Organizational Legitimacy and Communication on Social Networking Sites: A Case Study of Sadagaat and the Hawadith Street Initiative in Sudan

Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) play an integral role in building communities and shaping the public consciousness. Their success is contingent on transparent communication with stakeholders and a demonstration of how their values align with stakeholder expectations. In countries under authoritarian regimes, NGOs play a significant role in their communities, usually filling a void left by an absent state. Therefore, transparent communication between the NGO and stakeholders is integral to the success of these organizations in fulfilling their missions. The following case study analyzes the communication patterns of two Sudanese NGOs on Facebook using Lovejoy and Saxton’s (2012) “Information-Communication-Action” framework on NGO communication patterns on social networking sites.