Disaster fundraising via social media: A case study of non-resident Nepalese community in Australia

This study explores the role of social media for fundraising by people in a foreign country, in the aftermath of the Nepal earthquake in 2015. The Nepalese community in Victoria (and other parts of Australia) geared up almost instantly through Facebook to disseminate critical information and coordinate relief fundraising. Within two days of the earthquake, nearly 7000 people joined the Facebook page ‘Victorians Stand Together for Nepal’. Content analysis of the Facebook page reveals that social media can be successfully used to drive fundraising in a disaster situation, particularly in geographically distributed populations. The page inspired thousands of people in Australia to donate over half a million dollars. Regular emotional pictorial posts on the page encouraged donations and a social network effect was evident. It was found that the Facebook page’s focus on transparency, engagement, acknowledgement, encouragement and motivation were vital elements to the steady fundraising efforts.