COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES AND FUNDRAISING EFFORTS IN THE
CATHOLIC DIOCESE OF MACHAKOS
by
Alphonse Muema
13-0371
A thesis presented to the school of communication, language & performing
arts
Of
Daystar University
Nairobi, Kenya
In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of
MASTERS OF ARTS
in communication
June, 2016
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APPROVAL
COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES AND FUNDRAISING EFFORTS IN THE CATHOLIC DIOCESE OF MACHAKOS
by
Alphonse Muema
13-0371
In accordance with Daystar University policies, this thesis is accepted in partial
fulfillment of requirements for the Master of Arts degree.
Date:
_____________________________ ____________________
A. L. Lando, PhD,
1st
Supervisor
_____________________________ ____________________
Sylvia Mutua, MA.,
2nd
Supervisor
_____________________________ ____________________
Rosemary Kowuor, PhD.,
HOD, Department of Communication
_____________________________ ____________________
Levi Obonyo, PhD,
Dean, School of Communication, Language
and Performing Arts
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Copyrights © 2016 Alphonse Muema Kingesi
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DECLARATION
COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES AND FUNDRAISING EFFORTS IN THE CATHOLIC DIOCESE OF MACHAKOS
I declare that this thesis is my original work and has not been submitted to any other
college or university for academic credit.
Signed: ____________________________
Alphonse Muema
(13-0371)
Date: ________________
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
In the Name of the Most Gracious and Almighty God, I would like to express my
appreciation to Him, who has granted me the ability and willing to start and complete this
program. My most profound thankfulness goes to my supervisors Dr. Sr. Agnes Lando
and Sylvia Mutua (MA), of Daystar University for their constant support, guidance,
encouragement as well as their unending patience. May the Almighty God bless you. My
thanks also go to Dr. Leah Komen (Thesis coordinator) and Dr. Rosemary Kowuor for
their support, encouragement and being timely in giving the information concerning the
writing of the thesis. May God bless you all. Special thanks to Most Revered Martin
Kivuva Musonde of the Catholic Archdiocese of Mombasa who gave me the opportunity
to undertake my Master‟s degree in communication. I promise you my prayers as you
continue to shepherd God‟s flock at the Arch Diocese of Mombasa. May God bless you
as well. I also more sincerely thank those noble people who helped me during data
collection stage, The Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Machakos (Anthony Muheria),
the priests and the laity. Though it was not easy, you gave all your time and efforts. God
bless you. My demonstrative appreciations are to my friends Geoffrey Makokha, Maurice
Otsieno, all of Daystar University who encouraged me so much during the time of writing
my thesis. You were a real inspiration to me. God bless you. Last and not the least, I wish
to thank my dearest family member, especially my Mother (Margaret), my lovely brothers
and sisters for the support and encouragement they gave me during my thesis writing
period. May the Lord bless and keep you.
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DEDICATION
I dedicate this thesis to my beloved mother Margaret Ndululu and to the loving memory
of my late father Francis Kingesi. You have successfully made me the person I am
becoming. You will always be remembered.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS APPROVAL ....................................................................................................................... ii
DECLARATION ............................................................................................................... iv
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................................ v
DEDICATION ................................................................................................................... vi
TABLE OF CONTENT .................................................................................................... vii
LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................. ix
ABSTRACT ....................................................................................................................... xi
CHAPTER ONE ................................................................................................................. 1
INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY .......................................... 1
Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 1
Background to the Study ..................................................................................................... 1
Problem Statement .............................................................................................................. 5
Objectives of the Study ....................................................................................................... 7
Research Questions ............................................................................................................. 7
Rationale of the Study ......................................................................................................... 8
Significance of the Study…………………………………………………………………8
Assumptions of the Study ................................................................................................... 9
Scope of the Study ............................................................................................................ 10
Limitations and delimitations of the Study ....................................................................... 10
Definition of Terms........................................................................................................... 11
Summary ........................................................................................................................... 14
CHAPTER TWO .............................................................................................................. 15
LITERATURE REVIEW ................................................................................................. 15
Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 15
Theoretical Framework ..................................................................................................... 15
General Literature Review ................................................................................................ 19
Empirical Literature Review ............................................................................................. 26
Conceptual Framework of the Study ................................................................................ 30
Summary ........................................................................................................................... 30
CHAPTER THREE .......................................................................................................... 32
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY...................................................................................... 32
Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 32
Research Design................................................................................................................ 32
Population ......................................................................................................................... 32
Target Population .............................................................................................................. 33
Sample Size ....................................................................................................................... 33
Simple Random Sampling ................................................................................................ 34
Data Collection Instruments ............................................................................................. 34
Types of Data .................................................................................................................... 35
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Data Collection Cethods ................................................................................................... 35
Data Collection Procedures ............................................................................................... 35
Pre-Testing Research Instruments .................................................................................... 36
Data Analysis Plan ............................................................................................................ 36
Ethical Considerations ...................................................................................................... 37
Summary ........................................................................................................................... 38
CHAPTER FOUR ............................................................................................................. 39
DATA PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS, AND INTERPRETATION ............................. 39
Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 39
Presentation, analysis, and Interpretation………………………………………………..39
Summary of Key Findings……………………………………………………………….39
Summary ........................................................................................................................... 59
CHAPTER FIVE .............................................................................................................. 62
DISCUSSIONS, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ............................... 62
Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 62
Discussions of Findings .................................................................................................... 62
Conclusions ....................................................................................................................... 67
Recommendations ............................................................................................................. 68
Recommended Areas for Further Studies ......................................................................... 68
REFERENCES ................................................................................................................. 69
APPENDICES…………………………………………………………………………...71
Appendix A: Questionnaire for Priests ............................................................................. 72
Appendix B: Questionnaire Parish Committee ................................................................. 76
Appendix C: Questionnaire for the Small Christian Communities .................................. 80
Appendix D: Translation of the Questionaire for the Mwaki ........................................... 83
Appendix E: NACOSTI Research Permit……………………………………………….83
Appendix F: Daystar University Letter……………………………………... .................... 84
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LIST OF TABLES
Table 4.1: Gender Distribution......................................................................................... 40
Table 4.2: Marital Status .................................................................................................. 41
Table 4.3: Respondents’ Occupation ................................................................................ 41
Table 4.4: Earnings of the Respondents ........................................................................... 42
Table 4.5: Cross-tabulation Education versus Earning ................................................... 44
Table 4.6 : Mission of the Catholic Church in Machakos ................................................ 45
Table 4.7: Sources of Convincing Information on Fundraising ....................................... 50
Table 4.8: Messages Directly or Indirectly…………..………………….…………….……………..…….51
Table 4.9 : New Communication Channels ...................................................................... 51
Table 4.10 : Cross-tabulation: Gender vis-à-vis Financial Contributions ...................... 53
Table 4.11 : Acknowledgment of Donations…………………………………………………..49
Table 4.12: Statements on Reasons for Giving or Not by the Respondents ...................... 53
Table 4.13: I do not give because the Service Given is Poor ......................................... 522
Table 4.14: The Church Should Support the Laity ........................................................... 53
Table 4.15 : I give because the church is our hands…………………………………………54
Table 4.16: Respondents’ Duration in Service ................................................................. 55
Table 4.17: Other Communication Strategies………………………………………………...56
Table 4.18: The UWO Strategy Effectiveness ................................................................... 56
Table 4.19: Overuse of the Radio and Newsletter ............................................................ 57
Table 4.20: Model Summary ............................................................................................. 58
Table 4.21: ANOVA .......................................................................................................... 58
Table 4.22: Coefficients .................................................................................................... 58
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LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 2.1 Conceptual Framework……………………………………………………….…….30
Figure 4.1 Respondents’ Age Distribution…………………………………….….…......……40
Figure 4.2 Earnings of the Respondents……………………………………………………….42
Figure 4.3 Education of the Respondents………….…………..………………………………43
Figure 4.4 Response to the Fundraising Messages…………..………………………………48
Figure 4.5 Respondents Age Distribution (Clergy)………………………………….….……54
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ABSTRACT
The purpose of this study was to show the communication strategies and fundraising
efforts in Catholic Diocese of Machakos. The objectives of this study were to establish
other communication strategies other than radio and the newsletter in use that can be used
to fundraise in the Catholic Diocese of Machakos; to find out if the new communication
strategies would be effective in the catholic diocese of Machakos, to identify if the
communication strategies would be able to cover the whole of the Catholic Diocese of
Machakos and , to establish the reasons behind the increasing contributions of the laity in
the Catholic Diocese of Machakos. The study used a descriptive survey research design.
Questionnaires were used to collect data. The study identified a number of channels that
can be used in conjunction with the radio and the newsletter. Findings from both the
Christian small groups and the clergy showed that mass media and Facebook, WhatsApp
and particularly SMS were most prevalent. Contrary to early assumptions of the study,
newsletter and radio did not constitute barriers for fundraising. The study recommended
that a thorough review of communication channels used for fundraising be reviewed, and
that the diocese develops a communication strategy focusing on current social media.
Based on the findings of this study, this study recommended a similar study to be carried
out among other Catholic Dioceses in Kenya. This study also recommended that a study
should be done to assess the use of funds in the Catholic Church in Kenya, as respondents
expressed concerns on accountability of the funds.
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CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
Introduction
According to the great commission as outlined in Mathew 28:19, the mission of
the church is to evangelize. Mathew outlines this mandate, when he cites Christ‟s words
“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the
Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit…” Mt (28:19). The church cannot accomplish this
without the financial support from the laity. It is true that the missionaries evangelized
Africa provided much to them but not everything. We have to be alive to the fact that they
also found the Africans working and earning their food, keeping cattle and doing barter
trade with each other. Therefore the Africans were not entirely on the receiving end
(dependency syndrome). The western countries have been funding the church on her
mission. However, from the later part of 20th century, funding from the west has
experienced a sharp decline and this has affected the work of evangelization. As a result,
churches in Africa even those with their base in Europe and North America have had to
find alternative ways for survival. This chapter consists of various sections that include
the background to the study, nature of the study, the purpose of the study, its objectives,
scope, the significance of the study, the limitations and delimitations, the rationale, the
assumptions the significance of the study.
Background to the Study
The evangelization of Africa by the European and American missionaries in the
late 19th and early 20th centuries has raised debates about the response of the Africans to
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the gospel and how they can support the church in accomplishing its work of
evangelization.
The coming of the missionaries to East Africa opened a continent that was not
open to the outside world meaning it was undeveloped since many people were not going
to schools, infrastructure was very poor, and no health facilities other than the traditional
medicines, and people were practicing the traditional beliefs. To the Africans, they
(missionaries) brought forth education and health facilities; infrastructure was improved
together with the spiritual life of the congregants through the building and running of
churches. After the missionaries left Machakos, the churches started to grow in numbers
as well as the change in leadership. Today, it is evident that the churches that were
established by the missionaries and grew from the efforts of the Africans, the leadership is
primarily African. The way in which the missionaries presented the gospel to the Africans
is different from the way African leaders present it to their own people. Presenting the
gospel message in the African context has enabled the gospel message to be understood
by the Africans themselves. This has enabled the Africans to become missionaries unto
themselves.
The missionaries‟ leadership and support to the church was different from that of
the Africans as Kiiru (2010) noted that “the white missionaries identified the problems,
planned the strategies, and solicited funds from their home country to meet those needs.
Traditionally, the missionaries who evangelized Africa did not depend on locals for their
remunerations, or for living expenses” (p. 218). It has been difficult on the African leaders
to work like the missionaries due some dependency from the missionaries or donations
from the west. The missionaries provided almost everything to the Africans by
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building churches, schools, hospitals, food and even helping the needy. Therefore it
becomes difficult for local organizations and the church to learn to do without free
external support. This is the reason why some of the local churches in Africa mainly
survive on donations from overseas. Concerning the issue of dependency, the Catholic
Diocese of Machakos is not an exception.
The Catholic Diocese of Machakos was curved from the Arch- diocese of Nairobi
in 1972. After the split according to Thomas (1993), “the diocese was evangelized by the
Holy Ghost Fathers from Ireland who were operating from Nairobi their base being at St.
Peters clever” (p. 2). The Diocese was headed by the first Kamba Cleric, Bishop Raphael
Ndingi. He led the diocese from 1972-1978 and was succeeded by the late Bishop
emeritus of Machakos Urbanus Joseph Kioko. The missionaries (Holy Ghost Fathers)
provided almost everything to the laity including food, education, health and even build
churches for them. In 1973, Archbishop Emeritus Raphael Ndingi made efforts and
initiated the self-reliance strategy in form of an annual diocesan collection (Muvothi).
This annual Diocesan collection was meant to facilitate the work of evangelization,
support the African clergy, build churches and health facilities, and help the orphans and
the poor.
The mode of communication that was used at that time to communicate to the laity
was the word of mouth. This was done by the Bishop and the Diocesan priests. The first
collection done in the Catholic Diocese of Machakos netted KES 50,000. This Diocesan
collection strategy has been made an annual event and the collection has been increasing
every year. The recent collection done in 2015 under the leadership of Bishop Anthony
Muheria of Kitui Catholic Diocese who is now the apostolic administrator of
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Machakos diocese netted Kshs 69Million. This strategy has made the catholic diocese of
Machakos a model to other dioceses learning from it on the issue of self- reliance. Later in
2001, the Catholic Diocese of Machakos adopted the use of the diocesan newsletter –
U‟wo (Print media) as a means of communication and in 2006, the vernacular radios
(electronic media) as teaching tools on self-reliance and sustainability to the laity.
The use of these communication strategies and the increment of the diocesan
collection do not mean that the diocese has matured in self- reliance because it continues
to apply and receive money from foreign donors like from Germany, Rome, Canada
among other nations. This is because despite the annual diocesan contribution rising from
KES 50,000 in 1973 to Kshs 69 million in 2015, its not yet enough. The money cannot
cater for the diocesan budget since the diocesan priests (206) have to be insured, get their
monthly allowance, get means of transport in order to reach the people of God, help the
poor especially the orphans in educating them, help in other development projects like in
the semi-arid areas, drilling water and building dams and in other projects that are geared
towards the work of evangelization in the diocese. A good example is that in 2015, the
Diocese raised KES 69 million and the expenditure was KES 89,758,550.00 meaning the
diocese had to look for other sources of money and raise KES 20 million to meet the
Diocesan budget.
