations and recommendations
    Gummesson, E.; Lusch, R.F.; Vargo, S.L.
  • The marketing of altruistic causes: understanding why people help
    Guy, B.S.; Patton, W.E.
  • Introduction to Mediation, Moderation, and Conditional Process Analysis: A Regression‐Based Approach
    Hayes, A.F.
  • Committing altruism under the cloak of self‐interest: the exchange fiction
    Holmes, J.G.; Miller, D.T.; Lerner, M.J.
  • The Networked Nonprofit: Connecting with Social Media to Drive Change
    Kanter, B.; Fine, A.H.
  • Users of the world, unite! The challenges and opportunities of social media
    Kaplan, A.M.; Haenlein, M.
  • Distinguishing reactive versus reflective autonomy
    Koestner, R.; Losier, G.F.
  • The scarecrow and the tin man: the vicissitudes of human sympathy and caring
    Loewenstein, G.; Small, D.A.
  • Antecedents to participation in corporate social responsibility programs
    Mattila, A.S.; Hanks, L.
  • A survey of economic theories and field evidence on pro‐social behavior
    Meier, S.
  • Self‐determination theory and public policy improving the quality of consumer decision without using coercion
    Moller, A.C.; Ryan, R.M.; Deci, E.L.
  • Beyond the ‘like’ button: the impact of mere virtual presence on brand evaluation and purchase intentions in social media settings
    Naylor, R.W.; Lamberton, C.P.; West, P.M.
  • I help because I want to, not because you tell me to
    Pavey, L.; Greitmeyer, T.; Sparks, P.
  • Pro‐social behavior: multilevel perspectives
    Penner, L.A.; Dovidio, J.F.; Piliavin, J.A.; Schroeder, D.A.
  • Moral identity and judgments of charitable behaviors
    Reed II, A.; Aquino, K.; Levy, E.
  • Self‐determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well‐being
    Ryan, R.M.; Deci, E.L.
  • Identity congruency effects on donations
    Shang, J.; Reed II, A.; Croson, R.
  • A new generation reinvents philanthropy: blogs, social networking sites give 20‐somethings a means to push, fund favorite causes
    Silverman, R.E.
  • Friends of victims: personal experience and prosocial behavior
    Small, D.A.; Simonsohn, U.
  • Generation Me: Why Today's Young Americans are More Confident, Assertive, Entitled – and More Miserable than Ever Before
    Twenge, J.M.
  • Generational differences in young adults’ life goals, concern for others, and civic orientation, 1996‐2009
    Twenge, J.M.; Campbell, W.K.; Freeman, E.C.
  • Toward a hierarchy model of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation
    Vallerand, R.J.
  • Reflection on self‐determination theory
    Vallerand, R.J.; Pelletier, L.G.; Koestner, R.
  • To do well by doing good: improving corporate image through cause‐related marketing
    Vanhamme, J.; Lindgreen, A; Reast, J.; van Popering, N.
  • Motivating learning, performance, and persistence: the synergistic effects of intrinsic goal contents and autonomy‐supportive contexts
    Vansteenkiste, M.; Simons, J.; Lens, W.; Sheldon, K.M.; Deci, E.L.
  • Toward a transcending conceptualization of relationship: a service‐dominant perspective
    Vargo, S.L.
  • It's all B2B … and beyond: toward a systems perspective of the market
    Vargo, S.L.; Lusch, R.F.
  • Self‐benefit versus other‐benefit marketing appeals: their effectiveness in generating charitable support
    White, K.; Peloza, J.
  • Who to be? Generation X and Y in civil society online
    Yerbury, H.