Title

Microdonation Strategies for University Environments

Author

Saul Torres

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Fine Arts (MFA)

Department

Art

Date of Award

Summer 2012

Abstract

While many U.S. businesses focus on innovation to survive the current economy, nonprofit organizations with limited budgets and resources find it difficult to introduce new, unproven fundraising strategies. As a result, opportunities for innovation are often overlooked and the future of these organizations becomes uncertain. This thesis proves that the power of social networks and large numbers within a university environment can be combined with microdonations of and1 to and5 to create a significant new fundraising strategy. While there has been much interest in microdonations recently, there is very little research that examines this specific environment. Initially, a non-probability survey of 71 current students at Texas A&M University-Commerce and Texas Christian University was used to gather perceptions about microdonations, local food banks, and the idea behind this thesis project as well as information about social media habits. Second, five new concepts for promoting food-bank microdonations, based on existing research on donor motivations, were developed as video presentations. To test the effectiveness of these concepts, a second group of students from the same schools viewed the videos and answered survey questions. The results of this study prove that more than 50 percent of the survey participants agree with the idea behind the thesis, find all five concepts appealing enough to make a microdonation, and would share these opportunities to donate with their friends. This thesis proves that this microdonation fundraising strategy deserves further examination through more detailed research and should at least be included in conversations about future fundraising strategies for nonprofit organizations.

Advisor

Charles D. Little

Subject Categories

Arts and Humanities

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