It is worth noting that a good number of Dioceses in Kenya just like Machakos
could support themselves by local fundraising. According to Maryo (1997) “ it is easier
for the Catholic bishops, religious leaders and religious superiors to sit down and plan for
projects and make applications to the funding agencies/donors in the west, than to
mobilize their people and create missionary awareness in them”(p. 1).
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Until today some of the laity thinks that the church is rich and should continue
supporting them like in the times of the missionaries not vice versa and that they have
nothing to give to the church. Maryo (1997) noted that “experience has shown that even
in Europe and North America the people who contribute most to the charitable
organizations are not the rich but those who have the minimum. Most of the laity still
have the mentality that the missionaries are there to continue supporting the church and
that the church is rich” (p. 2). This is evident in the Catholic Diocese of Machakos since a
good number of Christians continue to line up in the parish and diocesan offices asking
for food, fees, clothing, and financial support to build houses, money for medical care
among other needs. Despite the fact that many catholic dioceses have celebrated their
centenary (100 years of Christianity) just like Machakos, they still continue to depend on
the donors from overseas for facilitation of their daily operations and evangelism.
Problem Statement
To fundraise, the Catholic Diocese of Machakos has been using the print (diocesan
newsletter) and electronic media (radio) as tools to communicate to the laity. Different
messages have been printed on the Diocesan newsletter teaching the laity and
encouraging them to support the church on its mission of evangelization. Likewise, many
programmes have been aired over the kikamba radio stations by the bishops and the
priests teaching the laity about the mission of the church and how they should get
involved in supporting it. It is important to note that there are some areas in the Catholic
Diocese of Machakos that don‟t receive the Diocesan newsletter due to distance and bad
infrastructure. These are the areas of Makueni and Yatta. Others don‟t receive the radio
programs due to bad terrain such that they cannot get the radio waves and listen to the
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programmes on church fundraising. For those who receive the messages through the
diocesan newsletter and the radio, some have responded positively others negatively.
Donor funding in the Catholic Diocese of Machakos has gone so down that the
locals have to support the church by themselves. In the last 10 years, some of the donors
have pulled out from funding the Catholic Diocese of Machakos and now the only
countries that are funding the diocese are Ireland, Germany and the U.S.A. The decrease
of the funding the Diocese used to get is by 40%. This means that some of the
commissions like the pastoral and lay commissions have to be supported by the
contributions from the diocesan collection. Therefore, this calls the laity to change their
mentality of missionary support and with the little resources they have support it in its
mission of evangelization.
Finding out more communication strategies does not mean that the Catholic
Diocese of Machakos wants to do away with the vernacular radios and the Diocesan
newsletter but add more strategies that are available to the people and can be applied to
enhance fundraising. With more communication strategies, the Catholic Church in
Machakos can be more self- reliant and self-sustaining.
Purpose of the Study
The purpose of this study was to show communication strategies and fundraising efforts
in the Catholic Diocese of Machakos. This was in an endevour to find more
communication strategies other than the radio and the Diocesan newsletter that could be
used in the Catholic Diocese of Machakos to fundraise for self-reliance and sustainability.
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Objectives of the Study
This research examined more communication strategies other the vernacular radios
and the diocesan newsletter that can be applied to enhance church fundraising. The
following were the research objectives:
1) To establish other communication strategies other than radio and the newsletter that
can be used to fundraise in the Catholic Diocese of Machakos.
2) To investigate if the new communication strategies would be effective in the catholic
diocese of Machakos;
3) To identify if the communication strategies would be able to cover the whole of the
Catholic diocese of Machakos;
4) To establish the reasons behind the increasing contributions of the laity in the Catholic
Diocese of Machakos.
Research Questions
This study sought to answer the following questions:
1. What other communication strategies could be used to fundraise in the Catholic
diocese of Machakos?
2. Would the communication strategies be effective to fundraise in the Catholic Diocese
of Machakos?
3. Would these strategies be available to the laity in the whole of the Catholic diocese of
Machakos?
4. What were the reasons behind the increasing contributions of the laity (church
fundraising) in the Catholic diocese of Machakos?
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Rationale of the Study
The reason behind this study grew out of the concern that the church has to fulfill
its mission of evangelization and it cannot do this without the financial support of the
laity. The Catholic Diocese of Machakos has been having an annual fundraising event
(Muvothi) since 1973. The tools of communication that have been used to communicate
and teach the laity are the kikamba vernacular speaking radio‟s and the monthly Diocesan
newsletter (U‟wo). These media have been effective but used for long. In addition, they
have not been able to cover the entire diocese. Therefore the radio programs are not
received by a portion of the diocese especially in the areas of Makueni and Yatta. Further,
for those who have received the Diocesan newsletter and the radio programs, some have
responded positively and others negatively. This is because they still hold on the notion
that the Church is rich since the missionaries continue to support the church in its mission
of evangelization. For them the church should continue supporting the laity like the time
of the missionaries and not vice versa.
At the start of the Diocesan collection event (1973-2000), the Diocese used a word
of mouth to motivate the laity to raise funds then in 2001, it started using the Diocesan
newsletter and in 2006 the vernacular radio stations. By finding more communication
strategies to enhance fundraising does not mean that the Catholic Diocese of Machakos
wants to do away with the radio and the Diocesan newsletter but add more strategies that
are available to the laity and can be used to enhance more fundraising to cater for the
mission of the Church. These communication strategies are geared towards teaching the
laity on church support other than thinking of the support coming from the
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west. Therefore there is a great need to look for more communication strategies that can
still be applied to enhance church fundraising.
It is difficult to change an attitude which has almost become a philosophy of life.
This is why there is a great need for the church to use more strategies of communication
in order to persuade the laity to change the mentality of missionary support. This would
help the laity to understand that the church is in their hands and there is great need to
support it to continue with its mission. Further, the clergy also depend so much from the
laity and therefore the diocesan top management should think of starting money
generating projects in order to support the clergy other than depending too much on them.
Significance of the Study
This study will not only benefit the Catholic Diocese of Machakos but also other
Catholic Dioceses in Kenya. This is because it would come up with more communication
strategies other than radio and newsletter that could help them fundraise for church
support. Pastors from other denominations and leaders of institutions may as well find the
study useful and informative on the strategies of fundraising and how they could
effectively mobilize resources for their projects. These institutions might include schools,
colleges and universities.
Assumptions of the Study
For this research to be successful, the researcher assumed that the research would
be carried out smoothly and that good results would be attained. The researcher assumed
also that the priests in the field would talk to the laity concerning the study and their
involvement. Therefore, the researcher assumed that:
1. The respondents would be open to respond to the questionnaires.
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2. Respondents would fully and actively participate in the small focus groups discussions.
3. The bishop would give the researcher the permission to carry out the research in his
diocese.
4. There would be maximum cooperation during the research period among the clergy
and the laity so that good results on the research topic may be acquired.
Scope of the Study
The study was carried out in the Catholic Diocese of Machakos. Special focus was
on the 13 deaneries of the diocese. These are the subdivisions of the diocese, consisting of
number parishes over which presides a dean appointed by a bishop. It is from the
deaneries that information on the performance of the parishes according to their
classification in terms of their contributions towards the diocesan collection was sought.
Limitations and Delimitations of the Study
In some cases, it can be so humbling and at the same time empowering to realize
you are critically restricted in many ways when conducting scholarly research. Some of
the limitations and delimitations for this research were:
1) Since the diocese is so vast and the researcher was not able to go to all the places. To
counter this limitation, the researcher met with the deans and Fathers in charge at the
Diocesan priests meeting and gave them the questionnaires.
2) Illiteracy was another limitation. Some people do not speak or understand English and
Kiswahili languages except the vernacular (Kikamba) language. To counter this
limitation, the questionnaire was translated in Kikamba and their answers were
retranslated back to English.
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3) Meeting with the clergy of the diocese especially the deans and the fathers in charge
was considered difficult during weekdays and the weekend. In order to counter this
limitation, meeting with the clergy was scheduled on 1st Monday of the Month (April)
when the priests have their diocesan meeting.
4) The other limitation was the sensitivity of the research. It was expected that some
people would fear to be interviewed thinking that they might be victimized. The
researcher explained to them that the information was meant for research only and
privacy, confidentiality, and anonymity would be observed. Respondents were also
reminded that they could opt out of the study.
Definition of Terms
Fundraising:
According to the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP), 1996-2006),
fundraising is the raising of assets and resources from various sources for the support of
an organization or a specific project. Assets and resources include human resources,
money, and material things. Further, Kiiru (2010) defined funding as “a systematic
approach of mobilizing resources from willing supporters in order to achieve
organizational goals effectively, which is the strategy for survival and long term
sustenance”(p.218). In this study, fundraising will refer to that action of mobilizing
resources from the laity in order to support the church in its mission of evangelization.
Communication:
According to Boran (2006), communication is the transmission of a message from
a source to a receiver and when expressed in terms of the basic elements of the
communication process, communication occurs when a receiver sends a message through
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a medium to a receiver producing some effects (p. 5) .In this study, the top management
of the Catholic Diocese of Machakos will be communicating to the laity and entering into
a positive relationship as it tries to solicit funds for the work of evangelization. It will use
the word of mouth, the media namely the diocesan newsletter and the vernacular radio
stations to pass the message to the laity who will in turn decode the message and
understand the needs of the diocese. The understanding of the message is shown by the
feedback either by donating funds or not.
Strategy:
The business dictionary defines strategy as “a method or plan chosen to bring
about a desired future, such as achievement of a goal or solution to a problem.” The
Catholic Diocese of Machakos has been using the word of mouth and the media
(vernacular radios and the diocesan newsletter) as a communication strategy to fundraise
and therefore the study will go deeper to explore if there are more communication
strategies (action plans) that can be applied to enhance church fundraising.
Communication strategies:
According to Ashley (n.d.) communication strategies are the blueprints for how
this information will be exchanged. These communication strategies can either be verbal,
nonverbal, or visual. The Catholic Diocese of Machakos has been using the word of
mouth, the radio and the diocesan newsletter as a strategy to fundraise.
Diocese:
According to the Catholic dictionary, “a diocese is an ecclesiastical district under the
jurisdiction of a bishop in the Christian church”. This term will be used in this study
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to show the area of the study that is headed by the bishop of the Catholic Diocese of
Machakos.
Donor:
This refers to the person who contributes something, such as money, to a cause or
fund. A donor in this research will refer to the funding agencies from different countries
that have been funding the Catholic Diocese of Machakos.
Bishop Emeritus:
This title according to the Catholic dictionary refers to “a retired Diocesan bishop
or auxiliary bishop”. Therefore the word „emeritus‟ is added to his former title, i.e.,
Archbishop Emeritus of such an archdiocese or Bishop Emeritus of a certain diocese, or
Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus of a particular diocese. In this study it will refer to the two
bishops who led the Catholic Diocese of Machakos and retired.
Deanery:
The Catholic dictionary defined a deanery as “a subdivision of a Diocese,
consisting of a number of parishes, over which presides a dean appointed by a bishop. The
duty of the dean is to watch over the clergy of the deanery, to see that they fulfill the
orders of the bishop, and observe the liturgical and canon laws. He summons the
conference of the deanery and presides at it. Periodically he makes a report to the bishop
on conditions in the deanery”. This study will use the word „deanery to refer to the 13
subdivisions of the Catholic Diocese of Machakos headed by the deans.
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Laity:
The term laity according to the Catholic dictionary means “the body of the
faithful, outside of the ranks of the clergy. It is the body of the faithful with no ranks as
the clergy”. In the study it will refer to the worshipping community of the faithful who
help and support the clergy in the work of evangelization through the annual Diocesan
contribution.
Summary
Chapter one has presented the different parts of the study. The statement of the
problem has been stated and the purpose of the study. The research objectives have been
set and the purpose of undertaking the research. Further, the assumptions, limitations and
delimitations, scope of the study, significance of the study and the definition of the key
words as they are used in the research have been systematically introduced. The next
chapter presents the literature review. The theoretical framework, empirical literature, and
the conceptual framework are presented.
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CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
Introduction
In the previous chapter, different parts of the study have been dealt with. They
included the statement of the problem, the purpose of the study, the research objectives
and the purpose of undertaking the research. Further, the assumptions, limitations and
delimitations, scope and the significance of the study have been dealt with. Finally the
key terms to be used in this study have been defined. This chapter reviews relevant
literature by other authors in the form of books, journals, working papers and other
studies that have been done on the exploration of other communication strategies other
than radio and newsletter that enhance church fundraising.
Theoretical Framework
In any research work, a theory or theories guide the research work. This study was
guided by the dialogic theory of fundraising. This is because the theory brings in the
concept of communication as a dialogue between two parties.
Dialogic Theory of Fundraising
The dialogic theory of fundraising was developed by Pearson (1989) and further
expanded by Kent and Taylor (1998, 2002) in response to the recent theoretical shift to
the relational approach to public relations theory development (Bruning & Ledingham,
2000). The theory argues that organizations should be willing to interact with publics in
honest and ethical ways in order to create effective organization-public communication
channels (Kent, Taylor, & White, 2003). Here the organization tries to create a platform
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communication. When people get into the process of communication, then they are
exchanging ideas. Kent and Taylor define dialogue as “any negotiated exchange of ideas
and opinions” (Kent & Taylor, 1998, p. 325). In this process of communication or
exchange of ideas, the sender must encode the message (the information being conveyed)
into a form that is appropriate to the communication channel, and the receiver(s) then
decodes the message to understand its meaning and significance. Misunderstanding can
occur at any stage of the communication process. The sender of the message seeks for the
understanding of his/her message by the receiver.
Dialogic Theory of Public Relations
This theory was first applied to organizational communication and public relations
theory by Pearson. His research agenda to develop a more ethical framework for public
relations theory and practice was cut short by his untimely death in 1989. Pearson‟s
efforts were expanded by Botan, using dialogue to elevate publics to the status of
communication equal with the organizations.
