Linking Public Relations Tactics to Long-Term Success: An Investigation of How Communications Contribute to Trust, Satisfaction, and Commitment in a Nonprofit Organization

Abstract

This study measured the impact of communications on building trust, commitment, and satisfaction among donors of a large nonprofit organization located in Fort Worth, Texas. Donors (n = 275) responded to a mail survey that included a modified version of the Hon and Grunig (1999) organization-public relationship scale and stewardship communication tactics. Regression analyses indicate that roughly 50% of the variance in trust, satisfaction, and commitment is attributable to a combination of communication tactics; most importantly, clearly communicating to donors how their donations help those in need. Implications for nonprofit organizations and public relations relationship theory are offered.

KEYWORDS:

• commitment
• donors
• nonprofit
• organizational-public relationship
• public relations
• relationship theory
• satisfaction
• stewardship
• trust

Notes

***p ≤ .000

** p ≤ .01

*p ≤ .05