Communicating to Improve Health: Using Theory to Improve Fundraising for Health-Related Events. (December 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Zheng, Yue; McKeever, Brooke Weberling
• Is Part Of: Nonprofit and voluntary sector quarterly. Volume 45:Number 6(2016)
• Page Start: 1276
• Page End: 1296
• Publication Date: 2016-12
• Subjects: situational theory of problem solving -- situational theory of publics -- health consciousness -- fundraising -- nonprofit; Nonprofit organizations -- Periodicals; Voluntarism -- Periodicals; Charity organization -- Periodicals; 361.763
• DOI: 10.1177/0899764016649694
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0899-7640

Abstract

Using a nationwide survey of 1, 539 respondents, this study uses variables from the situational theory of problem solving to examine communication related to three of the largest U.S.-based fundraising events benefiting three nonprofit health organizations. The findings extend the situational theory of problem solving by adding health consciousness as an antecedent and provide empirical support for its increased predictive power in explaining communicative action, which may lead to future participation in fundraising events. In addition, by investigating how health-related communicative action varies across demographics and by media use, this study contributes a range of practical implications in terms of how nonprofit and health communication practitioners might better segment publics and utilize different media channels to disseminate health-related information more effectively.