A Conceptual Understanding of Organizational Identity in the Social Media Environment

Nonprofit organizations have increasingly adopted the use of social media over the last several years. This presents a myriad of challenges and opportunities in regards to organizational identity. This paper provides a conceptual understanding of identity as an entry point for nonprofit organizations to deliberate their own use of social media and the relative impact on organizational identity. A theoretical understanding of the formation of social identity situates the development of organizational identity and contextualizes the process in a manner suitable for conversation and strategic decision-making at the administrative level. A conceptual model is presented to illustrate the development and maintenance of organizational identity in the social media environment.