THE ROLES OF SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCERS ON ONLINE FUNDRAISING IN INDONESIA

. ABSTRACT


INTRODUCTION
Social media influencers, who are also known as online celebrities, are famous because they are always active on social media (Gunawan, 2021).As social media influencers, they need to act as role models to their followers because young people today look to influencers for guidance in their decision making.Through social media influencers, non-profit organizations can potentially gain access to their target audiences that they would otherwise find hard to reach.With proper use, social media influencers can be a powerful asset for non-profit organizations.This is because social media influencers are highly influential in persuading users to support or communicate with the activities they promote (De Veirman, Cauberghe & Hudders, 017).Supportive influencers can offer an additional dimension that can reach a target audience and contribute to a fundraising campaign, particularly if it is aimed at young people, who are the ones most likely to follow and trust social media personalities.Of course, these types of online charitable donations are becoming more popular nowadays.
Fundraising is one of the activities based on one's awareness of helping others (Gunawan, 2021) and during the COVID-19 pandemic, fundraising activities became even more challenging.With the power of social media, non-profit organizations have used certain strategies to achieve their fundraising objectives.In response to this, social media influencers around the world have started taking actions to raise funds and help support COVID-19 efforts.Some organizations or individuals, such as celebrities and influencers, feel the need to lend a hand in overcoming this situation through COVID-19 prevention campaigns and collecting donations through social media.One of the social media influencers in Indonesia who did fundraising campaigns is Rachel Vennya.
Through Instagram, she successfully collected 7 billion rupiah on the Kitabisa.complatform in just 76 days, using the headline "Tolong Menolong Lawan COVID-19" ("Please Help Against COVID-19") (Utami, 2020).Her goal was to help people who lost their jobs, assist informal workers and raise funds for medical equipment and medicines.
As the participation of celebrities in charity campaigns still garner attention and awareness of the causes, this could have an indirect impact on the supporters, and thus on donations (Septiningtyas, Darmawan, Ulva & Manaf, 2021).Therefore, the social media should come from trusted sources if it is to have an impact on its followers.This is because reputation plays a very important role in conveying a message to the recipient.However, few studies use social media influencers and their attributes as an object.Thus, the researchers are interested in using Rachel Vennya, who is an online celebrity, to engage with potential donors through her social media outlet and get them to make donations.
Thus, the aims of this study are to understand the roles of social media influencers in contributing to fundraising activities, to identify the influencer's attributes that affect the willingness of his/her followers to donate money and to discuss the motivation for the followers' intentions to donate.
In the following section, the literature on social media influencers and online fundraising is reviewed and summarized.Then, there is a discussion on the source credibility theory and the research's framework.A description of the research's methodology and analysis follows.The findings will then be reported.Finally, this paper concludes by discussing the research's findings, limitations and implications, as well as future research.

Social media influencer
A social influencer is someone who has followers on social media and is able to convey messages that can influence people (De Veirman, Cauberghe, & Hudders, 2017).This demonstrates how social media influencers can relate to their own image.Also known as celebrity endorsers, ambassadors or spokespersons, they are being used more frequently by charity organizations and non-profit organizations (Li & Yu, 2020).By having certain capabilities nowadays, they are looked-up to and supported by their followers.
However, having a large audience is not enough to ensure that a message will be successfully conveyed (De Veirman, Cauberghe, & Hudders, 2017;Mat Saad & Mustaffa, 2018).As such, social media influencers should be able to foster communication and interaction in their networks with specific audiences and respond to audience inquiries.In fact, the followers will tend to share and spread the influencers' content to other parties, to become involved in the activities.Peterson, Tripoli, Langenbach and Devasagayam (2018) said that good content from social media influencers can attract others to deliver and receive the message well.For example, celebrity experts who are experienced may be reliable, have a quality reach and relationships, but may not be the right representative to support a particular campaign and what needs to be conveyed by the influencer to his/her social media followers.
Influencers should be known as wise and accomplished people (Peterson et al., 2018).Furthermore, the content and current issues expressed by the influencer should be seen by the audience as much as possible.This is where having a group of social media followers, or fans, is the key to getting the message conveyed, so that they become loyal followers of the influencer and social media.
Of course, influencers want to use their platform wisely, and seeking direct donations is an easy way to do this.They can dominate the target audience's intention to donate easily (Li, Wu, Hsieh &Liou, 2020).Influencers also have large numbers of active social media followers, as they are empowered to influence the decisions of their followers due to their authority, knowledge, position and connections (Tafesse & Wood, 2021).Besides, they are people who have earned a reputation for their knowledge and expertise in a specific area.They also regularly post campaign messages on their social media platforms and generate a large number of enthusiastic and committed people who pay attention to their opinions.Some social media influencers are seen as successful and effective examples of communicators in inviting people to donate.The influencers are potentially effective because they have some personal factors and content that is commonly preferred by people, proven by their large numbers of followers (Tafesse & Wood, 2021).
Therefore, the researchers aim is to understand the roles of social media influencers in contributing to fundraising activities and to identify the influencers' attributes that affect the willingness of their followers to donate money.

