Not a numbers game : How non-profit organisations measure the impact of social media

Abstract

The thesis explores social media use of Finnish non-profit organisations using the examples of the Finnish Red Cross and the World Wildlife Foundation Finland. Although the field is widely discussed, no previous studies have looked at the measuring of social media communication in the field of Finnish non-profits. In order to assess the impact of their online communication, specifically on social media platforms, organisations have begun to implement various tools for data accumulation and analysis. Through four semi-structured interviews, the study seeks to establish the current state of strategic social media communication and examine how and to what extent organisations have adopted social media metrics.

The thesis concludes that while Finnish non-profits are in the process of developing more sophisticated data analytics and methods to measure social media communication, they struggle to measure impact beyond quantitative metrics. Meanwhile, the platforms themselves are ever-changing and offer a wider set of tools accompanied by third-party analytics that are becoming cheaper to implement. The need for recommendations and guidelines became evident in the interviews, however a relevant framework for impact analysis has not yet been established. Highlighting the specific case of two organisations, this thesis should serve as a starting point for future research into the topic, laying the groundwork for replicating and comparing the implementation of measuring impact of social media.