Nonprofits and social media : can online actions translate into social good?

textWith the large growth in use of social media by teenagers, young adults and adults alike, there has also been a boom in the number of charitable nonprofit organizations that are adopting the medium to reach out to existing and potential supporters. But has social media been an effective tool in spreading out the word about a cause while retaining and recruiting donors and volunteers? This multimedia report aims at analyzing how three Austin-area nonprofits are using Facebook and Twitter to connect to constituents, as well as how online and offline constituents are responding to this relatively new approach. In order to do that, a series of interviews were conducted with nonprofit professionals, supporters, and industry and academia experts. In addition to that, constituents were surveyed about their engagement with the organizations both online and offline. To view this project in its entirety, including the video interviews, please visit http://evamenezes.com/mastersreport/.Journalis