Online fundraising
Fundraising is a voluntary activity that is used as a public campaign for the purpose of collecting monetary gifts for a charity or public organization to use in a good cause (Bhati & McDonnell, 2019).The COVID-19 outbreak has completely changed the fundraising landscape, as there are new practices, such as charitable crowdfunding through social media, which are becoming increasingly important (Li, Wu, Hsieh & Liou, 2020).Online fundraising is simply a method of raising money through the Internet.This means non-profit organizations can raise donations without hosting face-to-face events and going door-to-door to collect money.All that is needed is a computer and Internet connection, and money can be raised without leaving home.
Social media can serve as a valuable campaign platform for charities, so non-profit organizations and individuals have adopted it as a marketing tool to collect donations (Li et al., 2020).There are a number of advantages that make this a more attractive option than face-toface engagements.It plays an important role in online fundraising because its impact is more significant than campaigning to raise funds.For example, a non-profit organization does not need to hold a real-world campaign to raise funds.Social media platforms offer the potential for non-profit organizations to create, support, and implement successful fundraising campaigns.Social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram are among the most visited social media platforms in the US, and worldwide (Auter & Fine, 2018).Furthermore, online fundraising is easier and more practical, economical, more accessible, more appealing and can be targeted.That is the reason why many public personalities have partnered with non-profit organizations to generate attention and money, using digital channels like YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter.Thus, this study analyzes an online fundraising event by one social media influencer in Indonesia, Rachel Vennya.

Source Credibility Theory
The source credibility theory is one of the ideas used by communicators who have favorable attributes that may influence the receiver's acceptance of the message that they deliver (Li & Yu, 2020).This theory explains that people with a strong identity can make people follow what they communicate without any degree of persuasion.When someone has superior intrinsic characteristics, they may be more persuasive in presenting an idea.
According to Ohanian (1990), there are three key traits of source credibility: trustworthiness, attractiveness and expertise.Djafarova and Rushworth (2017) further suggested that the success of celebrity endorsements depends upon two factors: The perceived attractiveness and the perceived credibility of the celebrity among the existing and potential followers.
The source credibility theory plays an important role in getting a message across to an audience.On the other hand, the source can make the message believable which can influence a change of opinion about the message.This is because when the speaker is perceived to have good characteristics, this may make the message more acceptable to the audience.
This theory can be relatable to how Rachel Vennya makes her followers believe she is a credible source regarding online fundraising.According to Li and Yu (2020), source credibility suggests that, in order to create a selfdetermining relationship with a person, an individual will attempt to follow the person's attitudes, beliefs or behavior.Consistent with this theory, studies have suggested that fans who dedicate themselves to a particular celebrity will be influenced by the celebrity; they try to impersonate them by embracing their lifestyle and values (Peterson et al., 2018).They yearn to be like celebrities and posess their qualities, such as having good prospects, being famous and prosperous.

Framework
First of all, the roles of social media influencers are vital aspects of media platforms and demonstrate their influence in the virtual environment (Tafesse & Wood, 2021).Relationships between influencers and followers build social connections, so the role of influencers is to reflect them and have them recognized as a critical sign of their reputation, which can have an impact on potential donators (Tafesse & Wood, 2021).
Second, social media influencers post messages to communicate with audiences and build a social image, thereby fostering social acceptance (Ayuni, 2019;Gunawan, 2021).Messages displayed by the influencers convey information about themselves, allowing the audience to learn about the fundraising activities.Moreover, several messages together may represent a substantial image of the influencers to the audience.Individuals have become accustomed to trusting someone they know and interact with frequently.In addition, given that the audience can benefit from the contributions of the influencers to the platform, it is possible that the intent to make a donation is present (Gunawan, 2021).As such, it is beneficial in shaping the audience's motivation to donate.

