NGOs and the internet: an analysis of NGO web presence

Abstract

This research analyses the websites and social media of Australian aid and development NGOs, and to what this web presence is devoted; soliciting donations, encouraging action or raising awareness of global issues. It then explores correlations between the uses for various media platforms as well as correlations between internet and non-internet characteristics of NGOs. The websites and social media pages of the largest 39 NGOs were analysed through content and regression analysis. It was found that 48% of the web presence of NGOs is devoted, on average, to soliciting donations, 9% to encouraging action and 22% to raising awareness. There are also correlations between different media platforms; NGOs who use the front page of their websites mainly for a particular purpose use social media to the same ends. Those who use the website front page to encourage action on issues also use Facebook for this reason. A key finding of this research is that particular non-internet characteristics of NGOs are associated with the way in which NGO web presence is used. One such characteristic is revenue from DFAT funding: an increased proportion of total revenue from DFAT funding does not silence NGOs on encouraging action on issues, and appears to be associated with greater awareness raising activity. This research is significant as the web presence of Australia's aid NGOs has never been analysed in a quantifiable way. This is also the first time that such data has been used to examine what non-internet characteristics influence the web presence of NGOs.