Partners in Purpose: How message framing, source credibility, and partnership fit influence CSR outcomes in Business-NGO partnerships

The plethora of current social and environmental challenges compels collaboration between different organizations, such as businesses and NGOs, to address them effectively. Since the late 1990s, more and more companies have incorporated partnerships with NGOs into their CSR plans, leading to a notable increase in cross-sector collaborations. Although collaborating with NGOs helps businesses maintain a favorable reputation and gain positive consumer responses, increasing instances of ethically questionable business actions, known as corporate misconduct, provoke consumer skepticism toward these CSR practices. Considering the growing discrepancies between what corporations say and what they do, ranging from consumer fraud to financial scandals, and the involvement of NGOs in financial scandals, there is a rising trend of consumer skepticism toward corporate engagement in social initiatives. For this reason, communication is crucial in rebuilding trust and ensuring the transparency of Business- NGO partnerships. In this context, the current study examines the effects of different CSR communication strategies on consumer skepticism and purchase intention within the context of NGO-business partnerships. More specifically the following research question was investigated: How does the communication, particularly the message framing (narrative vs. expositive), source credibility (high vs. low) and partnership fit (high vs. low), of NGO-business partnerships in the realm of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives impact consumer skepticism and purchase intention? To address the research question, a 2x2x2 factorial between-subjects design was employed. The three independent variables (message framing, source credibility, and partnership fit) were operationalized across eight experimental scenarios illustrating the partnership of a fictional tech company, Techkey, with a fictional NGO named HopeHarbor. The data for the experiment were gathered online through Prolific, a paid platform for recruiting participants. After final data cleaning, the initial dataset of 260 participants (N=260) was reduced to 255 valid participants (N=255), aged from 19 to 73 years old (M=30.49, SD=9.72). The findings of the study revealed no significant main effects of message framing, message source credibility, or partnership fit on consumer skepticism and purchase intention. However, a significant interaction effect was found between message framing and message source. Specifically, it was found that expositive messages from a company’s Instagram account can enhance purchase intention, indicating that clear and informative communication by companies can positively influence consumer behavior. The findings highlight the complexity of CSR communication and underscore the need for further research to identify effective strategies for enhancing consumer outcomes in NGO-business partnerships. In parallel, the significant interaction effect suggests that the interplay between message framing and message source can significantly influence consumer behavior, demonstrating the importance of carefully tailoring communication messages based on the message source.