ABSTRACT

Non-Profit Organizations’ Use of the Internet to Tell Human Interest Stories:
A Content Analysis of Non-Profit Web Sites

Christen David Massar, M.A.

Thesis Chairperson: Sara Stone, Ph.D.



This thesis explored how non-profit organizations utilized the Internet to frame
their causes through personal stories that illustrate the good works and acts of charity
performed by the organization. A sample of 26 non-profit health charities’ Web sites
produced 344 “good works” stories that were coded. The study looked particularly at the
prominence and prevalence of good works stories on the non-profit Web sites, as well as
how the organizations incorporated other elements such as multimedia, calls to action and
opportunities for the reader to participate. The findings indicate health charities do utilize
their Web sites to prominently portray stories that illustrate the organizations’ good
works. However, there is great discrepancy in the extent to which these organizations
present these stories. While a few organizations’ Web sites provided model examples in
the prominence, prevalence and synergy of good works stories, the majority did not
utilize the medium to its fullest capacity.

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Copyright © 2007 by Christen David Massar

All rights reserved

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CONTENTS


LIST OF TABLES ...................................................................................................... v

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ........................................................................................... vi



CHAPTER ONE:
INTRODUCTION....................................................................................................... 1


Non-Profit Organizations ................................................................................. 1


Size and Scope of the Non-Profit Sector in the U.S. Economy .............. 2
Scope of Organizations’ Missions in the Non-Profit Sector................... 5

Non-Profit Fundraising......................................................................... 7
The Internet ..................................................................................................... 11


A Brief History of the Internet .............................................................. 12
The Internet as it Exists Today.............................................................. 13
Computer and Internet Usage in the United States ................................ 16
Non-Profit Organizations and the Internet ........................................................ 18
Non-Profit Web Sites............................................................................ 18
Online Giving....................................................................................... 20
Online Donations: Result of Fundraising or Simply a Convenient
Way to Donate? ........................................................................ 22
Integrating the Internet in Non-Profit Marketing Strategy ..................... 25
Telling the Story of Marginalized Voices.............................................. 29
Purpose ............................................................................................................ 34

CHAPTER TWO:
LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................................................................ 36

Early Theories as They Relate to the Internet ................................................... 36
Web Site Research in the For-Profit Sector ...................................................... 38
The Web: An Essential Tool in Communicating to Key Stakeholders............... 40
The Role of Interactivity in Engaging Internet Audiences ................................ 44
Building Credibility ......................................................................................... 47
Is the Internet Living Up to Its Potential? ......................................................... 49
Limitations of Previous Research ..................................................................... 51


CHAPTER THREE:
METHODOLOGY ...................................................................................................... 52
Research Questions, Hypotheses and Rationale ................................................ 52
Content Analysis.............................................................................................. 55
Method ............................................................................................................ 56
Selection of Sample.............................................................................. 56
Unit of Analysis ................................................................................... 58
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Operational Definitions of the Units of Measure ................................... 59
Coding Procedures ........................................................................................... 60
Pilot Study and Intercoder Reliability ................................................... 60

Coding Procedure and Instrument......................................................... 62

CHAPTER FOUR:
RESULTS ................................................................................................................... 63
Data Analysis Procedures................................................................................. 63
Research Questions and Hypothesis Analysis................................................... 63
Overview of the Web Sites ................................................................... 63
Prominence of Good Works Stories on Non-Profit Web Sites............... 67
Multimedia Enhancement of Good Works Stories ................................ 67
Focus of Good Works Stories ............................................................... 68
Synergy of Calls to Action with Good Works Stories ........................... 70

CHAPTER FIVE:
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS ........................................................................ 72
Findings ........................................................................................................... 73
The First Research Question and Hypothesis ........................................ 73
The Second Research Question............................................................. 75
The Third Research Question ............................................................... 76
The Fourth Research Question.............................................................. 78
Limitations of the Research.............................................................................. 79
Suggestions for Further Research ..................................................................... 81
Conclusions ..................................................................................................... 84

APPENDICES............................................................................................................. 86
Appendix A: List of Web Site Addresses for the Study’s Sample ..................... 87
Appendix B: Coding Sheets ............................................................................. 89

BIBLIOGRAPHY ....................................................................................................... 92









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LIST OF TABLES


Table 1. Frequency and Prominence of Personal Stories on Non-Profit
Health Organizations’ Web Sites ....................................................... 64

Table 2. Frequency Distribution of Personal Stories in Web Site Sample .................... 65

Table 3. Location of Most Prominent Personal Story in Web Site Sample................... 66

Table 4. Prominence of Personal Story on Its Web Page ............................................. 66

Table 5. Visual Elements that Accompanied the Personal Stories................................ 68

Table 6. Focus of the Personal Stories......................................................................... 69

Table 7. Perspective Utilized to Tell the Personal Stories............................................ 69

Table 8. Calls to Action Synergized with Personal Stories .......................................... 70

Table 9. Opportunity for the Reader to Share His/Her Own Personal Story................. 71

