Enhancing non-profit engagement: the extended model of webpage engagement and adoption for strategic management

Recent studies indicate both organizational websites (Web 1.0) and social media (Web 2.0) play vital roles in NPO communication. Websites complement social channels by offering in-depth information and serving as the initial point of dialog with stakeholders such as donors and supporters. Websites are key for stewardship (reciprocity, responsibility, reporting) and for driving actions like event promotion and donations, yet many NPOs underutilize them strategically within a SOCA framework. Effective websites should be visually appealing, mobile-responsive, and easy to navigate, with clear calls to action (e.g., newsletter sign-up) to capture leads and foster engagement. Two hypotheses guide this research: H1: The number of ways in which NPOs help will positively influence achievement of engagement. H2: NPOs’ engagement with the public will positively influence NPOs’ results. The novelty lies in testing whether effective application of the proposed EMEA model can explain and predict success for NPOs via their websites.

Role of webpages in SOCA: Corporate websites are critical channels for organization–stakeholder communication, but guidance for NPO website construction is limited. Within SOCA, websites are one instrument in a longer-term, multi-channel strategic communication mix aimed at engagement, aligned with organizational goals and targeted to stakeholders. Mere web presence does not guarantee strategic function; relationship nurturing is possible on websites and not only on social media, yet research on improving websites for engagement is limited. Understanding engagement in SOCA: Engagement goes beyond the dialogic loop; it is a multi-dimensional affective, cognitive, and behavioral state. Three dimensions include behavioral/dialogic (visiting to be informed), cognitive (interest leading to interactions like downloads/requests), and emotional (feelings culminating in action such as donating or volunteering). Engagement proceeds sequentially through levels: information, interactivity, and action/commitment. Webpages driving engagement for NPOs: Strategic communication should focus on key stakeholder groups; websites and social media are complementary channels. Providing content on NPO goals and multiple ‘ways to help’ can elicit emotional responses and increase engagement; specific goals can motivate donors. Hence, H1 posits that the number of ways NPOs help positively influences engagement. Since webpages should align with business goals (notably funding), greater engagement should positively influence results (H2). Models of website efficiency and maturity: Sequential models like EMICA evaluate website efficiency across stages (promotion, information/services, transaction processing) with increasing complexity. Alternative maturity models assess Information, Interactivity, Online processing, and Functionality. These levels parallel engagement levels. However, EMICA has drawbacks (websites can appear on two levels simultaneously), motivating a new model aligned to engagement. Extended Model of Webpages Engagement and Adoption (EMEA): Proposed as a parallel to EMICA, EMEA operationalizes engagement in three sequential stages—Stage 1 Information, Stage 2 Interaction, Stage 3 Action/Commitment—each with layers indicating maturity and potential engagement. Stage 1 (Information) includes basic one-way communication (e.g., mission/vision, contact details, programs) and richer information (e.g., goals, news, annual reports, governance, donors/partners). Stage 2 (Interactivity) represents two-way/multi-interaction features across low, medium, and high interactivity layers (e.g., multimedia, search, downloads, FAQs; social media access/sharing, blogs/podcasts; chat, member areas, comments). Stage 3 (Action/Commitment) encompasses transactional and commitment features (secure online donations of goods/money, volunteer registration, online store). EMEA provides a sequential, layered evaluation aligning website characteristics with escalating engagement.

Objective: Validate a model (EMEA) to measure efficiency and maturity of NPO websites in building stakeholder engagement within SOCA, and test relationships between ways to help, engagement, and results. Sample: Top 50 charities by income from the Charity Commission for England and Wales (CCEW, 2020). Non-probabilistic sample suitable for exploratory/descriptive analysis. CCEW provided organization-level data including last recorded income, last recorded expenditure, target groups, ways to help, and projects. Variables: - Dependent variable 1: Engagement—assessed via EMEA stages and layers derived from website content analysis. - Dependent variable 2: Results—measured by last recorded income and last recorded expenditure (from CCEW). - Independent variables: Number of groups targeted (derived count from CCEW listings), Number of ways to help (derived count), Number of things done (projects; derived count). Design and stages: Part 1 (Qualitative): Develop EMEA and apply a structured data sheet to evaluate each website’s features across stages/layers to determine achievable engagement levels. Part 2 (Quantitative): - Stage 2: Conduct ANOVA and Kruskal–Wallis tests to identify significant differences between EMEA stages with respect to quantitative variables (Results, Number of groups targeted, Number of ways to help, Number of things done). - Stage 3: Estimate a structural equation model using PLS (SmartPLS 3.3.5). Justification: aim to identify relationships; minimal distributional assumptions; suitability for small samples; ability to handle composites in Mode A (reflective) and Mode B (formative). The proposed model tests paths from Number of ways to help to EMEA (engagement) and from EMEA to Results (income and expenditure). Bootstrapping used for model fit and inference; discriminant validity assessed via HTMT; multicollinearity checked for formative constructs.