Research Method
This study employed a qualitative method which reflected the objectives of this research, which were to understand the role of a social media influencer in contributing to a fundraising activity, to identify the influencer's attributes which affect the willingness of his/her followers to donate and to discuss the motivation of the followers' intention to donate.The semistructured interview technique was suitable for this study as the researchers wanted to seek the opinions and perceptions of the informants who are connected to the social media influencers, especially Rachel Vennya and her online fundraising campaigns during the COVID-19 pandemic crisis.
The interview protocol was based on the literature review and the source credibility theory (refer to Appendix 1).Essentially, the researchers sought to ensure that the interview questions were designed to address the research aims.This process should improve the effectiveness of the interview questions and ensure that the objectives of the study were achieved (Creswell & Creswell, 2017).It is important to ensure that researchers have included the questions needed to measure the concept.

Informants
To achieve the research objectives, a total of 10 informants age between 25 to 35 years old were involved in the interviews.Due to the limitations of the researchers, in terms of time and cost, the researchers only took some representatives of the population.The informants were selected among Rachel Vennya's Instagram followers and participated in her online fundraising campaign on COVID-19.Although the selected informants were based on just 10 followers, a number that may not be fully representative of the online followers, it was still useful to help the researchers to identify potential responses.
Instagram is a platform that is based on visual images, which makes it possible to promote fundraising activities and donations (Djafarova & Rushworth, 2017).Instagram is also an online platform that enables influencers to gather, connect and engage with fans and followers, and it makes social interactions between the followers easier (Tafesse & Wood, 2021).
As reported by Datareportal (2022), Instagram is one of the most popular social media platforms in Indonesia.The report states that 79% of 160 million active social media users use Instagram, with users ranging from 13 to 64 years old.Due to its many users, Instagram in Indonesia has become an effective social media to use for fundraising, as it can be a promotion not only by ordinary people but also by influencers, celebrities, athletes, fashion bloggers and influential people (Danniswara, Sandhyaduhita & Munajat, 2017;Djafarova & Rushworth, 2017).
Instagram also offers influencers the ability to host live events (Tafesse & Wood, 2021).Influencers can specifically use the live events to share fundraising information, so that their followers can actively participate.Followers can easily add donation stickers to Instagram stories to influence others to donate too.With this features, influencers can increase their engagement and visibility, which gives the content a broader reach and further establishes their credibility.Plus, influencers can earn even more followers by hosting interactive Instagram Q&A sessions that will inspire them to make a donation.Considering these unique characteristics of Instagram, this study focused on the influence of Rachel Vennya's Instagram on motivating her followers' intention to participate and donate.

Data collection
Each interview session took between 30 and 45 minutes.Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the interview sessions were conducted virtually through Webex Meeting or Zoom Meeting.The interviews were carried out in Bahasa Malaysia or in English.The video recordings of each session were transcribed and the selected quotes in Bahasa Malaysia were translated to English by the researchers.After each interview's conversation had been transcribed, a copy of the transcript was emailed to the informants along with the pre-determined themes.Each informant was asked to check the accuracy and credibility of the findings, whether the description represented their perspective and was the same as intended by the informant.Researchers also requested any additions or corrections that were necessary to confirm whether there was a misunderstanding between the data's analysis and the intent of the informant.Informant verification helped ensure that the researcher was aware that self-perception would influence the study (Patton, 2002).
In addition, snowball sampling was used.Snowball sampling is appropriate when the list of informants is not readily available or is not authorized by certain parties (Creswell, 2017).
Informants were asked to suggest other informants who had information related to this study, particularly those who had donated to Rachel Vennya's online fundraising on Instagram.This sampling method was continued until the researchers obtained all the required informants.

Data analysis
The transcriptions were then analyzed to assess the opinions and the point of view of each informant.From the data, the researchers studied the themes and trends of those interviewed about social media influencers in online fundraising in Indonesia, with a particular emphasis on Rachel Vennya.
To analyse all the data collected, the Nvivo12 research software was used.With this software the interview transcripts were read and highlighted into the main themes.Thereafter, the transcripts were passed through an open coding process where themes and subthemes were identified.
Thematic analysis can be seen as a form of data categorization for qualitative research where researchers review the data obtained, take notes and categorize the data into themes (Hartman, 2012).This analysis helps the researchers develop their analysis from a wide range of data to discover trends and identify themes (Braun & Clarke, 2006).According to Hartman (2012), coding is the primary activity for developing the analysis.Coding for this study consisted of two phases, first level coding, based on general themes, and second level coding, to narrow the general themes down to much more targeted and specific themes (Hartman, 2012).

