Attracting Volunteers Through Social Media Marketing in Environmental Organizations

Nowadays, environmental organizations have strategically leveraged social media platforms to raise environmental awareness, promote pro-environmental behavior, manage environmental campaigns, and encourage environmental volunteerism. This study aims to investigate the impact of social media marketing activities conducted by environmental organizations on followers’ pro-environmental behaviors and their intentions to engage in environmental volunteering. The research sample consists of social media users who follow the ten most prominent environmental organizations in Turkey–organizations known for their commitment to protecting nature and the environment–on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn. A quantitative research method was employed, and data were collected from 512 respondents through an online survey. The data were analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The findings reveal that social media marketing activities, taken as a whole, have a significant and positive effect on both followers’ pro-environmental behaviors and their environmental volunteering intentions. Among the five components, timeliness, awareness, and customization were found to have the strongest influence on volunteering intentions, while timeliness and interaction significantly affected pro-environmental behavior. Additionally, the analysis confirmed that pro-environmental behavior mediates the relationship between social media marketing activities and environmental volunteering intentions. This study contributes to the growing body of literature on environmental communication by demonstrating how specific social media marketing strategies can enhance both environmental engagement and behavioral outcomes among followers. The findings offer practical insights for environmental organizations aiming to strengthen their impact through targeted and effective social media practices.