EMEA application (Stage 1 results): Among 50 top-income NPOs, none reached the maximum Interactivity stage (Stage 2 layer 3) or the Action stage (Stage 3). Most (23/50) were at medium interactivity; 7/50 at low interactivity. For Information level, 8/50 achieved the highest stage; 4/50 did not attain low information; 8/50 did not attain any stage. Differences across EMEA stages (Stage 2 tests): Significant differences were found between EMEA stages for last recorded income (Kruskal–Wallis H=8.582, p=0.035) and for number of ways to help (ANOVA F=2.818, p=0.049). Pairwise comparisons indicate significant differences between Information and Interactivity stages. No significant differences for last recorded expenditure (p=0.154), number of things done (F=0.556, p=0.646), or number of publics helped (H=6.744, p=0.081). PLS model (Stage 3): Model fit acceptable (e.g., SRMR=0.076; bootstrap-based exact fit acceptable). High interactivity indicator exhibited very low loading and was removed. Reliability and convergent validity of constructs were adequate; HTMT showed discriminant validity. Hypothesis tests (path coefficients): - H1: Number of ways to help → EMEA (engagement): β=0.370, t=2.914, p=0.002 (supported). - H2: EMEA (engagement) → Results: β=0.224, t=2.047, p=0.022 (supported). Explained variance and effect sizes: R² EMEA=0.137 (adj 0.117; weak), R² Results=0.050 (adj 0.029; negligible). Effect sizes: Number of ways to help → EMEA f²=0.158 (moderate); Number of ways to help → Results f²=0.053 (weak). Predictive relevance: Q² for EMEA=0.085 (medium), Results=0.036 (small). PLSpredict indicated high out-of-sample predictive power for Results (income and expenditure) and low predictive power for EMEA.

Findings support that websites, when strategically managed under SOCA and designed to present multiple, clear ways to help, can progress users through sequential engagement stages. More ways to help are associated with higher achievable engagement levels (supporting H1). In turn, higher engagement levels on websites are positively associated with better economic results (supporting H2), reinforcing the importance of the website as a core channel for initiating dialog and guiding stakeholders toward commitment actions such as donations and volunteering. The lack of discriminatory power for the highest interactivity layer suggests that some advanced interactive functions are handled predominantly via social networking sites, highlighting the complementary roles of websites and SNS in an integrated strategy. Despite relatively low R², the model demonstrates acceptable fit and predictive relevance for financial results, suggesting practical utility for planning and benchmarking website maturity and engagement potential using EMEA.

The study introduces and validates EMEA, a sequential, layered model (Information, Interaction, Action) to assess the efficiency and maturity of NPO websites in building engagement within SOCA. Empirical analysis of 50 top-income NPOs shows that presenting a greater number of ways to help is linked to higher engagement levels, and higher engagement is linked to improved results. EMEA offers practitioners a structured tool to design and audit websites for progressive stakeholder engagement, emphasizing that success requires planning, alignment with goals, and multi-channel integration. Action features currently contribute least, and many organizations have yet to implement advanced interactive or transactional capabilities on their websites. Future research should further examine the role of SNS for high interactivity and explore how multi-channel orchestration enhances conversion from engagement to action and longer-term outcomes.

The analysis focuses solely on webpages and does not measure high interactivity occurring on social networking sites, necessitating further research. While EMEA can explain and predict potential engagement levels, it does not guarantee that engagement actually occurs. Proper application of EMEA alone does not ensure strategic communication under SOCA; effectiveness depends on inclusion within a broader, online multichannel strategy managed by the NPO’s communications function.