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How Nonprofits Communicate Opportunities and Digital Divide amid Virtual Volunteering
Han, Molly
Han, Molly
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Abstract
Virtual volunteering is identified as a flexible and accessible form of civic engagement, capable of expanding participation across age, geography, and ability (Tommasi et al., 2025). Yet such assumptions may obscure how the framing of participation itself shapes who feels invited or excluded from these opportunities (Cox et al., 2018; Silva et al., 2018). This two-part study investigates the communicative dimensions of the digital divide in online volunteering, with a particular focus on older adults (Mukherjee, 2011). Study 1 examines how nonprofit organizations and volunteer recruitment platforms communicate about virtual volunteering opportunities. Drawing on framing theory (Entman, 1993) and communication accommodation theory (Giles, 2016), the study analyzes 229 virtual volunteering messages, including online recruitment messages from 17 platforms (e.g., VolunteerMatch, AARP). Using thematic analysis method, this study explores how communication features such as identity signaling, role descriptions, and participation expectations construct the “ideal volunteer” and shape perceptions of fit and access through (non)accommodative language. Preliminary findings suggest that while many platforms highlight flexibility, only a few directly address digital literacy, onboarding support, impact, and the inclusion of older adults. Study 2 will build on these findings to explore how older adults interpret and respond to such framings and language. Using focus groups and semi-structured interviews, I will examine how older adults perceive virtual volunteering messages and how these perceptions influence their sense of accessibility and motivations. Together, the current research reframes the digital divide as a communicative phenomenon, with implications for nonprofit message framing and older adults’ volunteering engagement.
Description
This is the paper from a presentation given at the 111th Annual Convention of National Communication Association held in Denver, CO on 11/22/2025.
Date
2025-11-22
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University of Kansas
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HanM_2025.pdf
Adobe PDF, 164.57 KB
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Keywords
Virtual volunteering, Nonprofit organization, Digital inclusion