As a first step toward articulating a public relations theory of dialogue, Kent and
Taylor (2002) developed five overarching tenets that encompass the implicit and explicit
assumptions that underlie the concept of dialogue. The tenets are mutuality, or the
recognition of organization–public relationships; propinquity, or the temporality and
spontaneity of interactions with publics; empathy, or the supportiveness and confirmation
of public goals and interests; risk, or the willingness to interact with individuals and
publics on their own terms; and commitment, or the extent to which an organization gives
itself over to dialogue, interpretation, and understanding in its interactions with publics
(Kent & Taylor, 2002). This gives a deep explanation as to how various organizations
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build strong relationships with its publics. It is of great importance that the publics must
understand the mission of the organization. This means what the organization wants to do
to the publics and it is only then the publics can freely interact with the organization
seeking for funds/donations. After a clear understanding between the organization and the
publics, then they (publics/donors) can freely choose to support the organization or not. In
the efforts of linking the organizations and discerning donors, fund raisers must be open
honest, and forthcoming with information to ensure a good match of objectives (Rosso &
Temple, 2003). This means that organizations must tell the truth to donors when reporting
on the effectiveness of the interventions they funded. This strengthens the relationship
between the organization and the donors and builds trust.
Although it involves more work and risk, dialogue can lead to greater
organizational rewards in the form of increased public support, enhanced image and
reputation, and decreased governmental interference. For publics, dialogue can mean
increased organizational accountability, a greater say in organizational operations, and
increased public satisfaction (Kent & Taylor, 2002). Dialogue between an organization
and its publics helps to build and engender trust. That trust build is viewed as a
precondition for positive relationships between that organization and its publics and it
allows dialogue to create mutual understanding. On the part of the organization that seeks
funds from the donors, this dialogue increases donor retention. This is because the donor
is updated on the use of the funds and the execution of the mission of the organization.
Using public relations as an analytical tool, Kelly (1991) grounded fundraising
within the paradigm of public relations using Grunig and Hunt‟s (1984) four models of
public relations.These theories have guided practitioners to become better and more
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ethical in their field.These models are press agentry, public information model, two way
asymmetrical, and two way symmetrical.
As set forth by Grunig and Hunt (1984), centering attention on publics as the
bases for stakeholder relations, differentiation between the four models is contingent on
the purpose and direction of the organizational communication patterns (Kelly, 1998).
For example, with two-way asymmetrical public relations, the organization uses research
to develop messages that are most likely to persuade publics to behave as the
organization wants. An organization that uses the two-way symmetrical model, in
contrast, uses research and dialogue to manage conflict, improve understanding, and
build relationships with publics.
Grunig and Grunig (n.d.) later argued that, because the symmetrical model adapts
the organization to the environment rather than control it, the two-way symmetrical or
dialogic model represents the most effective and most ethical way of conducting public
relations (Leitch & Neilson, 2001). This is because the communication is dialogue not
monologue. Therefore this model is one of the best way an organization can use to
communicate with its publics since it focuses on mutual respect and efforts to achieve
mutual understanding. Further this model relies on honest and open two-way
communication and mutual give-and-take rather than one-way persuasion. The feedback
that the organization gathers is used to change organizational practices. Negotiation,
resolution of conflict, mutual understanding, and mutual respect between the organization
and its publics are the desired results of this model.
As noted earlier, many scholars argue that the practice of public relations is too
complex to force it into four boxes known as the four models of public relations (Cancel
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et al., 1997). The value of understanding fundraising from a public relations perspective is
that it provides fundraising with a conceptual and theoretical home in the behavioral and
social sciences. This enables fund raisers and scholars concerned with fundraising issues
to turn to studies of public relations practice for guidance on the practice (Hall, 2002).
The field of relational communication has considered at length the concept of dialogue as
a framework for thinking about ethical and fulfilling relationships. In public relations
theory, the concept of dialogue as a feature of ethical moral communication predates the
concept of communication by decades (Kent & Taylor, 2002).
General Literature Review
The Role of Communication in Fundraising
Communication is passing on, sharing of information or sharing of ideas between
two parties through a medium. Communications is fundamental to fundraising. Successful
fundraising depends much on what messages an organization gives to its publics in an
effort to persuade them to identify with its cause. The message links the fundraiser and
the donor and acknowledgment of the latter by the former helps to shape the message.
Understanding the Audience and its Needs
According to Boundless, “an effective and successful communication demands
that the source understands who the audience is, their characteristics, environment, age,
gender, education level, religion, language and culture, group membership and their
needs”. This must be the case whether the audience is a beneficiary or a donor. Also the
source of the communication must know him/herself – his/her capabilities, and what he
can offer to meet the needs of the people he desires to reach. The knowledge of the
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audience and self- combine to shape the content of the message the source intents to send
to the audience and they also determine the nature of the feedback since communication is
two way. Good communication is always a two way process if the source and the
recipient are to reach understanding and influence each other. All the efforts towards this
understanding and influence begin with the source (fundraiser) in the organization. He is
to craft the message properly in order to reach the receiver in order that he responds
effectively to the message.
It is imperative therefore for the fundraiser to learn as much as possible about the
donor, and it is also his duty to tell the donor about himself, his purpose of being, and why
he is asking for funds. He must also be able to tell the donor how the funds will be used.
In all these, communication is imperative. Its importance does not go to the audience
only, it also helps the donor to understand the fundraiser and without such an interaction
there is always the likelihood of misunderstanding and misinterpretation. The needs of the
fundraiser are different from that of the donor and therefore the fundraiser must try to
persuade the donor and understand his problems. These calls for effective communication
to enable the fundraiser persuade the donor. NGOs connect news notes that “by
communicating effectively, a donor will see you as a reliable and trusted partner and may
become both an important advocate for your organization and instrumental in sustaining
its long-term financial health. Building a strong relationship through open, two-way
communication is key to making this a reality. The confidence people have in an
organization has a great deal to do with their loyalty to it and their willingness to support
it”.
Persuasive Communication
Defining persuasion
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Adler and Rodman (2003) defined persuasion as the process of motivating
someone, through communication to change a particular belief, attitude, or behavior. This
definition emphasizes the concept of change. The concept of change suggests that
outcomes move from one static point. Seeking to clarify terms, Dugan (2003) pointed out
that inducing a change in behavior is called compliance, inducing a change in attitude is
called persuasion and inducing a change in belief is called either education or propaganda.
This brings in the issue of influence suggesting capacity to bring about change. That
change may affect beliefs, attitudes, or behaviors, but we are particularly interested here
in changes in behavior brought about because beliefs or attitudes have been
modified."Johnsons (1994) defined persuasion as a transactional process among two or
more persons whereby the management of symbolic meaning reconstructs reality,
resulting in voluntary change in belief, attitudes, and or behavior. The transactional
concept leads to the voluntary action by the audience.
O‟Keefe (2002, p. 5) defined persuasion as “a successful intentional effort at
influencing another‟s mental state through communication in a circumstance in which the
persuadee has some measure of freedom. This definition resonates with the concept of
conscious effort or intent emphasizing that communication is only persuasive if there is a
conscious effort.
On his part, Johnstone (1994, p. 7) pointed out that “persuasion is not uni-
directional, it is not one thing one person does to another ,rather persuasion involves a
flow of continual shaping and meaning among two or more persons, in which the intended
target of the message influences the sender of the persuasive message”. This is based on
persuasion as a process and not an event. To support this, Adler and Rodman
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(2003, p. 418) pointed out that when persuasion is successful “it generally succeeds over
time, in increment, and usually small increment at that”.
Reasons for Giving
People give to fundraising for different reasons. An old axiom to emphasize one of
the curved in stone principles of fundraising states that “people do not give to causes.
They give to people with causes”. One can add to this piece of wisdom “people do not
simply give because the organization needs money. These are both guidelines for
fundraisers. Contributors are moved to give by the urgency of the community‟s needs.
They also give because they respect the organization‟s commitment to carry out
programmes that address the needs that are central to their concern” (Rosso, 1991, p. 52).
Fundraising is based on marketing principles and an exchange of values. In this
voluntary exchange, the contributor offers something of value to the organization without
any expectation of material return. Reasons for making contributions are many. These
include creating a sense of belonging, recognition, satisfaction in support of a worthy
cause, making a difference in the community, and a sense of ownership in a programme
that serves the public good. (Sprinkel-Grace 1991, p. 85).
Because the needs emphasized in fundraising should be those of the community it
is serving and not those of the organization, donor education relationship building is
required. Fundraising is therefore is more about relationships than money. Philanthropy is
about relationships. In relationship building, fundraisers must travel the distance from
awareness to understanding, to involvement, and finally to commitment if they are to
become.
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Factors to Consider in Fundraising
There are different factors to consider in fundraising. According to Rosso
(1991),”organizations in the non-profit sector come into being to respond to some human
need. This need becomes the organizations reason for its existence. Therefore asking for
funds is legitimized when an organization fulfills the human need based on the shared
values of the society or of a section of the society”. The mission of the organization which
spells clearly why the organization exists should guide it to accomplish its work to the
society. If an organization has no mission, then it will be difficult to it to serve the people
and bring some change to the society. Therefore given the technicality of human
relationships in fundraising, there are principles that govern successful fundraising. These
principles are as follows:
People
Fundraising is about people supporting to achieve an organizations objectives
(Cuthbert, 1995). Both sets of people are so important for fundraising. Without taking
care of the two sets, then the objectives can never be met. Maxwell (2003) pointed out
that at the very heart of fundraising are people. People need to be informed and get
involved in what the organization wants to do. Kiiru (2004, p. 111) pointed out that “the
more the audience is involved in the design of the purpose of the communication, the
more desirable will be the response”. This is true because people come to understand the
needs of the organization and get involved towards contributing to it.
Long term relationships
Human beings are social and so crave for interaction with others. When human
beings interact with others, it‟s only then they learn about the world, themselves and even
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about their destiny. In fundraising, building long term relationships is the most important
cultivation activity that can be employed in fundraising resources for an organization. The
connection with others enables one to reach full potential and strengthen the soul. Azim
and Harvey (2005) noted that “giving promotes social connection and these connections
provide you with greater personal security. Giving reduces self-centeredness. It makes
one more connected to others thus reducing fear and isolation” (p. 13). The ability to
communicate, to develop long term relationships between fundraisers and donors provide
the model for the most effective fundraising. This development of long term relationship
with donors makes them feel involved in the work of the organization. They need to see
that what they do makes a difference.
Communication
Communication is the means by which people come to build these long term
relationships. Tobin (1995) asserted that “effective communication is critical to effective
fundraising” (p. 61). This communication starts with the first contact and goes on to
ensure multiple gifts and the long term commitment of the donor to the cause. The degree
of the personal touch in the process of communication increases the strength of the bond
and the commitment of the donor.
Finding meaning, fulfillment and happiness in life
According to Azim and Harvey (2005), “all people want to achieve meaning,
fulfillment and happiness. Such longings come not only from being self-centered, but
rather from making a difference and giving happiness to others” (p. 20).Concerning this,
the authors give the example of Mother Teresa by saying that “She found fulfillment
when she helped change the expression on dying people‟s faces from distress and fear to
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calmness and serenity. By giving herself to others, she made their undeniable pain a little
easier to bear”.
When one treats others as he/she would like be treated, then one is builds with
love and care and he or she gains happiness and satisfaction. In the giving process, one
has to be passionate about it in order to get that fulfillment, happiness and meaning
Donor value
The driving force behind professional fundraising is giving the donor full value.
As pointed out in Standard Business Review (2003), people‟s interest to support a
charitable organization becomes greater when the request is presented as economic
transaction rather than an act of charity. The responsibility of the fundraiser is to
understand the donor‟s value and fulfill it. Barnett (2002) advocated that fundraisers
should care for and develops a bond with the donor and nothing that might damage or
jeopardizes that bond should be allowed. He said that each activity is geared towards
making sure donors know they are important, valued, and considered. This has the effect
of maximizing funds per donor in the long run.
Integrity
When building long term relationships, integrity is critical to fundraising. Mamo
(2005, p.16) brought out the importance of trust in building relationships with donors. He
points out that, “a trust relationship requires both parties to have confidence in others
character, strength and truthfulness. Such confidence develops over time and cannot be
rushed”. The fundraiser has to be truthful at all times. The need to persuade people can
create pressure to tell partial truths or to claim more for the organization than is the case
(Sprinkle 1991, p. 185).
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Communication Strategies and Fundraising
According to Boran (2006), communication is the transmission of a message from
a source to a receiver and when expressed in terms of the basic elements of the
communication process, communication occurs when a receiver sends a message through
a medium to a receiver producing some effects (p. 5). This process requires that the two
parties understand each other. This is shown by sending the feedback to the other party
involved in this process of communication. Communication, when it is done well, benefits
both the recipient and the sender. Therefore, in the process of communication to increase
fundraising means communicating the best message, through the right channels, measured
against well-considered organizational and communications-specific goals. This also
helps so much in building and maintaining relationships between the organization and the
donor.
Empirical Literature Review
A study was done by Babatope, and Olufemi, (2014) on the “Assessment of the
use of radio and other means of information dissemination by the residents of Ado- Ekiti,
Ekiti-State, Nigeria”. The study adopted a descriptive research design and questionnaires
were the instrument used to illicit information from the respondents. The sampled
population was one hundred and twenty residents of Ado-Ekiti (120), selected to
participate in the study using simple random sampling technique while the collected data
was analyzed using tables, bar chart, simple percentage and frequency count, mean and
standard deviation. Findings revealed that radio was the most important instrument in
dissemination of information to larger percentage of the people irrespective of their
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location. This result was corroborated by Omenesa (1997). This may be as a result of the
fact that radio is very cheap and portable.
The study further revealed that the cost of accessing information on radio was
cheap and that the information reached larger percentage of the people irrespective of
their location. On the most accessible, affordable and usable in facilitating access to
information among the residents of Ado-Ekiti revealed radio is the most accessible and
usable in accessing information by the residents of Ado-Ekiti followed by mobile phone,
television, newspaper, social network, DST and other cable television and Internet. The
findings corroborate the findings of Kakade (2013) and Ariyo et al. (2013) which showed,
that the respondents have different degree of accessibility to radio, television, telephone,
Internet, and newspaper/ bulletin. Radio was found to be more accessible and also the
major source of agricultural technologies to the farmers.
