They said what? How to communicate effectively with advocates

1 online resource (107 pages) : PDF

2015

University of North Carolina at Charlotte

With effective communication, nonprofit organizations engaged in policy and advocacy work can have a positive impact on the constituents served by the organization, on the advocates working with the organization, and on social issues in general. Effective communication is necessary not only to achieve social change but also to motivate supporters to act to effect change. Much like direct-service programs, advocacy efforts can be evaluated to demonstrate effectiveness and achievement of identified outcomes. While advocacy evaluations face a number of challenges (e.g., lack of a practical guide, difficulty identifying outcomes, and methodological issues), innovative tools and methods can be used to overcome these challenges. This study sought to examine empirically the effect that different types of advocacy communication, created by a nonprofit organization, had on (a) advocates' advocacy-related behaviors, and (b) college students' advocacy-related perceptions and intentions. The study found mixed support for three message frame theories: goal-valence, social norm, and goal setting/behavioral tracking. The largest effect was found for the goal-valence frame for advocates and the goal setting/behavioral tracking frame for college students. Implications of these findings are discussed, as are future directions. For example, additional research is needed to verify the effect of the message frame theories and to examine alternative advocacy behaviors and modes of communication.

doctoral dissertations

Communication
Political science
Psychology

Ph.D.

Advocacy
Nonprofit
Policy

Psychology

Kilmer, Ryan

Cook, James
Quinlan Carbone, Margaret
Carman, Joanne

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of North Carolina at Charlotte, 2015.

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Strompolis_uncc_0694D_10771

http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.13093/etd:1395