Online marketing : implications for nonprofit NGOs in the education sector of Lebanon : case study : Paradis d'enfants elementary school

Abstract

Purpose - This thesis attempts to explore the effect of online marketing for nonprofit nongovernmental organizations in Lebanon in the education sector. It also serves to investigate whether online marketing is an effective means of communication with target audiences to increase positive perception, awareness, volunteerism and donations. Design/methodology/approach - The researcher undertook a case study on Paradis d'Enfants, a nonprofit nongovernmental association of primary schools. The researcher conducted an interview, online and offline questionnaires, and reviewed online analytics to collect data, evaluate the performance of the association's online activities, and understand the public's perception, as well as that of the association. Findings - The research findings demonstrate that online marketing has a strong association with the public's perception of an NGO. It affects the relationship between nonprofit associations and donors and volunteers. The study also found inconclusive results regarding the association between online marketing and frequency of donating or volunteering. Research limitations/implications - Due to time-constraint, instrumentation, relatively low response rate and lack of clear population, the research sample was not sufficient to generalize results. Findings, however, did provide interesting results to support further research into the implications of online marketing for nonprofit organizations (NPOs) in Lebanon. Practical implications - With internet shaping communications today and connecting people in real time around the world, it is important to research the effectiveness of this marketing tool and its function in NPOs. Researchers can duplicate the study by expanding the sample size or targeting other NPOs in the country to check the generalizability of results to other NPOs from different sectors. Originality/value - With online marketing being a fairly new topic, there is little precedence in research regarding whether online marketing is effective for nonprofit nongovernmental educational institutions in Lebanon. The study shed light on the significance of online marketing in relationship building for NPOs in Lebanon and was among the pioneering studies in the country.