Temmel (2014) observed that Internet is becoming more and more important for
nearly everybody as it is one of the newest and most forward looking media and surely
the medium of the future. Ability to disseminate and promote one‟s research work is an
important component of managing and communicating health information. By
disseminating information, an organization can reach members of its target audience and
have a greater impact on policy and have greater impact on policy and programming.
Looking at the role of social media in broadcasting Laad and Lewis (2012) opined
that social media has evolved far beyond an optional form of communication. It presents a
wealth of new and accessible communication platforms and presents the possibility of
reaching more people with more relevant messages than ever before. It sets the
precedence for today‟s need for instant information in a crisis situation, as it inherently
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provokes transparency in communication in near real time to be disseminated to
shareholders. It prompts discussion, debate and feedback from those involved in the crisis
as responders, victims and organizational leaders, be they politicians or owners.
Social network is a new tool of modern communication and information
dissemination most especially among the youths who have seen going online as part of
their daily routine. Some post pictures, comments on national and international issues,
others pass information on their social life such as birth of a new child, notification of
marriage ceremony.
Recent social network sites are increasingly being used to disseminate business
information by various companies and organizations. They use these networks to market
their products by placing their adverts on Facebook because of the increasing number of
people using these sites daily. Today even the nonprofit organizations are turning to these
social platforms for easy communication and effectiveness. Organizations can easily
communicate with their publics and use the feedback to modify their products or serve
their client
The Connection between Public Relations and Fundraising
Since fundraising and public relations seek to build mutually beneficial
relationships between organizations and their key stakeholders, the two fields might be
able to learn from each other and adapt each other‟s best models and practices (Hall,
2002). Public relations is defined as the „„management function that establishes and
maintains mutually beneficial relationships between an organization and the publics on
whom its success or failure depends‟‟ (Cutlip, Center, & Broom, 1994, p. 6). A leading
authority in public relations and fundraising defined fundraising as “the management of
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relationships between a charitable organization and its publics‟‟ (Kelly, 1998, p. 8).
Vastly different from previous definitions, which concentrated on the marketing of the
organization and its programs to potential donors, many philanthropic scholars
Conceptual Framework
According to Maxwell (2013), conceptual framework is a tentative theory of the
phenomenon to be studied. It helps the researcher to assess and refine goals, and develop
realistic and relevant research questions as well as select appropriate methods that will
identify the potential validity of conclusions. This study will have independent variables.
Pedhazur and Schmelkin (1991) stated that “independent variable is the pressure cause
whereas dependent variable is the presumed effect” (p. 177).
In this study, the communication strategies are the independent variables while
church fundraising is the dependent variable. The communication strategies are seen to
enhance church fundraising depending on their application and this can translate to giving
more donations or support to the church by the donors. Therefore, the dependent variable
is the consequence of the factors contained in the independent variable. The independent
variable (communication strategies) is measured by the media used, the coverage area and
its availability (affordable) to the people. The dependent variable in this study does not
only mean monetary contributions. It also means material donations, volunteering or
service rendering to the people. It is from this perspective that it is measured.
The conceptual framework should also have the intervening variables. These are
the processes that may not be directly seen but have an effect on the way the independent
variables will affect the dependent variables. Therefore, these intervening variables can
either enable the relationship between the independent and dependent variables or
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adversely affect it. For example in this study there are some intervening variables that
affect the contribution of the laity like awareness, ignorance, geographical location (arid
or semi-arid places), education, leadership, the medium used to pass the message to the
laity, and the faith of the people among others.
Conceptual Framework of the Study
Communication strategies Church fundraising
Indicators
Type of media used
Coverage area Effectiveness Affordable
Indicators
Monetary donations
Material donations
Volunteer donations
Awareness
Level of knowledge laity have
on supporting the church.
Figure 2.1: Conceptual Framework of the study
Source: Researcher (2016)
The above diagram shows how the independent variable influences the dependent
variable and how the intervening variable (awareness) relates to the dependent variable.
Summary
Chapter two reviewed different research literature from previous studies and gave
a general overview of the topic on communication strategies that enhance church
fundraising. It also gave theoretical and conceptual framework upon which the study is
based. The next chapter dealt with the research methodology. The sections covered
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included; research design that guided the study, the population of the study and sample to
be studied. Other areas include sample size, sampling techniques, data collection
instruments and procedures, pretesting, data analysis and ethical considerations.
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CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Introduction
This chapter presents the research framework within which the study was
grounded. Here, the researcher presents the research design, population, target population,
the sample size, sampling techniques, data collection instruments, data collection
procedures, pre-testing research instruments, data analysis plan, and the ethical
considerations.
Research Design
Chadran (2004) named four types of research design which are observatory,
descriptive, exploratory and experimental. This study adopted a descriptive research
design. According to Nangeswara (2014) “a descriptive study is one in which information
is collected without changing the environment (i.e., nothing is manipulated). It is used to
obtain information concerning the current status of the phenomena to describe what exists
with respect to variables or conditions in a situation”. Descriptive studies are primarily
concerned with finding out "what is". This research involved gathering data that described
events and then organized, tabulated, depicted, and described the data collected.
Population
Babbie (2004) noted that, population is the theoretically specified aggregation of
study elements from which the sample is selected. The research population for this study
consisted of the 206 diocesan clergy and the 2,924,000.00 laity in the Catholic Diocese of
Machakos.
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Target Population
The target population is a set of elements considered for selection. When dealing
with people, it can be defined as a set of respondents (people) selected from a larger
population for the purpose of a survey (Babbie, 2004). For this research, the target
population was made of 13 deaneries in the Catholic Diocese of Machakos. Each deanery
has a maximum of six parishes. The deans/fathers in charge, the parish councils and the
laity constituted the target population. This is because the deans/ the fathers in charge and
the parish councils are the people on the grounds who mobilize the laity to give for all
church related activities and the laity is the people who contribute church support.
Sample Size
All the parishes in the Catholic Diocese of Machakos were considered from the
four categories (A special, A, B and C) according to their levels of financial participation.
Category A special is the group that gives the highest contribution (Kshs 2 million and
above), then follows A (Kshs 1.5 million and above). Category B (Kshs 1 million and
above) and C (Kshs 750,000 and above). Therefore, in every category, the researcher got
two parishes to represent the rest of the parishes in that category as the sample size
population for this study. Two fathers in charge of those selected parishes were
considered in the sample therefore 8 fathers in charge were selected. Then the parish
councils of those parishes were selected to represent other parishes in that particular
category, therefore 8 parish councils were chosen. The researcher got two small Christian
communities from each selected parish to represent the laity and so 16 small Christian
communities were chosen. These are the people who contribute towards the church
support. Some of these families are very poor, others average and some rich. This means
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that the study‟s sample size was made of eight parishes that were represented by 8 fathers
in charge, eight parish councils, and 16 small Christian communities.
Simple Random Sampling
The sampling technique that was used in this research is simple random sampling.
Christians were purposively targeted were randomly selected for the filling in of the
questionnaires. This implies that respondents from each purposively selected small group
were selected randomly hence giving all the Christians in the Catholic Diocese of
Machakos an equal and free chance to respond to the questionnaires. In order to have a
representative sample, the number of respondents from each selected category depended
on the total population of the targeted Christians. This implied that the clusters with the
highest number of Christians had more participants than the others.
Data Collection Instruments
The instruments used to collect primary data were the questionnaires. Initially, the
researcher had assumed to use question guide for the focus groups but when he went to
the field, it did not work and so used the questionnaires only. This is because the focus
groups did not turn up. The questionnaires had both open and closed ended questions. The
questionnaires were used to obtain the primary data. For the secondary data, the
researcher used different types of secondary resources. These included books, academic
journals, magazines, published reports and the internet. These secondary materials
contributed to the theoretical literature of the study topic.
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Types of Data
There are two types of data; primary and secondary data. Primary data was
collected directly from the sources such as the respondents or in the field where the data
was available. On the other hand, secondary data was collected from the library, books,
reports and other publications. This study used both primary and secondary data. Primary
data was obtained from the questionnaires while the secondary data was collected from
reports, books and other publications.
Data collection Instruments
The data collection method used in this study was the administration of
questionnaires to the respondents. The questionnaires had both open and closed ended
questions. They were administered to the Deans/Fathers in charge, parish councils and
small Christian communities. The small Christian communities were dealt with separately
from the parish councils since the two have different interests.
Data Collection Procedures
The data collection procedures for this study involved administration of
questionnaires to the selected sample population. These were the deans/Fathers in charge,
parish councils and the laity (small Christian communities). They were administered
during the priests in the different deaneries. Questions were relevant to their respective
parish councils and the small Christian communities. In order to avoid biasness, the
researcher used a senior catechist to distribute the questionnaires. This is because the
researcher was a priest from the diocese of Machakos.
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Pretesting
The pre-testing of the research instruments was done in the catholic diocese of
Kitui which has the same annual diocesan collection event as Machakos diocese. The
diocese has 26 parishes that are divided in six deaneries. Five of the deaneries have 4
parishes and one deanery has six parishes. Each parish has a parish committee that works
hand in hand with the Father in charge in matters of running the diocese and fundraising.
The parishes also have the small Christian communities and the number depends on the
vastness of the parish or the population of the Christians. The researcher visited only one
parish called Kavatini and distributed his 26 questionnaires among the parish council
members and the members of the small Christian communities. He did this randomly with
the assistance of the parish catechist. The questionnaires were filled up and returned.
Therefore the researcher met with the priests at their monthly diocesan meeting and
distributed the questionnaires randomly. The parish priest also filled his questionnaire and
returned. The purpose of doing this was to check the response of the respondents and if it
was satisfactory to the Christians of the Catholic Diocese of Machakos. Out of the
responses, the respondents indicated that the questionnaire had many questions and that
they should be made less and the researcher reduced them from 30 to 22. They also
expressed the need to simplify the language and the researcher did so. There was also an
issue of redundancy and the researcher corrected.
Data Analysis Plan
The researcher used mixed data analysis approach. The quantitative data analysis
involved measuring the numerical values from which descriptions involving the mean
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and standard deviations were made. Data analysis was made utilizing SPSS version 16.0.
The data presentation was in form of pie charts, bar graphs, and descriptive tables.
Ethical Considerations
The researcher for this study is an ordained minister for the Catholic diocese of
Machakos. Therefore, being part of the diocese made the researcher put into consideration
the following ethical issues: deception, anonymity, and physical or psychological harm.
According to Mugenda and Mugenda (1999),”Ethics is a branch of philosophy
which deals with social conduct and serves as a guide to one‟s behavior and in the context
of our field we need to know that researchers are people concerned about people‟s quality
of life and so must be people of integrity not undertaking research for personal gain or
research that has negative effects on others” (p. 190). The ethical considerations in this
research included;
Deception: This is an act of the researcher lying to the respondents why he/she is
undertaking the research and what is involved in in that study. According to Mugenda and
Mugenda (1999) “deception is cheating the respondents on the nature and the reason for
carrying out the research” (p. 190). In this study, the nature and the purpose of the
research was communicated to the participants. This enabled the researcher to involve the
respondents and get the right information intended for the study.
Anonymity: This means that the researcher hides the identity of the respondents.
Mugenda and Mugenda (1999) noted that, “the researcher discloses the information given
but hides the identity of the respondents unless they permit the researcher to do so” (p.
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191). Therefore in this study, the researcher did not disclose the name even location of the
respondents unless permitted by the respondents.
Physical and psychological harm: This refers to hurting or causing discomfort to the
respondents. According to Mugenda and Mugenda (1999) no harm should be caused to
the respondents either by “asking them embarrassing questions, expressing shock or
disgust in the process of collecting the data, using threatening questions or forcing people
to say something they don‟t believe in or cause fear and anxiety among respondents or
worse enough making them remember unpleasant occurrences that are against their will,
causing a lot of discomfort and resentment” (p. 192). This was very much observed in this
research.
Summary
This chapter has dealt with the descriptive research design that was used in this
study. The population and the target population have been described. The data collection
instruments that were used in this research have been identified as questionnaires. The
data collection procedures have been dealt with as well.
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CHAPTER FOUR
DATA PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS, AND INTERPRETATION
Introduction
This chapter analyzes and presents data collected on the communication strategies
other than newsletter and radio that enhance church fundraising in the catholic diocese of
Machakos. It also gives the interpretation of the data. Data was collected using the
questionnaire for the priest, a questionnaire for Christian small groups and a questionnaire
for parish committees. Data from the three questionnaires were analyzed using SPSS.
Presentation, Analysis and Interpretation
Response Rate
Response rate refers to the percentage of questionnaires returned over those
administered. A total of 94 questionnaires were sent out and 88 were returned fully
completed. Eight questionnaires were given to priests, another eight were given to the
parish committees and 78 questionnaires were given to small Christian group members
but only six were not returned. The response rate was 91.4%. According to Mugenda and
Mugenda (2003) data are used for generation when the respondents‟ rate exceeds 50%
which is the minimum acceptable rate for any analysis.
Demographic Data
Gender Distribution among the Small Christian Groups
This study sought to find out the gender distribution among the respondents. From
the findings presented in Table 4.1, 55.6% of the respondents were female, while 44.4%
were male. This showed that there were significantly more female than male respondents.
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This implied that the findings represented the views of both female and male Christians of
the Machakos Diocese.
Table 4.1 : Gender Distribution
Cumulative
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Percent
Valid Male 32 44.4 44.4 44.4
Female 40 55.6 55.6 100.0
Total 72 100.0 100.0
Age
The findings in Figure 4.1 indicate that, 13.89% of the respondents were 40 years
old and above. Those in the age bracket of 31 to 40 years were 34.72%. Those aged 26-30
years were 29.17% and those in the age bracket of 15-25 were 22.22%. These findings
showed that the majority of the respondents were below 40 years. This echoed the African
Youth Charter‟s definition of the youth, which is those aged between 15-35 meaning that
most of the respondents were youthful (AYC, 2014).
Figure 4.1: Respondents’ Age Distribution
Marital Status of the Respondents
This study tried to find out the marital status of the respondents. Findings in Table
4.2 indicated that majority (40.3%) of the respondents were married. Those separated and
divorced represented 8.23% and 23.6% respectively. Respondents who were widowed
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and single represented 4.2% and 23.6% respectively. These findings implied that majority
of the respondents had a high level of maturity.