Rachel Vennya
Rachel Vennya, one of Indonesia's most renowned social media influencers, was born in Jakarta, Indonesia on September 23, 1995.The twists and turns of life did not did not stop Rachel from being independent and building a business.The mother of two children started her career as a make-up artist and sold various beauty products via social media as well, to make her name bigger.
Over time, Rachel began to be known as a celebrity who received endorsements from various well-known trademarks.Rachel's name was increasingly highlighted after becoming one of the celebrities whose face appeared in New York's Time Square.She received her bachelor's and master's degrees at the London School of Public Relations.She often shares inspiring activities on her social media platform, Instagram.As an icon of youth today, Rachel Vennya has a great influence on them in many different aspects of life.For example, taste in clothing, food, lifestyle, daily activities and hobbies.
When the COVID-19 pandemic started, she and other celebrities were lined up to become influencers to disseminate COVID-19 information (Utami, 2020).She raised funds via Kitabisa.com,a crowdfunding platform in Indonesia to help medical workers fight COVID-19.Within 24 hours of the fundraising starting, over 1.1 billion rupiah had been collected on Monday, March 16, 2020 (Ansori, 2020).By March 23, 2020, the fundraising had reached 7.3, billion rupiah.Rachel has distributed the fundraising proceeds to buy PPE, masks, hand sanitizers, plastic gloves, and other personal protective equipment and has been accepted by hospitals in Indonesia.
In addition to raising funds to help overcome the pandemic, Rachel Vennya also often opens donations for other purposes, such as raising funds for the Donggala earthquake and Palu tsunami.She also helped raised funds for children with HIV/AIDS, victims of natural disasters in South Kalimantan and West Sulawesi, floods and landslides in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) and micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) for women.

The roles of a social media influencer
The first aim of this study is to understand the roles of a social media influencer in contributing to fundraising activities.A social media influencer is an individual who can shape the audience's attitude and behavior (De Veirman, Cauberghe, & Hudders, 2017).In order to maximize fundraising on Instagram, social media influencers have a role to play in providing insights and relevant information that will be well received by their audience, who are potential contributors.There are three roles that the informants have highlighted, which are expanding their followers/fans, raising awareness of fundraising and inspiring people to donate.

Expand their followers/fans
Influencers have their own channels of followers and friends, serving as their personal platforms which make these connections friendlier and more harmonious (Bhati & McDonnell, 2019;Hanifawati, Ritonga & Puspitasari, 2019).Social media influencers are able to influence audiences by having the power of persuasion on social media, such as popularity, number of likes, posts and post views.Besides, celebrities use their social media platforms for communicating and promoting the values and missions of charities.
The informants stated that public recognition can also be viewed from the number of hashtags with the influencer's name, or how many accounts have been tagged.Influencers are reliable voices that inspire conversations and action in their communities.As such, they can be a huge help with fundraising campaigns, when they are properly used.This is an excellent way to promote fundraising.With this, the word can reach more people from various backgrounds in the world because these influencers may have a strong fan base and their followers are ready to support them.(Informant 6) Therefore, influencers must actively feed information through their social connections and increase their influence to attract more followers (Guo, Wang, Wu & Goh, 2021).Tafesse and Wood (2021) indicate that this is to increase the success rate of their fundraising campaigns, particularly when the campaigns involve social connections.

Raising awareness of fundraising
Social media influencers are also in a position to tell their followers about new products, new developments, and make headlines (Auter & Fine, 2018;Danniswara, Sandhyaduhita & Munajat, 2017).At times, their personality and impact leave a lasting impression.
Informants said that social media influencers are good at getting the word across.They can share content on the cause and campaigns to raise awareness.The more people know what the influencers are doing, the more interested they become in getting involved.Rachel's personal Instagram contributed to attracting people to fundraising and building personal trust as well.She was successful in raising awareness about fundraising by harnessing the power that influencers have over their followers.This shows the crucial role of social media influencers in shaping the beliefs of potential donors in the fundraising process (Peterson et al., 2018).In fact, successful campaigns typically create a strong social network footprint before launching and leveraging social networks for donors.

