An Exploration of The Use of Social Media (Websites/ Twitter) As A Public Relations Communication Technique by Saudi Charities for Relationship Building

Abstract

This exploratory thesis is one of the first to investigate how charitable organisations in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) create dialogue, develop trust, and build relationships using websites and Twitter, aiming to identify strategic communication plans for enhancing fundraising through donor relationship-building via digital means. The theoretical framework comprises Social Exchange Theory, Kent and Taylor’s (1998) principles of dialogic communication, and the two-way symmetrical model of public relations (PR) to examine the use of websites and Twitter as PR tools. Data was collected through qualitative content analysis of the websites of 95 charities, 289 tweets from the Twitter accounts of seven charities, and face-to-face semi-structured interviews with 11 PR practitioners from five charities. The findings revealed that Saudi charities tended to use their websites as a source of information but underutilised the ability to facilitate dialogic communication with stakeholders. Usefulness of Information was the main dialogical principle of communication emerging from the website and Twitter analysis. However, the information disclosed on websites was insufficient, with 38 providing annual reports, 49 with media centres and 76 publishing financial reports. The findings showed that Saudi charitable organisations were not fully exploiting interaction and two-way communication on their websites or Twitter. A charity’s transparency and credibility influence potential donors to make contributions, and the interview results indicated that confidence can be built by delivering and promoting successes and providing visual images and financial reports, as these increase donations. This study offers insight into how Saudi charities use websites and Twitter to communicate and build trust with the key public, extending upon existing knowledge of how websites and social media can be used for PR purposes by charitable organisations. It concludes with implications of how Saudi charities can use websites and Twitter to build and maintain mutually beneficial relationships with stakeholders.