Table 4.2 : Marital Status
Valid Cumulative
Frequency Percent Percent Percent
Valid Married 29 40.3 40.3 40.3
Separated 6 8.3 8.3 48.6
Widowed 3 4.2 4.2 52.8
Single 17 23.6 23.6 76.4
Divorced 17 23.6 23.6 100.0
Total 72 100.0 100.0
Respondents‟s Occupation Status
This study sought to find out respondents occupation status. The findings in Table
4.3 deduced that 11.1% of the respondents were students, 48.6% were employed, and
16.7% were employer while 34.7% of the respondents had no jobs. From these findings,
those who were employed and the employers represented 54.2% of the total population.
This showed that Christians in the Catholic Diocese of Machakos have income and can
contribute to the financial needs of their diocese.
Table 4.3 : Respondents’ Occupation
Valid Cumulative
Frequency Percent Percent Percent
Valid Student 8 11.1 11.1 11.1
Employed 27 37.5 37.5 48.6
Employer 12 16.7 16.7 65.3
Jobless 25 34.7 34.7 100.0
Total 72 100.0 100,0
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Earning of the Respondents
This study was also out to find earning status of the respondents. Findings in
Figure 4.2 revealed that those who earn between KSH1, 000 and 10,000 represented 52.8
%, those with income between KSH 11,000-20,000 represented 6.9 %, while those who
earned KSH 21,000 and above represented 31.9 % of the respondents. A small number
8.3% of the respondents reported not having an income at all. This implied that the
Christians in Machakos Catholic Diocese are economically stable.
Figure 4.2: Earnings of the Respondents
Education
This study also tried to find out the education status of the respondents. The data
in Figure 4.3 Indicated that the Catholic Diocese of Machakos had an educated audience.
This was justified by 44.4% with a secondary education, 23.6% with an undergraduate
level, 11.1% with a graduate education, and 13.9% with a professional education. Those
with primary and no formal education represented 4.2% and 2.8% respectively of the
sample
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Figure 4.3: Education
Education versus Earnings
To investigate more on the earnings of the respondents, the study sought to find
out education versus earnings. Education was clustered into six categories. The first
category was those with primary education, the second category was made of those with
secondary school education, then followed by those with undergraduate education and
graduate respectively, and the two last categories were professional education and those
without formal education. Earnings were categorised into four clusters. There were those
with income below KES10000, those from KES 11000 to KES 20000, those who earn
KES 21000 and above, and those without income.
The findings in Table 4.4 Indicated that majority of the respondents earned
between KES1000 and KES10000 and constituted the majority (52.7%). Those with
secondary education represented a higher percentage in this category. The second
category of givers was those who make KES11000 to KES 20000. This group scored
5.9% of the respondents and those with primary and secondary education dominate. The
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findings further indicated that the third category of those who gave KES 21,000 and
above constituted 31.9% of the respondents and those with undergraduate, graduate and
professional education led in this category. Those without income represented 8.3% of
the respondents and shockingly, respondents with secondary, undergraduate and graduate
led in this cluster, too.
These findings deduced that formal education alone could not guarantee the
sustainability of the funds in the church. It was obvious that in all the categories, both
educated and non-educated were almost equally represented and higher income was not a
result of higher formal education. This, also, justified the need for the church to invest in
the members at all sectors of life in order to ensure the sustainability of the church‟s
activities.
Table 4.4: Cross-tabulation Education versus Earning
Counts Earnings Total
KES1,00 KES11,000 KES No Income
0-10,000 -20,000 21,000 and
above
Education PS 3 0 0 0 3
SS 22 3 4 3 32
UG 6 2 7 2 17
G 1 0 6 1 8
Professiona 4 0 6 0 10 l
NFE 2 0 0 0 2
Total 38 5 23 6 72 Keys: PS (Primary School), SS (Secondary School), UG (Undergraduate), G (Graduate),
NFE (No formal education)
Mission of the Catholic Church
This study sought to find out the mission of Catholic Church in Machakos. The
data presented in Table 4.5 indicated that majority (58.3 %) of the respondents
considered the mission of the Catholic Diocese of Machakos to be evangelization,
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another 36.1% considered the mission to be spiritual development, while 5.6% of the
respondents said the Catholic Church‟s mission was preaching. This was in tandem with
the clergy of the Catholic Church in the diocese of Machakos who affirmed the same
perceptions.
Table 4.5: Mission of the Catholic Church in Machakos
Valid Frequency Percent Valid Cumulative
Percent Percent
Evangelization 42 58.3 58.3 58.3
Spiritual 26 36.1 36.1 94.4
development
Preaching 4 5.6 5.6 100.0
Total 72 100.0 100.0
Findings on Communication Channels Used to Inform Members
Sources of Information on Fundraising
Respondents were asked from which communication channel they got
information on fundraising.
Table 4.6: Sources of Convincing Information on Fundraising
Frequency Percent
Radio 43 38.4 Newsletter 33 29.5
Bishops messages 11 9.8
Not applicable 23 15.0
No response 8 7.3
From data in Table 4.6 respondents indicated that radio was for Christians
(38.4%) the main source of information about fundraising followed by the newsletter
(29.5%). There were 15% who did not indicate a source of information and 7.3% who
gave no response. From these findings it could be seen that the sources of convincing
information on fundraising in Machakos Diocese was both mass media and interpersonal
communication channels. This is because the bishops circulars/messages were discussed
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by the bishop and the Deans, then sent to fathers in charge who further discussed it in the
parish level with the parish committees then come up with resolutions on the modalities
on how to contribute the funds. Finally the allocations set were discussed in the small
Christian groups and a decision reached on the way to contribute the funds.
Respondents were asked if the messages on fundraising reached them directly or
indirectly. Data from Table 4.7 indicated that 68.1% of the respondents got the messages
on fundraising directly while 31.9% got the messages indirectly/ from others. These
findings revealed that the newsletter and the radio were still effective, but other
communication channels were needed to reach the 31.9% who received the messages
indirectly to avoid issues of message distortion.
Table 4.7: Messages Directly or Indirectly
Valid Cumulative
Frequency Percent Percent Percent
Valid Directly 49 68.1 68.1 68.1
Indirectly 23 31.9 31.9 100.0
Total 72 100.0 100.0
Current Fundraising Communication Channels Effectiveness
Respondents were asked whether the newsletter and the radio were effective. Data
from Table 4.8 revealed that majority (59.7%) of the respondents believed the current
fundraising communication channels were effective while 40.3% of them did not believe
it. While 59.7% of the respondents were satisfied with the communication channels,
40.3% justified the need for new communication channels with regard to fundraising in
Machakos Catholic Diocese. These findings were in tandem with Omenesa‟s (1997)
study, which revealed that radio was the most important instrument in dissemination of
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information to larger percentage of the people irrespective of their location. Also, in this
study in Nigeria, radio was found to be more affordable and usable in facilitating access
to information among the residents of Ado-Ekiti.
Table 4.8: Fundraising Communication Channels Effectiveness
Valid Cumulative
Frequency Percent Percent Percent
Valid Yes 43 59.7 59.7 59.7
No 29 40.3 40.3 100.0
Total 72 100.0 100.0
New Communication Channels for Fundraising
This study sought to find out other communication channels that could be used by
the Diocese of Machakos for fundraising in conjunction with the traditional newsletter
and the radio. The findings in Table 4.9 indicated that respondents considered SMS alone
controlled 45.1 % of the opinions followed by social media in general with 39.4 %. Other
communication channels suggested by the respondents were WhatsApp and Facebook
with 5.6% each, and e-mails with 4.2% of the opinions. These findings indicated that the
Christians in the Catholic Diocese of Machakos were aware of new communication
platforms and therefore the church could consider this as an avenue for communicating
fundraising messages. Also, the findings implied that majority of the respondents owned a
mobile phone but also, these findings indicated that the laity were using Facebook,
WhatsApp, and social media in general.
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Table 4.9: New Communication Channels
Valid Cumulative
Frequency Percent Percent Percent
Valid SMS 32 44.4 45.1 45.1
WhatsApp 4 5.6 5.6 50.7
Facebook 4 5.6 5.6 56.3
e-Mail 3 4.2 4.2 60.6
Social media in 28 38.9 39.4 100.0 general
Total 71 98.6 100.0
Missing System 1 1.4
Total 72 100.0
Response to the Message on Fundraising
This study was also out to investigate the response to the fundraising messages
channelled through the newsletter and the radio. Findings in Figure 4.4 indicated that
84.72% of the respondents positively responded to the call for financial contributions to
the Machakos Catholic Diocese while 11.11% response was negative. Another 4.17%
were neutral.
Figure 4.4: Response to the Fundraising Messages
Gender and Financial Contributions in the Catholic Diocese of Machakos
This study sought to understand the financial contributions in relations to gender.
A cross-tabulation revealed that women were dominant for those who gave between KES
1,000 and 10,000 while their counterparts dominated contributors who gave KES 11,000-
50,000 and KES 51,000 and above. These findings in Table 4.10 deduced that there
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existed a gap between males and females income. These findings were in tandem with the
World Bank report (2015) which argued that women in Sub Saharan Africa earned lower
wages than their male counterparts. This sends a strong message to the Catholic Diocese
of Machakos on their economic empowerment programs which should target females in
order to create the balance in their income level, given that women represent the majority
of the congregants, their economic empowerment could significantly impact the
fundraising outcome of the diocese.
Table 4.10: Cross-tabulation: Gender vis-à-vis Financial Contributions
Contributions by Gender
Count
KSH 1,000- KSH 11,000- KSH 51,000
10,000 50,000 and above Other amount 11 Total
Gender Male 23 3 4 2 0 32
Female 32 2 0 5 1 40
Total 55 5 4 7 1 72
Acknowledgment of Donations
This study sought to find out whether the Catholic Diocese of Machakos
acknowledged the funds from its members. The findings in Table 4.11 revealed that, an
overwhelming majority of the respondents (83.3%) said yes while 16.7% of them said no.
This implied that the church gave feedback to the laity on the outcome of the fundraising.
This also implied that the communication channels used were effective.
Table 4.11 : Acknowledgment of Donations
Valid Cumulative
Frequency Percent Percent Percent
Valid Yes 60 83.3 83.3 83.3
No 12 16.7 16.7 100.0
Total 72 100.0 100.0
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Reasons for Giving by the Respondents
This study tried to investigate the reasons behind the acceptance and refusal to
give. Respondents were asked to state how much they strongly agree (SA), agree (A),
disagree (D) and strongly disagree (SD) with the statements. Also, respondents had to
state whether they are neutral (N) with regard to the any statement. The following Table
4.12 gives the outcome of the responses.
Table 4.12: Statements on Reasons for Giving or Not by the Respondents
Statements 5 4 3 2 1 NR Mean
I give because I have money 11.6 8.9 8.0 9.0 57.1 4.5 4.0
I do not give because I do not have 53.6 10.7 8.0 2.7 21.4 3.6 2.3
money (jobless)
I do not give because the church does 35.7 11.6 10.7 6.3 28.6 7.1 2.8
not tell us where the money goes
I do not give because the church is rich 33.9 16.1 8.0 8.0 25.9 8.0 2.7
I do not give because I do not get 57.1 17.0 6.3 0.9 15.2 3.6 2.0
information on church support
I give because I‟m forced by the church 7.1 0.9 8.0 14.3 64.3 5.3 4.3
I do not give because the services given 11.6 2.7 16.1 54.5 0.9 7.1 4.5
by the church are poor
I do not give because the church should 2.7 4.5 6.3 12.5 65.2 8.9
be supporting the laity like missionaries 4.5 and not vice versa
I give because the church is in our hands 4.5 2.7 9.8 9.8 59.8 13.4 4.4
and we should support it
When it came to whether or not what one gave because he or she had money those
who either strongly agreed or agreed were 20.5%, while those who disagreed or strongly
disagreed were 66.1%. Non response was 4.5% and the resulting mean was 4.0. This
meant that the majority of the respondents disagreed with the statement, which implied
that the decision on whether to give or not by the respondents was not determined by the
fact that they had money.
When it came to whether they don‟t give because they were jobless, those who
either strongly agreed or agreed were 64.3% of the respondents while those who
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disagreed or strongly disagreed were 24.1%, while 8% were neutral and 3.6% did not
respond. The resulting mean was 2.3. These findings showed that the majority of the
respondents at least agreed to the statement. This meant that the reason behind Christians
not giving was due to their joblessness. This implied that financial support of the
Christians in Machakos was attributed to the respondents‟ employment status. These
findings were in line with the findings by Kiiru (2010) that Christians don‟t support the
church due to their financial status.
The respondents also expressed their reason why they did not give with regard to
where the money they offered went. Those who either strongly agreed or agreed were
74.1%, while those who disagreed or strongly disagreed were 16.1%, 6.3% were neutral
and 3.6% did not respond. This resulted in a mean of 2.8, which showed that the majority
of the respondents „s decision to give depended on the information provided by the clergy
on the use of their funds. If the church could give feedback on the use of the funds, there
would be likelihood that the church could collect more funds.
Study findings on whether the respondents did not give because the church was
rich recorded a mean of 2.7 with the respondents who either agreed or strongly agreed
being 47.3%. Those who either disagreed or strongly disagreed were 34.9%. Another
10.7% of the respondents gave a neutral rating and 7.1% did not respond. Although most
of the respondents were in agreement with the statement a small percentage disagreed
with the statement. This implied that once respondents were motivated by other factors
than that the church was rich. Further, these findings could imply that respondents were
not giving because the church was rich but rather poor information mechanisms.
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Similarly the respondents expressed whether they gave because they were forced
by the Catholic Diocese of Machakos. Study findings showed that those who either
strongly agreed or agreed to the statement were 14.3% while those who disagreed or
strongly disagreed were 55.4%. Those who did not respond were 7.1% and 16.1% did not
express their position. The resulting mean was 4.5. This implied that the majority of the
respondents disagreed with the statement. This implied that the Catholic Diocese of
Machakos did not force the congregants to give. This could imply, also, that Christians
gave out of their own volition.