Inspiring people to donate
These days, influencers have the power to make or break the products or brands they talk about in their channels.As well, they can have a real impact on the donations that a charity gets.Influencers ensure that people are no longer strangers, that they are aware and that they become their followers.Rachel gets followers by inspiring her networks with tales about the worthy causes she supports and encourages them to get involved.She has the ability to reach a broad audience and has been successful in inspiring action through voluntary donations.
I've been following a couple of celebrities/influencers who are very active in promoting fundraising and volunteer work.Their good outreach and engagement gives me a sense that I need to help people as well.That would inspire me to make a donation.(Informant 3) This explains why Rachel's "Tolong Menolong Lawan COVID-19" fundraising has been in the spotlight as many celebrities and fans took part in the event, which helped raise awareness of COVID-19.The personal expression and values of her fundraising campaigns on Instagram received a lot of attention from her fans, as each of the fundraising activities received millions of views.Rachel's image reinforced the credibility of the campaigns.
Likewise, in favor of emulating their favorite celebrities, it is no surprise that some fans made a donation after their favorite celebrities, who they idolize, had done so.As a result, more people were drawn to contribute (Septiningtyas, et al., 2021).

The characteristics of a social media influencer
An influencer is a person characterized by the content presented as a motivation, guidance, or recommendation, which can drive and increase the emotions of his/her followers (Ki, Cuevas, Chong & Lim, 2020).The informants gave the impression that celebrity influencers have specific characteristics or attributes, which make it easier to grab their attention.In this study, the informants perceived three main attributes or personal factors, such as attractiveness, trustworthiness and ability.

Attractiveness
One of the attributes of a social media influencer is his/her attractiveness.The physical appeal of a celebrity can be enhanced through an effective campaign to attract followers and increase the audience (De Veirman, Cauberghe & Hudders, 2017).Individuals who are physically attractive are supposed to have more socially desirable personality features, such as being friendly, powerful, competent and skillful.Most informants were supportive of Rachel because she seems cool and knows how to present herself on social media.Based on Informant 5, She is beautiful and kind.When she carried out certain activities, she was concerned not only about herself but also her followers.I love her personality and she is a role model for me on social media.She makes me want to support her in any activity she is doing.(Informant 5) Besides, they indicated that they are willing to donate to her campaign because she is not only physically attractive, but also because she has an inner character that has helped people in need during the pandemic.Moreover, the informant pointed out that Rachel's positive character created a desire to support her as well.Djafarova and Rushworth (2017) mentioned that an influencer with good looks or appeal will garner positive campaign interest and support which could have an impact on the audience's perception of their message.Audiences will value anything that brings them good memories and something that makes them feel a connection, or reflects who they are.

Trustworthiness
Target audiences will typically see and pay attention to influencers that are honest, ethical and trusted.Trustworthiness refers to the extent to which the level of confidence in the manner in which the influencer's statements are communicated and can be regarded as authentic (Djafarova & Rushworth, 2017).This is believed to be an element that can improve the persuasive effect in online media and has a strong impact in changing the behavior or attitude of the audience (Djafarova & Rushworth, 2017).Feedback from the informants indicated that they trusted Rachel, due to her personal experiences, making them some of Rachel's campaign donors.Rachel is also very reliable and dependable.That is because some of the influencers that have many followers fail to grasp the confidence of most of their followers.
In my opinion, Rachel was successful because she immersed herself by showing the conditions that required donations.It leads donors to believe that their donations will go to where they are needed.Rachel and her team, along with the online fundraising platforms they work with, will go right to the places that need donations.(Informant 2) Based on Li and Yu (2020), recognizing influencers' trustworthiness has a significant impact on donors' behavior (Susilo, Rani & Khotijah, 2022).Moreover, the donation depends on social value and trust, which is in line with the findings of Li and Yu (2020) that people who have a strong sense of confidence in the influencers are more likely to make donations.

Ability
Ability is an important aspect of an influencer's attributes and determines their credibility (Gunawan, 2022).Most advertisers take into account the influencer's popularity and the extent to which their capability to approach an audience or followers helps to achieve effectiveness in the commercial setting (Ki et al., 2020).One of the most important areas of ability is having good communication and a unique approach because these will have a significant impact on the influencer him/herself, hence the viewer may see their expertise and credibility.
Rachel is a prominent social media influencer with numerous supporters.She is seen as a credible person who demonstrates a strong work ethic as a social media influencer.Rachel has great influence as a social media influencer in persuading her followers' behavior, beliefs, and attitude (Informant 1) Accordingly, the informants think Rachel is an expert in her area, and knows the problem, the needs and all the information before she creates a campaign and informs her followers effectively.They also said that Rachel is one of the influencers who have grown significantly in their characters.She was just starting out as an influencer.Additionally, Rachel's involvement in fundraising campaigns also had a positive impact on the audience's attitude toward the campaigns.Informants have also said that Rachel knows how to build social engagement with her supporters, who make a difference to her campaign.Thus, prospective donors need to believe and be confident that the donation will actually reach the effected people and improve their situation.Ki et al. (2020) said that the ability of an influencer to persuade and change the attitude of the audience is due to the feeling of closeness and identification that a person forms after following that influencer.

