Publication Date

2019

Document Type

Dissertation/Thesis

First Advisor

Vazquez, Laura

Degree Name

M.A. (Master of Arts)

Legacy Department

Department of Communication

Abstract

This thesis examines the website design and social media platform usage of small non-profit organizations (defined as less than $1M operating budget and less than ten staff). This research will be completed by first reviewing other studies that have been done on marketing in the non-profit sector, then by exploring marketing challenges firsthand through a mini-ethnographic case study as described in the mini-ethnographic case study approach, and finally through the examination of tax and financial data provided by Guidestar. The researcher was involved in website collaboration with The Gracie Center in a volunteer capacity and was employed with the two other organizations that are the focus of this study (Illinois Mental Health Counselors Association and International Association of Diecutting and Diemaking). The websites of these three organizations are analyzed through a template tool created by one of the most popular Membership Management Software (MMS) companies. The researcher also explores the social media marketing done by the three non-profits in this study. Ultimately, this thesis offers some suggestions for the usage and design of the websites and social mediums of these specific organizations and, in turn, offers some universal suggestions for any non-profit organization which is similar in size and resources to those mentioned in this study.

Extent

49 pages

Language

eng

Publisher

Northern Illinois University

Rights Statement

In Copyright

Rights Statement 2

NIU theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from Huskie Commons for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without the written permission of the authors.

Media Type

Text

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