Quality of Service
This study sought to find out whether Christians in the Diocese of Machakos did
not give or gave due to the quality of service provided by the church. Findings in Table
4.13 Indicated that those who strongly disagreed and disagreed with the statement
recorded 59.8% and an overwhelming 26% for neutral with regard to this statement. This
implied that the majority of the Christians in the Catholic Diocese of Machakos had high
esteem for the quality of the service provided by the leadership. These findings indicated
that the leadership of the catholic Diocese of Machakos had to improve on the service to
reduce the number of those who are neutral who recorded an overwhelming 36.1%.
Table 4.13: I do not give because the service given is poor
Valid Cumulative Frequency Percent Percent Percent
Valid Strongly 12 16.7 16.7 16.7
Disagree
Disagree 31 43.1 43.1 59.7
Neutral 26 36.1 36.1 95.8
Agree 2 2.8 2.8 98.6
Strongly Agree 1 1.4 1,4 100.0
Total 72 100.0 100.0
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Church versus Laity
This study sought to find out whether Christians in the Catholic Diocese of
Machakos did not give because they believed the church should be supporting the laity or
the other way around. Findings presented in Table 4.14 revealed that 50% of the
respondents either strongly agree or agree with the statement. While 34.8% of the
respondents either strongly disagree or disagree with the statement, only, 15.2% were
neutral with regards to this statement. These findings implied that the Christians in the
Catholic Diocese of Machakos needed to be sensitized on giving. This also signified that
communications channels used by the church in Machakos were not effective and
therefore the need for new communication channels.
Table: 4.14: The Church Should Support the Laity
Valid Cumulative
Frequency Percent Percent Percent
Valid Strongly 13 18.1 18.1 18.1
Disagree
Disagree 12 16.7 16.7 34.7
Neutral 11 15.3 15.3 50.0
Agree 30 41.7 41.7 91.7
Strongly Agree 6 8.3 8.3 100.0
Total 72 100.0 100.0
The respondents were asked to state whether they gave because they believed the
church survival was in their hands. From the findings in Table 4.15, an overwhelming
majority (55%) of the respondents either strongly agreed or agreed against 38% who
either strongly disagreed or disagreed. Another 7% of the respondents did not give their
ratings. This resulted in a mean of 4.4 indicative of the fact that the majority of the
respondents agreed with the statement.
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Table 4.15: I give because the church is in our hands
Valid Cumulative
Frequency Percent Percent Percent
Valid Strongly 1 1.4 1.4 1.4 Disagree
Disagree 26 36.1 36.6 38.0
Neutral 5 6.9 7.0 45.1
Agree 21 29.2 29.6 74.6
Strongly Agree 18 25.0 25.4 100.0
Total 71 98.6 100.0
Missing System 1 1.4
Total 72 100.0
Findings from the Deans and Fathers in Charge of Parishes
Demographics
Age
This study sought to find out how old were the priests, how long they had served
in the catholic church and their perspectives on Diocese‟s newsletter and radio messages
used to create awareness on fundraising in the Catholic diocese of Machakos. The
findings in Figure 4.5 showed that 37.5% of the respondents were aged between 24 and
35 years while 62.5% were between 35 and 65 years of age. This implied that the
majority of the respondents had an experience on the way the Catholic Church in
Machakos does the fundraising.
Figure 4.5: Respondents Age Distribution (Clergy)
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Leaders‟ years of experience in service
This study, sought to find out, how long the respondents had served in the Catholic
Church. Table 4.16 indicated that 25% or two of the respondents had served between one
and five years, 62.5% had been served between five and ten years, and those who had
served more than 11years and above were 12.5% of the respondents. These findings
implied that the respondents were experienced in matters of church fundraising in the
Catholic Diocese of Machakos.
Table 4.16 : Respondents’ Duration in Service
Valid Cumulative
Frequency Percent Percent Percent
Valid 1-5 Years 2 25.0 25.0 25.0
5-10 Years 5 62.5 62.5 87.5
11 and above 1 12.5 12.5 100.0
Total 8 100.0 100.0
Other communication strategies
This study tried also to know which other communication tools could be used in
conjunction with the newsletter and the radio. The findings in Table 4.17 indicated that
50% of the deans and priests consider meetings as avenues for fundraising while 25%
consider seminars as effective communication platforms. WhatsApp and pastoral letters
scored 12.5% respectively. These findings implied that, there was a growing need to use
more communication platforms for fundraising in Machakos Diocese.
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Table 4.17: Other communication strategies
Valid Cumulative
Frequency Percent Percent Percent
Valid Meetings 4 50.0 50.0 50.0
Seminars 2 25.0 25.0 75.0
WhatsApp 1 12.5 12.5 87.5
Pastoral Letters 1 12.5 12.5 100.0
Total 8 100.0 100,0
The U‟WO Strategy Effectiveness
This study sought to find out the effectiveness of the U‟WO Strategy in the
Catholic Diocese of Machakos. The leadership of the church, according to the Table 4.18,
indicated that the newsletter was more effective with 50% approval while radio‟s
effectiveness was approved by 12.5% only. Also, 12.5% of the respondents did not think
the U‟Wo Strategy was effective while 25% of the respondents indicated that U‟Wo
strategy had a great contribution to the fundraising process. These findings deduced that
the newsletter and the radio could continue to be used with the new communications
channels in order to reach a bigger audience.
Table 4.18 : The U’Wo Strategy Effectiveness
Valid Cumulative
Frequency Percent Percent Percent
Valid Newsletter 4 50.0 50.0 50.0
Radio 1 12.5 12.5 62.5
Not very much 1 12.5 12.5 75.0
Great 2 25.0 25.0 100.0
contribution
Total 8 100.0 100.0
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Overuse of the Radio and Newsletter
This study sought to find out if the newsletter and radio were used for long in the
fundraising purposes. The findings in Table 4.19 indicated that 50% of the leaders of the
Catholic Church in Machakos Diocese believed radio and the newsletter had been used
for long in fundraising endeavors. Only, 12.5% of the leaders argue that these
communications channels were moderately used while 37.5% said no when asked
whether the newsletter and the radio were overused by the church. These findings implied
that there was a growing need to use other communication channels for fundraising in the
Catholic Diocese of Machakos.
Table 4.19: Overuse of the Radio and Newsletter
Valid Cumulative
Frequency Percent Percent Percent
Valid Yes
4 50.0 50.0 50.0 No 3 37.5 37.5 87.5
Moderately 1 12.5 12.5 100.0 used
Total 8 100.0 100.0
Communication Channels and Fundraising Response
The multiple linear regression analysis models the relationship between the
dependent variable, which were the response to the messages, and the independent
variable which were radio and newsletter. The coefficient of determination (R2) and
correlation coefficient (r) showed the degree of association between respondents‟
characteristics and response to the fundraising messages. The research findings indicated
that there was a strong positive relationship (R= 0.912) between the variables. The study
also revealed that 84.7% responded positively to the fundraising messages. The findings
are as shown in the Tables 4.20 herein.
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Table 4.20: Model Summary
R R Square
.912 .83
Table 4.21 shows ANOVA test results which revealed that the combined
independent variables had a significant effect on the fundraising response of Christians in
the Catholic Diocese of Machakos. This can be explained by F values (4.256) and low p
value (0.018) which is statistically significant at 95% confidence interval. This therefore
implied that source of information on fundraising in the Catholic Diocese of Machakos
significantly affected their financial contribution patterns.
Table 4.21: ANOVA
Model Sum of Squares Df Mean Square F Sig.
Regression .926 2 .463 4.256 .018
Total 9.524 80
Table 4.21 shows the results of regression coefficients (B) which revealed that a
positive effect was reported for both sources of information on fundraising. Study
findings also showed that at 95% confidence level, the variables produced statistically
significant values for this study (high t-values, p < 0.05). The results showed that for a 1-
point increase in the independent variables, respondents‟ characteristics combined were
predicted to increase by 0.890, all the other factors being held constant. The findings
therefore showed that the radio and the newsletter sources of information on fundraising
affected the contributions of Christians in the Catholic Diocese of Machakos.
Table 4.22: Coefficients
Unstandardized Standardized
Coefficients Coefficients
B Std. Error Beta T Sig.
(Constant) .890 .094 9.479 .000
Radio .279 .029 .294 2.735 .008
Newsletter .107 .011 .075 1.697 .048
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Summary of Key Findings
1. Study results showed that 55.6% of the respondents were female while 44.4% were
male. This meant that the findings of this study represented the views of both
genders equally. Study results indicated that, among the Christian small groups
40.3% of the respondents were married, 8.3% were separated while widowed and
divorced respondents were 4.2% and 23.6% of the respondents respectively.
2. The first objective was to establish other communication strategies other than radio
and the newsletter that can be used to fundraise in the Catholic Diocese of
Machakos. Respondents from the Christians small groups in the Catholic Diocese
of Machakos gave their opinion as follows: SMS recorded 44.4% of the opinions,
WhatsApp and Facebook recorded 5.6% each, e-mail was considered useful by
4.2%, and social media in general was favoured by 38.9% of the responses.
3. This study established that communication channel could have a positive impact of
the fundraising process. The results showed a strong positive relationship (R=
0.912) between the variables. ANOVA test results recorded low p value (0.926)
which was statistically significant at 95% confidence interval. On the other hand,
regression coefficients (B) showed a positive relationship between the new
communication channels and fundraising. They recorded high t-values and p <
0.05. The findings therefore showed that SMS and Social Media could be good
sources of information on fundraising in the Catholic Diocese of Machakos.
4. The second objective of the study was to investigate if new communication
strategies would be effective in the catholic diocese of Machakos. Findings from
the study revealed that an overwhelming 78.9% of the respondents believed new
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communications channels were needed and would be effective. Only one
respondent did not state his/her stand, while 19.4% did not consider new
communications channels to add substance on the existing channels (newsletter and
radio).
5. The third objective was to identify if the communication strategies would be able to
cover the whole of the Catholic diocese of Machakos. Findings from the study
revealed that majority (69.4%) of the respondents admitted that the new
communication strategies would be able to cover the entire Catholic Diocese of
Machakos. Another 25% were hesitant to agree and 5.6% of the respondents were
neutral. These findings revealed the need to diversify communication channels
used to fundraise in the Catholic Diocese of Machakos.
6. The findings from the study revealed two main reasons behind the positive
response to the messages on fundraising. The first reason was that Christians in the
Catholic Diocese of Machakos believed that the church was in their hands. This
was demonstrated by 55% of the respondents who either strongly agreed or agreed
with the statement. It was echoed again by 50% of respondents who believe that
laity should support the church financially. This implied on the one hand that
Christians in the Catholic Diocese of Machakos gave out of their own volition and
love for the ministry but on the other hand, these findings implied that the Catholic
Church‟s accountability was not questionable with regards to the management of
funds.
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Summary
This chapter has presented the study findings on more of other communication
channels other than newsletter and radio that can used for fundraising in the Catholic
Diocese of Machakos. The next chapter gives discussions of findings, conclusions and
recommendations.
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CHAPTER FIVE
DISCUSSIONS, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Introduction
This chapter presents the discussions of findings, conclusions and
recommendations of the study. The purpose of this study was to show the communication
strategies and fundraising efforts used in the Catholic Diocese of Machakos. The
objectives of this study were to establish other communication strategies other than radio
and the newsletter that could be used to fundraise in the Catholic Diocese of Machakos, to
find out if the new communication strategies would be effective in the catholic diocese of
Machakos, to identify if the communication strategies would be able to cover the whole of
the Catholic diocese of Machakos and, to establish the reasons behind the increasing
contributions of the laity in the Catholic Diocese of Machakos.
Discussions of Findings
Demographic characteristics
Study results showed that 55.6% of the respondents were female while 44.4%
were male. This meant that the findings of this study represented the views of both
genders equally. Study results indicated that, among the Christian small groups 40.3% of
the respondents were married, 8.3% were separated while widowed and divorced
respondents were 4.2% and 23.6% of the respondents respectively. Another 23.6% of the
respondents were single. This implied that most of the respondents were married,
followed by those who were single. This study was not concerned by religion because all
the respondents were selected from the Catholic Diocese of Machakos, implying that they
were all Roman Catholics.
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Additional findings revealed that those who were aged between 15-25 years
recorded 22.22% followed by 26 to 30 years with a response of 29.17%, the highest
response rate. The respondents aged 31 to 40 years were 34.72% while those aged from
40 years and above were 13.89% among the Christian small groups. On the side of the
clergy, 24-35 years recorded 37% while those from 35 years and above recorded 63%.
These findings showed that the majority of the respondents were below 40 years, and
meant that most of the respondents were youthful. Findings also revealed that 8 out of 8
respondents from the parish committees were males.
This study established that all respondents except 2.8% had formal education with
most of the respondents (44.4%) having attained secondary school education followed by
undergraduates with 23.6% response. Those with primary school education were 4.2% of
the respondents while graduate and professional training recorded 11.1% and 13.9%
responses respectively; among the Christian small groups. On the clergy side, an
overwhelming 80% had a graduate education level and 20% only had an undergraduate
level. This implied that most of the respondents had the intellectual capacity to understand
communicated information on fundraising through the newsletter and radio.
The first objective was to establish other communication strategies other than
radio and the newsletter that can be used to fundraise in the Catholic Diocese of
Machakos. Respondents from the Christians small groups in the Catholic Diocese of
Machakos gave their opinion as follows: SMS recorded 44.4% of the opinions, WhatsApp
and Facebook recorded 5.6% each, e-mail was considered useful by 4.2%, and social
media in general was favoured by 38.9% of the responses.
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These findings showed that SMS, and social media in general recorded the highest
responses indicative that they could be more effective in providing information on
fundraising than other communication methods. These findings agreed with clergy‟s
results, which identified SMS, as the most effective mode of passing communication on
fundraising. In addition to SMS, meetings were considered effective tools for fundraising
by the clergy. This indicated that the clergy were aware of the importance of interpersonal
communication channels for fundraising in the Catholic Diocese of Machakos. These
findings echoed the parish committees „results. The latter indicated that new
communication channels were needed in order to increase the audience and fundraising
outcome. Further it was very evident from the findings that there was a difference
between the laity and the priests in the use of the different communication strategies in the
church. For one to become a priest should be 25 years and above and according to the
findings 70% of the priests must have been over 50 years and that was why they referred
to meetings and seminars as effective tools for fundraising which seemed old according to
the signs of the time. A good number of the laity had embraced the use of the Facebook,
e-mails, and WhatsApp. This send a call to the priests to be digital and adapt to the social
media so that the fundraising messages may reach to all the Christians. Parish
committee‟s members findings were in tandem with small the Catholic Diocese of
Machakos Christians communities on the new communications channels whereby, 7 out
of 8 respondents ranked SMS and WhatsApp as the most reliable communication tools to
reach Christians on fundraising endeavours. Only one of the Christians committees
suggested Facebook and phone calls as the most direct communication channels for
fundraising purposes.
