Nonprofit Communication and Fundraising in China: Exploring the Theory of Situational Support in an International Context

Yue Zheng, Brooke W. McKeever, Linjia Xu

Abstract


Using a survey of 586 college students from Beijing, China, this study tested the theory of situational support by exploring Chinese students’ motivations to participate in nonprofit fundraising events. This study also compared theory variables between Chinese and U.S. college students by looking at similar data from a survey previously conducted with 514 U.S. students. There were differences between the two groups regarding constraint recognition, subjective norms, attitudes toward fundraising, and other variables, perhaps because of Confucianism, collectivism, and other differences between China and the United States. The findings generate a range of theoretical and practical implications including how nonprofit practitioners in China might develop better communication and messaging strategies to segment publics, motivate potential donors, and advance future fundraising efforts.


Keywords


fundraising, nonprofit, situational theory of publics, theory of reasoned action, theory of situational support, China

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