[Commlist] The Quest for Attention: Nonprofit Advocacy in a Social Media Age

We would like to announce a new publication from Stanford University 
Press, which we hope will be of interest.

*The Quest for Attention***

Nonprofit Advocacy in a Social Media Age

*Chao Guo & Gregory D. Saxton***

*_https://www.combinedacademic.co.uk/9781503613072/the-quest-for-attention/ 
<https://www.combinedacademic.co.uk/9781503613072/the-quest-for-attention/>_**__*

*Receive a 20% discount online:*

*CSLS2020*

“In /The Quest for Attention/, Guo and Saxton do a compelling job of 
demonstrating how and why understanding the social media landscape is 
key to advocating effectively for important social issues and 
understanding the non-profit sector in general. This is a must-read for 
anyone trying to make sense of what distinctive challenges and 
opportunities the 21st century presents in terms of linking 
communication strategies to tangible social outcomes and impact.”*—John 
L. Jackson, Jr., Walter H. Annenberg Dean of the Annenberg School for 
Communication, University of Pennsylvania**__*

“Chao Guo and Gregory Saxton’s new book is a major step forward in our 
understanding of the political behavior of nonprofits. Their rigorous 
study documents how nonprofits use social media to draw attention to 
their priorities, the first step toward working to shape public 
policy.”*—Jeffrey M. Berry, Tufts University**__*

“Advocacy and activism have changed. Activists today know that data and 
social media are key elements in their fight for the rights of the poor, 
the dispossessed, and the downtrodden. Chao Guo and Gregory Saxton’s 
/The Quest for Attention/is required reading for those who seek to 
understand this new world of social change.”*—**John McNutt, Professor, 
Joseph R. Biden, Jr. School of Public Policy and Administration, 
University of Delaware**__*

Today, social media offers an alternative broadcast and communication 
medium for nonprofit advocacy organizations. At the same time, social 
media ushers in a “noisy” information era that renders it more difficult 
for nonprofits to make their voices heard. This book seeks to unpack the 
prevalence, mechanisms, and ramifications of a new model for nonprofit 
advocacy in a social media age. The keyword for this new model is 
attention. Advocacy always starts with attention: when an organization 
speaks out on a cause, it must ensure that it has an audience and that 
its voice is heard by that audience; it must ensure that current and 
potential supporters are paying attention to what it has to say before 
expecting more tangible outcomes. Yet the organization must also ensure 
that advocacy does not end with attention: attention should serve as a 
springboard to something greater. The authors elaborate how attention 
fits into contemporary organizations’ advocacy work and explain the key 
features of social media that are driving the quest for attention. 
Developing conceptual models, they explain why some organizations and 
messages gain attention while others do not. Lastly, the book explores 
how organizations are weaving together online and offline efforts to 
deliver strategic advocacy outcomes.*__*

**

*Chao Guo*is Associate Professor of Nonprofit Management in the School 
of Social Policy & Practice at the University of Pennsylvania.*__*

**

*Gregory D. Saxton*is Assistant Professor of Accounting in the Schulich 
School of Business at York University.*__*


*Stanford University Press**| July 2020 | 256pp | 9781503613072 | PB | 
£20.99**

*Price subject to change.

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