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This study established that communication channel could have a positive
impact of the fundraising process. The results showed a strong positive relationship (R=
0.912) between the variables. ANOVA test results recorded low p value (0.926) which
was statistically significant at 95% confidence interval. On the other hand, regression
coefficients (B) showed a positive relationship between the new communication channels
and fundraising. They recorded high t-values and p < 0.05. The findings therefore showed
that SMS and Social Media could be good sources of information on fundraising in the
Catholic Diocese of Machakos.
The second objective of the study was to investigate if new communication
strategies would be effective in the catholic diocese of Machakos. Findings from the study
revealed that an overwhelming 78.9% of the respondents believed new communications
channels were needed and would be effective. Only one respondent did not state his/her
stand, while 19.4% did not consider new communications channels to add substance on
the existing channels (newsletter and radio). This implied that the need for new
communication channels was imminent for effective fundraising in the Catholic Diocese
of Machakos. However, despite the role that new media could play in fundraising in the
diocese of Machakos, there existed infrastructure gaps. For example, mobile phone
penetration remained an issue in some areas. Electricity supply remained low in some
areas of Machakos and telecommunication companies have not successfully covered
Machakos county.
The third objective was to identify if the communication strategies would be able
to cover the whole of the Catholic diocese of Machakos. Findings from the study revealed
that majority (69.4%) of the respondents admitted that the new communication
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strategies would be able to cover the entire Catholic Diocese of Machakos. Another 25%
were hesitant to agree and 5.6% of the respondents were neutral. These findings revealed
the need to diversify communication channels used to fundraise in the Catholic Diocese of
Machakos.
The last objective of the study was to establish the reasons behind the increasing
contributions of the laity in the Catholic Diocese of Machakos. The findings from the
study revealed two main reasons behind the positive response to the messages on
fundraising. The first reason was that Christians in the Catholic Diocese of Machakos
believed that the church was in their hands. This was demonstrated by 55% of the
respondents who either strongly agreed or agreed with the statement. It was echoed again
by 50% of respondents who believe that laity should support the church financially. This
implied on the one hand that Christians in the Catholic Diocese of Machakos gave out of
their own volition and love for the ministry but on the other hand, these findings implied
that the Catholic Church‟s accountability was not questionable with regards to the
management of funds. These findings echoed Hunt and Grunig (1999) who proposed that
relationships, such as the nonprofit organization–donor, can be measured by assessing the
levels of trust, commitment, satisfaction, and power in the relationship. High levels of
trust could be used to predict future behavior with the organization (Mayer, Davis, &
Schoorman, 1995). Organizations that demonstrated accountability had a greater
likelihood of seeing repeated donations from individuals who believed the nonprofit is
working efficiently toward achieving its goals. It is true that when an organization
communicates with the donor and honestly updates the donor on how the funds have been
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spent, it creates trust and promotes the donors willingness to support more, which seems
to be the case in this study.
These findings were, also, in agreement with Mamo (2005, p. 16) who emphasized
that when building long term relationships, integrity is critical to fundraising. He brought
out the importance of trust in building relationships with donors. He pointed out that, “a
trust relationship required both parties to have confidence in others character, strength and
truthfulness. Such confidence developed over time and could not be rushed”. The
fundraiser has to be truthful at all times. There is no doubt that the Catholic Diocese of
Machakos‟ clergy has built trust among the members.
Conclusions
1. The study identified a number of channels that could be used in conjunction with the
radio and the newsletter. Findings from both the Christian small groups and the clergy
showed that the mass media, Facebook, WhatsApp and particularly SMS were most
prevalent.
2. Regarding the response to the call for funds, up to 84% expressed the need for
feedback on the use of the funds they contribute, which was indicative of the need to
upgrade the communication strategies in the Catholic Diocese of Machakos but also,
to increase accountability on the clergy side.
3. Finally, the challenges that affected fundraising endeavors were not necessarily the
overuse of the newsletter and the radio but rather the respondents‟ economic status,
lack of information on giving time and feedback on the use of the funds. Contrary to
early assumptions of the study, newsletter and radio did not constitute barriers
fundraising.
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Recommendations
1. Communication channels play a key role in fundraising. It is in this view that this
study recommends that the Catholic Church and other partners concerned with the
sustainability of the church‟s finances review communication channels used for
fundraising. This will ensure that new communications channels are effective in
passing information on fundraising.
2. This study recommends that the Catholic Diocese of Machakos and related partners
should also provide training for the clergy and laity in new communication media.
This recommendation is based on the fact that most respondents considered the
newsletter and radio overused by the church through fundraising endeavors. These
training will help the church to effectively use other existing communication channels,
and thus increase the chances of financially sustaining the church projects.
3. To increase fundraising outcomes, this study recommends that the Catholic Diocese of
Machakos develop a fundraising communication mechanism that will use new
channels such as SMS, WhatsApp, Facebook and e-mails. This is essential based on
the findings that respondents expressed the need to shift to the communication
channels herein mentioned because they are the most accessible by them.
Recommended Areas for Further Studies
Based on the findings of this study, this study recommends a similar study to be
carried out among other Catholic Dioceses in Kenya. This study also recommends that a
study should be done to assess the use of funds in the Catholic Church in Kenya, as
respondents expressed concerns on accountability of the funds.
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REFERENCES
Ahern, T., & Joyaux, S. (2007). Keep your donors: The guide to better communications
& stronger relationships. Hoboken, NJ: John Willey
Ashley, J. What are communication strategies? Definition, types & examples. Retrieved from http://study.com/academy/lesson/what-are-communication-strategies-definition-types-examples.html
Azim, J., & Harvey, M. (2005). The power of giving. Creating abundance in your home, at work, and in your community. Canada: Tides Canada Foundation.
Babatope, E., & Olufemi, P. (2014). An assessment of the use of radio and other means
of information dissemination by the residents of Ado-Ekitti, Ekitti-State, Nigeria. Library Philosophy and Practice. (e-journal), Paper 1088
Barret, K. (2002). Relationship-based approach to the business of raising money. San Francisco: Jossy-Bass.
Boran, A, (2006). Introduction to mass communication: Media literacy and culture. N.Y:
McGraw-Hill.
Boundless (nd). The benefits of understanding your audience. Boundless
Communications. Retrieved from
https://www.boundless.com/communications/textbooks/boundless-
communications-textbook/analyzing-the-audience-7/the-importance-of-audience-
analysis-37/the-benefits-of-understanding-your-audience-161-8007/
Brown, R. B, (2006). Doing your dissertation in business and management: The reality
of research and writing. California: Sage Publications.
Cuthbert, D., (1995). Money that matters: An introduction to fund rising in South Africa.
(Nivu revised edition.). Pretoria, South Africa: J.P. Van der Walt.
Catholic Dictionary. Deanery: Retrieved from https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/dictionary/index.cfm?id=32961
Grunig, J., & Hunt, T. (1984).Managing public relations. Winston: Fort Worth.
Ferguson, L. (1984). Building theory in public relations: Interorganizational
relationshipsas a public relations paradigm. Paper presented to the Association
for education in Journalism and Mass Communication annual convention,
Gainesville, FL.
Kent. M., & Taylor, M. (2002). Toward a dialogic theory of public relations. Public
Relations Review, 21–37.
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Kent, M., &Taylor, M. (1998) Building dialogic relationships through the World Wide
Web,Public Relations Review 24 (3), 321–334.
Kiiru, M. (2010). Mobilizing and managing resources. Nairobi, Kenya: Evangel
publishing house.
Kiiru, M. (2004).How to develop resources for Christian ministries. Nairobi, Kenya:
Uzima Press.
Klein, K. (2011).Fundraising for social change (6th ed.). USA: Jossy-Bass.
Ledingham, J., & Bruning, S. (2000). Public Relations as relationship management: A
relational approach to the study and practice of public relations. Erlbaum: Hillsdale, NJ.
Ledingham, J., & Bruning, S. (1998). Relationship management in public relations: Dimensions of an organization–public relationship. Public Relations Review, 24,
55-65.
Mamo, H. (2005). Corporate image and its effects on local fundraising. A case study of the Ethiopian community association of Atlanta. Nairobi: Daystar University.
Marie, S. (2013).Toward a dialogic theory of fundraising. Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 37, 262–277.
Maryo, R. (1997). The Church in Africa reaches adulthood: A call to Africa to shake off
the dependent syndrome. Retrieved from
http://www.afrikaworld.net/synod/kimaryo.html
Milne, M. (1998). Money matters: There is no shortage of givers in the church. What’s
needed are better ways to ask. U.S.A: United observer.
Mugenda, O., & Mugenda, A. (1999). Research methodology: Quantitative and
qualitative approaches. Nairobi, Kenya: ACTS Press.
Nageswara, R. (2014). Descriptive study. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/post/
NGO connect news. Program Management: Managing your relationship with your donors.
Retrieved from http://www.ngoconnect.net/documents/592341/749044/
O‟keef, D. (2002).Persuasion theory and research (2nd ed.) California: Sage Publications.
Pearson, R. (1989). Theory of public relations ethics, unpublished Doctoral dissertation.
Ph D Thesis. Ohio University.
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Rosso, H. (1991). Achieveing exellence in fundraising. U.S.A.: Jossey-Bass Publishers
Strategy. Retrieved from http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/strategy.html
Tobin, G. (1995). Between the lines: Intricacies of major donors in brehmer:
Communicating effectively with major donors. San Francisco: Jossy-Bass.
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APPENDICES
APPENDIX A: QUESTIONNAIRE FOR PRIESTS
Dear Respondent,
My name is Alphonse Muema a student from Daystar University. I am currently
doing postgraduate studies in Communication with concentration in corporate
communication and media studies. To fulfill the requirements of this course, I am
carrying out a research titled “Finding out more communication strategies other than radio
and diocesan newsletter that enhance church fundraising: case study Catholic Diocese of
Machakos‟‟. Your assistance in responding to the questionnaire will be helpful in in the study. Be assured, therefore, that the research is strictly for academic purposes only. You
will be free to answer or not and your responses will be held confidential. Thank you so
much for taking your time responding to this questionnaire and may God bless you. Yours
sincerely,
Alphonse Muema.
DEMOGRAPHIC DATA
1. Gender
Male [ ]
2. Age: 25-35 [ ] 36-45 [ ] 46 and above [ ]
3. Education: Seminary [
] Undergraduate [
]
Graduate [
]
PhD [
]
Professional [ ]
QUESTIONS (Tick the most important answer to you)
1. What is the mission of the Catholic Diocese of Machakos?
a. Evangelization
[ ]
b. Prayer [ ]
c. Others (specify)________________________________________
2. As dean or Father in charge, how do you contribute towards this mission of the
Catholic Diocese in Machakos?
a. Preaching the word of God [ ]
b. Prayer [ ]
c. Doing works of mercy [ ]
d. Other ( specify)___________________________
...............................................................................................................................................
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3. Do you get involved in teaching the laity on church fundraising in order to support this
mission of the Catholic Diocese of Machakos?
Yes [ ] No [ ]
4. What means of communication do you use in your parish?
a. Radio [ ]
b. Parish newsletters [ ]
c. Oral communication [ ]
d. Circulars from the father‟s office [ ]
e. Use the committee members [ ]
f. Other (Specify)________________________________________________________
5. What has been the reaction of the laity in your parish towards the message on
fundraising? a. Positive [ ] b. Negative [ ] c. Other (specify) _______________________________________________
5. What tools (strategies) as the diocese as a whole used in order to teach the laity on church fundraising? a.Radio [ ]
b.Newsletter [ ]
c.Orally [ ]
d.Bishop‟s circulars [ ]
e.Others (Specify)_______________________________________________
6. Do you think the entire Diocese receives the message?
a.Yes [ ] b.No [ ]
Other (Specify)___________________________________________
7. What has been the reaction of the laity concerning the message from the diocesan
fundraising? a. Positive [ ]
b. Negative [ ]
c. Other (specify) _______________________________________________ 7. Therefore, do you think the communication channels used by the Catholic Diocese of Machakos to communicate to the laity are effective?
a. Yes [ ]
b. No [ ]
c. Other (Specify)_________________________________________________ 8. Is there any need to find more communication strategies in order to enhance church fundraising in the Catholic Diocese of Machakos? 8. If you answered in the affirmative in the previous question, what do you think these other communication strategies are? Please list them_______________________________________
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12. In your opinion, will the new communication strategies be effective and cover the whole Catholic diocese of Machakos?
a. Yes [ ] b. No [ ] c. Other (Specify)_________________________________________________
12. Having been a dean or a Father in charge, do think the laity still expect any help from the church as in the times of the missionaries?
a. Yes [ ]
b. No [ ]
13. If you answered positively in the previous question, what kind of help does the laity need from the church?
a. Spiritual nourishment [ ]
b. Money [ ]
c. Clothing [ ]
d. Shelter [ ]
e. Other (Specify)________________________________________________
14. Has the Catholic Diocese of Machakos been faithful and honest in handling the donations from the laity?
a. Yes [ ]
b. No [ ]
c. Others (Specify)_______________________________________________
15. To the following statements state whether you Strongly Agree (SA), Agree (A), Neutral (N), Disagree (D) Strongly Disagree (SD).
Statements SA A N D SD
The Catholic Diocese of Machakos has used print and electronic
media (Radio and newsletter) to teach on diocesan collection to solicit
funds from the laity.
The vernacular radios and the diocesan newsletter have been effective
The response of the laity to church support in the catholic Diocese of
Machakos has been 100%
Some areas don‟t receive the newsletters and the radio programs due
to bad infrastructure and terrain
Some of the laity in the Catholic Diocese of Machakos still holds that
the missionaries support the diocese.