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS


I wish to thank my thesis committee chair, Dr. Sara Stone, for her guidance and
encouragement throughout this thesis project. I am grateful to Dr. Stone and my thesis
committee members, Drs. Clark Baker, Mia Moody and David Schlueter, for their
suggestions and support that helped strengthen this body of work. In addition, I wish to
express gratitude to Baylor’s entire journalism faculty, past and present, most of whom
have contributed to shaping my educational experience in profound ways. Your teaching
and mentorship ignited in me a love for journalism that has launched a rewarding career.
In particular, I wish to thank Michelle Grose and Jennifer Hannah for their hard
work and assistance in coding the Web sites. Dr. Jack Tubbs of the Center for Statistical
Consulting was of great help for the statistics portion of this thesis.
Finally, I wish to thank my husband for his patience and encouragement
throughout the process.


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CHAPTER ONE

Introduction


Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world.
Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.

—Margaret Mead



Anthropologist Margaret Mead’s 20th-century observation of the potential for
citizens to drive social change now takes new meaning in the 21st century, where the way
the world communicates is evolving more rapidly than ever before. The non-profit sector
of society is experiencing unprecedented growth—1.4 million charitable organizations
exist in the U.S.1—and society is improved in vast ways by the untold number of good
works performed by non-profits. Non-profit organizations provide homeless teenagers
shelter, supply impoverished nations with food and clean water, build inner-city
recreation centers, and protect endangered species. The list goes on, but all non-profits’
missions have one thing in common—a fundamental goal to improve society through acts
of charity.

Non-Profit Organizations

The United States is known for its charitable giving and willingness to support
worthwhile causes. The U.S. government often leads the world in lending support to less
fortunate nations in times of crisis, natural disasters and war. And on an individual level,

1Independent Sector, “Facts and Figures about Charitable Organizations,” 1,
http://www.independentsector.org/programs/research/Charitable_Fact_Sheet.pdf (accessed September 8,
2007).


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American people also are committed to supporting others in need. Whether donating
canned goods for a church food drive in one’s local community or making a donation to
help fund children’s education in war-torn Sudan, Americans are philanthropically
generous.

Size and Scope of the Non-Profit Sector in the U.S. Economy

Not surprisingly, countless non-profit organizations devoted to every cause
imaginable have been established to facilitate Americans’ philanthropic giving and
support. Recent statistics indicate there are 1.4 million charitable and religious
organizations in the United States that qualify as non-profit 501(c)(3) organizations.2
Organizations that qualify for 501(c)(3) status must benefit the broad public interest, such
as homeless shelters, hospitals, religious congregations, museums and public access
radio/television stations. In recognition of this service for the public good, the
government designates that these organizations are exempt from federal income tax and it
deems donations to non-profit organizations as tax deductible.3 In addition to the 1.4
million 501(c)(3) organizations, there are also nearly 140,000 501(c)(4) social welfare
organizations, such as the National Rifle Association and the Sierra Club. Since
501(c)(4) organizations have more latitude in influencing politics through lobbying,
advocacy and supporting political campaigns, the contributions to such organizations are
not tax deductible.4

2Independent Sector, “Facts and Figures,” 1.

3Ibid.

4Ibid., 2.


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The non-profit community grew exponentially in the last three decades as various
entities established more organizations to meet the needs of the segments of society that
require support. According to Independent Sector, a nonpartisan coalition of
approximately 600 non-profit organizations, the number of non-profits in the U.S. has
doubled in the last 25 years, and “from 1987 to 2006, the number of charitable
organizations registering with the IRS has grown at double the rate of the business
sector.”5
As such, non-profit organizations have a significant impact on employment and
the U.S. economy. In 2004, 501(c)(3) organizations employed 9.4 million individuals,
accounting for approximately 7.2 percent of the U.S. economy.6 Many non-profit
organizations utilize volunteers who donate their time to help further the organization’s
mission, whether by sorting clothes that have been donated for needy children or
delivering hot meals to elderly citizens through Meals on Wheels. When taking into
account volunteer service, the total workforce of non-profit organizations climbs to the
equivalent of 14.1 million full-time employees.7 Put in perspective, the workforce of the
charitable non-profit sector represents 10.5 percent of the nation’s total workforce, which
outnumbers the combined employment of the utility, wholesale trade and construction
industries all taken together.8 Not only does the non-profit sector employ a significant

5Ibid.

6Lester M. Salaman and S. Wojciech Sokolowski, Employment in America’s Charities: A Profile
(Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Center for Civil Society Studies, December 2006), http://www.jhu.edu/~ccss/
research/pdf/Employment%20in%20Americas%20Charities.pdf (accessed September 9, 2007), 3.

7Independent Sector, 3.

8Salaman and Sokolowski, 3.


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Document Outline

• Abstract.pdf
• Massar_4lineElecSigPg.pdf
• Copyright.pdf
• TableOfContents.pdf
• ListTables.pdf
• Acknowledgments.pdf
• Chapters.pdf
• Appendices.pdf
• AppendixB_CodingSheet_final.pdf
• Bibliography.pdf

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