Problems of Information Support of Non-Profit Organizations Working with Volunteers: General Trends and a Case-Analysis

Abstract

The globalization of information processes leads to the development of a large number of channels that are used to provide information for non-profit organizations. Today, there is a clear deficiency of scientific research devoted to the systemic assessment of the effectiveness of information and communication channels in organizing volunteer activities. The purpose of this study is to identify the most common problems of information support for the activities of non-profit organizations working with volunteers. The object of study is the Obereg charity fund. The study, carried out on the basis of the case-study strategy, allowed to make a detailed assessment of the information environment of the non-profit organization, to analyze the problems of using communication channels in the activities of non-profit organizations working with volunteers. With the help of the social network analysis service Socstat, groups of organizations in the social network VKontakte were analyzed, the engagement rate was calculated, and the results of empirical studies based on the content analysis of the websites of 10 organizations in Russia and groups in social networks were presented. The study showed that the most common problems of communication channel functioning of non-profit organizations are irregular and unsystematic use of channels, incompleteness of information provided, the lack of an information manager. The following ways of solving the identified problems were proposed: involvement of relevant specialists; preparation of a comprehensive strategy for working with communication channels; implementation of an omnichannel strategy.