Some dimensions of the social perception of domestic civil organizations

Abstract

THE AIMS OF THE PAPER

By the end of the twentieth century, authors on the subject (among others) had also identified products and services and corporate social responsibility as important factors in corporate reputation. But the question arises: how do the factors influencing reputation evolve for organizations where social responsibility is the service itself? This question is of particular interest in the case of domestic NGOs, whose development after the change of regime has been significantly influenced by the state and Western NGOs, creating a special situation in the sector. Nowadays, visibility and reputation are often a guarantee for the survival of an NGO. Therefore, this study aims to explore the development of visibility, an important dimension of the reputation of domestic NGOs, in the case of individual NGOs. On the other hand, to examine the extent to which the perceptions of organizations and stakeholders on the determinants of reputation are consistent.

METHODOLOGY

In this research study, we use the results of eight organizational interviews and a random, non-representative survey of one hundred people to answer these questions. The organizational interviews helped to prepare and refine the questionnaire. The questionnaire survey investigated the visibility and reputation of fourteen domestic NGOs along several dimensions that deal with less popular social issues.

MOST IMPORTANT RESULTS

The first part of the research described in this study investigates two hypotheses: (H1) the most important factors for the reputation of social organizations are credibility, quality service, and employer brand. Although this hypothesis was only partially confirmed, the findings can provide a number of lessons for NGOs. In terms of visibility, our hypothesis is that (H2) more people think they know the NGOs surveyed than actually know them. The research found no significant difference between perceived and actual awareness.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Among the reputation factors, organizations attach less importance to transparency, motivation of contributors, visibility, and communication than stakeholders. This could be an important lesson for NGOs to learn for their development, as stakeholders are their potential volunteers and supporters, so it may be worth considering their views.