Influencer's influence
An influencer's influence is about influencing others rather than demanding and compelling.Social media influencers should know how to use their power as they determine their influence, and need to know how to use their influence to achieve the goal.Also, an effective influencer not only influences the audience for a purpose, but can motivate the audience in any kind of aspect (Rostiani, & Kuron, 2019;Abdillah, 2016).Besides, the informants stated that Rachel's previous campaigns have also managed to win the support of fans, making the current campaign even more successful.She has been an inspiration not only in beauty products, her culinary skills and fashion field, but also for the basic needs and humanity which makes me interested in her personality.Over the course of her career, she has shown just how much she cares about the lives and well-being of others.(Informant 8) Rachel exhibits one of the good influencer skills that develop positive behavior to broaden the influence that supports her campaigns.As an influencer should be a better role model to his/her audience, not only for his/herself but for his/her fans as well.This is what makes Rachel Vennya a great influencer, because she has good qualities that inspire her followers to achieve the same goals as her.Therefore, the right celebrities might help generate more coverage for a charity, if they were truly connected to the cause and seem not to be cynical.
The content of influencers is transmitted and disseminated to millions of people in a short time through social media platforms, especially Instagram.From this standpoint, an influencer's influence has a greater impact than traditional mass media.Thus, this finding supported Guo et al. (2021) that the influencers' online reputation, in terms of the number of followers and his/her identity status, influences the fundraising performance.

Quick and easy
Online fundraising is about being able to accept donations online, allowing people to make donations anytime, anywhere.Instagram has launched a new method for users to donate to non-profit organizations and influencers, through Instagram Live during the coronavirus pandemic.
Once we (the followers) decide to make a donation, we want it to be as easy and fast as possible.For example, Instagram has offered "Donation Stickers" in Stories; currently the new "Live Donations" feature will allow everyone to create fundraising events via live streaming.
Moreover, the informants reported that the barriers to online fundraising are lower than those for conventional fundraising, as establishing a fundraising platform is very simple.Interestingly, when the broadcast starts, the followers will be shown in real time the number of people who support the fundraising event and the amount of money raised.Followers are more likely to seek out and explore their idol's online fundraising platform in this way.Thus, an online donation is faster, more secure and practical.This leads us to believe that fundraising success increases when individuals are comfortable with the donation process (Auter & Fine, 2018).Usefulness and ease of use influence confidence in the influencer, as well as the donor's satisfaction and attitude toward online donations.

CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION
This study contributes to the research on fundraising and social media platforms.First, our findings provide an insight into the important roles played by social media influencers in motivating their followers to donate online.This study finds that social media influencers who are attractive and trustworthy are capable of winning audiences.It aligns with the previous research that said source credibility is a key quality that influences people's confidence in social media influencers (Ki & Kim, 2019).Here, the presence of social media influencers with applications and various settings in Instagram allows influencers to engage with their audiences on social media platforms.The results also discover that the role of social media influencers' can inspire and motivate their audiences to participate in the fundraising.
In addition, our findings also have useful practical implications.Not just for social media influencers, the present study also provides needed clarity and recommendations for online fundraising strategies for NGOs and the government.Importantly, our findings could serve as additional knowledge for social media influencers to be wary of the impact of interacting with potential donators on social media.
Although this study has addressed the research aims, it does have its limitations.Given that this study has chosen this subject of study, there may be some bias in the selection of Rachel Vennya as the social media influencer and her Instagram followers.This gives an opportunity for future research to look at other social media influencers.Although the current research has provided a better understanding of the subject of online fundraising, we recommend further research that explores different social media platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, Snapchat, and TikTok to understand how audiences respond on different social media platforms.
Finally, social media influencers have been playing a vital role in online fundraising, particularly in Indonesia.The good abilities of influencers who are experienced and skilled at using social media to run campaigns have a surprisingly good impact.However, the impact depends on their audience, as they may have an attitude and opinion influenced by the influencer's attractiveness, trust and ability.If the influencers have a clear understanding of the fundraising objective, their followers will be interested in seeing the campaign and will be effortlessly impacted by the campaign.It is very interesting to see how Instagram has become a powerful sword in the digital age.Clearly, social media influencers have now become a channel to trigger the willingness and awareness of people to make a call to action and make donations online.