The Adoption of Social Media in Nonprofit Organizations : The Case Study of the United Nations Country Team in Thailand

Abstract: The study examines the role of social media in non-profit organizations using the case study from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Thailand Country office. As Social media become a significant channel to raise the visibility and promote the work of the organization. The focus of this research examines what drives organizations adopting social media through a model built round four key factors, 1.) The importance of social media, 2.) The impact to image of the organization, 3.) Communication strategies and, 4.) Characteristics of content on social media channels. The research aims to analyze mediums that affect the behavioral transformation of the four factors by integrated with the existing theoretical perspectives. The research was conducted in the UNDP country office social media channels mainly on Facebook from December 2013 to February 2014, using content analysis and interviewing as main methods. With the adoption of social media, the main conclusion of the study: gradually impact of social media in the enhancement of NGOs images, the changes in the construction of the content, the popularity of the themes in social media influenced by the domestic environments in the country and yet a substantial potential of social media in organizational advocacy.