Self-Congruity and the MOA Framework: An Integrated Approach to Understanding Social Cause Community Volunteer Participation

Marketing efforts designed to increase participation in social causes have led to the creation of online and face-to-face communities. This study examines a not-for-profit organization and participation in a face-to-face and online community built around its social cause. The purpose of this study is to explore and test the relationships between participatory behaviors and self-congruity as moderated by motivation, opportunity, and ability as members of social cause communities. The authors present a framework which depicts the linkages between self-congruity and an individual's motivation, ability, and opportunity to participate in the social cause community as a predictor of future participation behaviors.