Some of the laity in the Catholic Diocese of Machakos holds that the
Catholic Diocese of Machakos is rich and needs no support from the
laity but should support the laity instead.
There has been a lot of collaboration and communication between the
clergy, the parish councils and the laity towards the diocesan
collection
There is no force or fear exerted to the laity on the issue of diocesan
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collection in the Catholic Diocese of Machakos. The use of the new communication strategies will help the laity in the catholic Diocese of Machakos to know their role of supporting the church I believe that local fundraising can be improved through other communication strategies.
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APPENDIX 2
APPENDIX B: QUESTIONNAIRE FOR FOCUS GROUP (PARISH COMMITTEE)
Dear Respondent,
My name is Alphonse Muema a student from Daystar University. I am currently
doing postgraduate studies in Communication with concentration in corporate
communication and media studies. To fulfill the requirements of this course, I am
carrying out a research titled “Finding out more communication strategies other than radio
and diocesan newsletter that enhance church fundraising: case study Catholic Diocese of
Machakos‟‟. Your assistance in responding to the questionnaire will be helpful in in the
study. Be assured, therefore, that the research is strictly for academic purposes only. You
will be free to answer or not and your responses will be held confidential. Thank you so
much for taking your time responding to this questionnaire and may God bless you. Yours
sincerely,
Alphonse Muema.
DEMOGRAPHIC DATA
1. Gender
Male [ ] Female [ ]
Age 20-30 [ ] 31-40 [ ] 40 and above [ ]
2. Marital status
Married [ ] Separated [ ] Widowed[ ] Divorced[ ]Single [ ]
3.Income status
Employed [ ] Employer [ ] Jobless [ ]
Other (Specify) __________________________________
4. Earnings 1000-10000[ ] 11,000-20,000 [ ] 26,000 and above [ ]
5. Education Primary School
Undergraduate [
Professional [
[ ] Secondary School [ ]
Graduate [ ] PhD [ ] ] No formal education [ ]
]
QUESTIONS (Tick the most important answer to you)
1. What is the mission of the Catholic Diocese of Machakos?
a. Evangelization [ ]
b. Prayer
[ ]
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c. Spiritual development [ ]
d. Economic development [ ]
e. Preaching [ ]
f. Others (specify)________________________________________
2. As parish committee members, how do you contribute towards this mission of the
Catholic Diocese in Machakos?
a. Donating money [ ]
b. Prayer [ ]
c. Doing works of mercy [ ]
d. Giving money and praying [ ]
e. Teaching the laity on church support [ ]
f. Other ( specify)__________________________________
3. Have you ever been involved in the parish with the task of teaching the laity to
contribute financially towards the support of the Catholic Diocese of Machakos?
4. What was the reaction of the laity to the message? a. Positive [ ] b. Negative [ ] c. Other (Specify)__________________________________
5. In order to reach the entire Diocese of Machakos and communicate with the laity on Fundraising, what communication tools does the Diocese use?
a. Radio [ ]
b. Newsletter [ ]
c. Orally [ ]
d. Bishop‟s circulars [ ]
e. Others (Specify)______________________________
6. Do you think the entire Diocese receives the message timely?
a. Yes [ ]
b. No [ ]
c. Other (Specify)___________________________________________
7. Therefore, do you think the communication channels used by the Catholic Diocese of Machakos to communicate to the laity are effective?
a. Yes [ ] b. No [ ] c. Explain______________________________________________________________
8. Is there any need to teach more to the laity on church support? a. Yes [ ]
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b. No [ ]
9. Therefore should the diocese find more communication strategies in order to reach to the laity and teach them on church fundraising?
a. Yes [ ] b. No [ ]
Other (Specify)_________________________________________
10. What could be these other communication tools if you answered yes to the previous question? Please list them.________________________________________________________ 11. Do you think other communication tools would be effective and cover the whole Catholic diocese of Machakos?
12. Do the Christians still expect any help from the church as in the times of the Irish missionaries?
a. Yes [ ]
b. No [ ]
13. If you answered positively in the previous question, what kind of help does the laity need from the church? a. Spiritual nourishment [ ]
b. Money [ ] c. Clothing [ ]
d. Shelter [ ] e. Other (Specify)________________________________________________
14. Has the Catholic Diocese of Machakos been faithful and honest in handling the donations from the laity?
a. Yes [ ]
b. No [ ]
c. Others (Specify)______________________________________________
15. To the following statements state whether you Strongly Agree (SA), Agree (A), Neutral (N), Disagree (D) Strongly Disagree (SD).
Statements SA A N D SD
I have been involved in the teaching of the laity on church fundraising
The message has been received positively
The laity think that the church is very rich and should continue
supporting them as the times of the missionaries
The laity don‟t give because they don‟t get the information
The laity give because they are very well served by the clergy
The laity don‟t give because the is no accountability on the funds
from the top management of the diocese
Some of the areas in the catholic diocese of Machakos don‟t receive
any information concerning fundraising using the radio and the
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diocesan newsletter. There is need to adopt other strategies of communication in order to reach all the laity in the diocese I give because I fear the authority The laity give because they fear being denied some spiritual services
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APPENDIX C: QUESTIONNAIRE FOR THE SMALL CHRISTIAN COMMUNITIES
Dear Respondent,
My name is Alphonse Muema a student from Daystar University. I am currently
doing postgraduate studies in Communication with concentration in corporate
communication and media studies. To fulfill the requirements of this course, I am
carrying out a research titled “Finding out more communication strategies other than radio
and diocesan newsletter that enhance church fundraising: case study Catholic Diocese of
Machakos‟‟. Your assistance in responding to the questionnaire will be helpful in in the
study. Be assured, therefore, that the research is strictly for academic purposes only. You
will be free to answer or not and your responses will be held confidential. Thank you so
much for taking your time responding to this questionnaire and may God bless you. Yours
sincerely,
Alphonse Muema.
DEMOGRAPHIC DATA
1. Gender
Male [ ] Female [ ]
2. Age
15-25 [ ] 26-30 [ ] 31-40 [ ] 40 and above [ ]
3. Marital status (Tick what applies to you) Married [ ] Separated [ ] Widowed
[ ]
Divorced
[
]
Single [ ]
4. Income status Student [ ] Employed [ ]
Employer [ ]
Jobless [ ]
Other (Specify) __________________________________
5. Earnings 1,000-10,000,[ ] 11,000-20,000 [ ] 26,000 and above [ ]
6. Education (Tick the highest level)
Primary School [ ] Secondary School [ ]
Undergraduate [ ] Graduate [ ]
PhD [ ] Professional [ ]
No formal education [ ]
QUESTIONS (Tick the most important answer to you)
1. What is the mission of the Catholic Diocese of Machakos?
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a. Evangelization [ ]
b. Prayer [ ]
c. Spiritual development [ ]
d. Economic development [ ]
e. Preaching [ ]
f. Others (specify)________________________________________
2. How do you contribute towards this mission of the Catholic Diocese in Machakos?
a. Donating money [ ]
b. Prayer [ ]
c. Doing works of mercy [ ]
d. Giving money and praying [ ]
e. Preaching the word of God [ ]
f. Other ( specify)__________________________________
3. Have you ever been requested to contribute financially towards the support of the
Catholic Diocese of Machakos
Yes [ ] No [ ]
4. How much (KSHS) do you give towards church support?
a. 1,000-10,000 [ ]
b. 11,000-50,000 [ ]
c. 51,000 and above [ ]
d. Other (specify)________________________________________________________
5. By what means/channel does the Catholic Diocese of Machakos pass the information? a. Radio [ ]
b. Newsletter [ ]
c. Orally [ ]
d. Bishop‟s circulars [ ]
e. Others (Specify)_______________________________________________ 6. Does the message reach you directly or indirectly?
a. Directly [ ]
b. Indirectly [ ]
c. Other means (Specify)___________________________________________
7. In your opinion, are the communication channels used by the Catholic Diocese of Machakos effective?
a. Yes [ ]
b. No [ ]
Explain______________________________________________________________
8. What has been your response towards the message? a. Positive [ ]
b. Negative [ ]
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c. Other(specify)_________________________________________________________ 9. Are you satisfied with the media the diocese has been using to fundraise?
a. Yes [ ] b. No [ ]
10. Do you think there is need for the Catholic Diocese of Machakos to find other
communication strategies to teach the laity on church support and fundraising?
a. Yes[ ]
b. No[ ] 11. What could be these other communication tools if you answered yes to the previous question? Please list them.________________________________________________________
12. Does the Catholic Diocese of Machakos acknowledge the donations given by the
laity? a. Yes [ ] b. No [ ]
13. Has the Catholic Diocese of Machakos been faithful and honest in handling the donations from the laity?
a. Yes b. No c. Others (Specify)____________________________________________
14. To the following statements state whether you Strongly Agree (SA), Agree (A), Neutral (N), Disagree (D) Strongly Disagree (SD).
Statements SA A N D SD
I give because I have money
I don‟t give because i do not have money (Jobless)
I do not give because the church does not tell us where the money
goes
I don‟t give because the church is rich
I don‟t give because I don‟t get the information on church support
I give because I am forced by the church to do so.
I don‟t give because the services given are very poor.
I don‟t give because the church should be supporting the laity like the
missionaries and not vice versa.
I give because the church is in our hands and we should support it.
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APPENDIX D: Translation of the Questionnaire for the Mwaki
Mokulyo ma Kusungia
Mokulyo aya me ithanguni yii maseuvitwe ninyie Alphonse Muema, ula ngusomea
ndikilii ya moneenanya (MA) nthini wa kimanyisyo kinene kya Daystar ndyenda
tusuanie vamwe kana ve mivea ingi ya uneenania eka ila twithiitwe tuitumia ya radio na
ithangu yitu nthini wa diosesi ya masaku kwa kusangithya mivothi ya kanisa. Mosungio
menyu maikatangaasiwa andu na makatumiwa tu nthini wa ithangu yii nguandika.
Nimukulya kwa ndaia tutetheanisye Please answer each question and tick the appropriate
responses where applicable.
MOKULYO MA MBEE
1. UMBO
Mundu muume [ ] Mundu muka [ ]
Myaka 15-25 [ ] 26-30 [ ] 31-40 [ ] 40 na yiulu[ ]
2. Mutwaano Nimutwae/ngatwaana [ ] Nitwatianie [ ] Ndiwa [ ] Nitwaleanile [ ] Ndyaatwawa/kutwaana [ ]
3.Uthukumi
Mumanyiw‟a[ ] Nimuandike [ ] Niniandikanaa [ ]
Ndiwiani [ ]
Undu ungi (weta) __________________________________
4. Ukwati:
1,000-10,000[ ] 11,000-20,000 [ ] 26,000 na yiulu [ ]
5. Kisomo
Kisomo kya musingi [ ] Sekondali [ ]
Ndikilii ya mbee [ ] Kisomo kya yiulu [ ]
Ngovia ya utakitali [ ]
vulovesa [ ] Ndyaasoma kilasini [ ]
Mokulyo angi (Vana na uvano vala ve usungio ula waw‟o vyu)
1. Vata wa Kanisa ya Kikatholeki ya masaku ni mwau? a. Kwovosya mathayu [ ]
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b. Mboya [ ]
c. Kuthesya mathayu [ ]
d. Kutandithya [ ]
e. Kutavany‟a ndeto ya ngai [ ] f. Undu ungi (weta)________________________________________
2. Utetheeasya ata vatani uyu wa kanisa ya kikatoleki ya masaku?
a. Umya [ ]
b. Mboya [ ]
c. Kwika mawia ma tei [ ]
d. Umya na mboya [ ]
e. Kutavany‟a ndeto ya Ngai [ ]
f. Undu ungi ( weta)__________________________________
3. Waakulwa umye mbesa utetheesys ndiosesi ya kikatoleki ya masaku?
Yii [ ] Aiee [ ]
4. Umasya mbesa siana vatani usu?
a. 1,000-10,000 [ ]
b. 11,000-50,000 [ ]
c. 51, 000na yiulu [ ]
d. Undu ungi (weta)_____________________________________________
5. Ndaisesi ya kikatoleki massku itumiaa nzia myau sya mikuumukanilye kuma Vikia akilisito mayo?
a. Kameme [ ]
b. Ikaseti ya kanisa [ ]
c. Ndeto ya kanyw‟a [ ]
d. Mavalua ma Asikavu [ ]
e. Undu ungi_______________________________________________
6. Uvoo ukwataa ata, kwa mituki kana kwisila kwa andu angi?
a. Kwa mituki [ ]
b. Kuma kwa andu angi [ ]
c. Kwa nzia ingi (weta)___________________________________________
7. Kwa woni waku, nzia ithi nimbailu na nimavikiaa andu oonthe?
a. Yii [ ]
b. Aiee [ ] c. Elesya_______________________________________________________
8. Uvoo uyu uwosaa ata?
a. Nesa [ ]
b. Nai [ ]
c. Undu ungi (weta)_____________________________________________
9. We wi mwianie ni nzia isu kanisa ya masaku itumiaa kumithya mivothi
a. Yii [ ]
b. Aiee [ ] 10. Ve vata wa ndiosesi ya masaku kumantha nzia ingi sya kumithya mivothi?
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a. Yii [ ]
b. Aiee [ ]
11. Nzia isu ingi ni syiku? Iwete them.__________________________________
12. Kanisa ya kikatoleki ya masaku nitavasya etikili yiulu wa utumiku wa mivothi?
a. Yii [ ]
b. Aiee [ ]
13. Ndaiosesi ya masaku nitumiaa mivothi nesa na kwa uw‟o?
a. Yii [ ]
b. Aiee [ ]
c. Undu ungi (weta)_____________________________________________
14.Kwa uneeni uyu wiasya ata? Kwitikila Muno (KM), Kwitikila (K),Kati (K), Kulea(K) Kulea muno(KM).
Uneeni KM K K K KM
Numasya nundu nina mbesa
Ndyumasya nundu ndina mbesa
Ndumasya nundu kanisa nditutavasya utumiku
Ndyumasya nundu kanisa ni nthwii
Ndyumasya nundu nditavaw‟a
Numasya nundu nilasimithawa ni kanisa.
Ndyumasya nundu tuthukumawa nai.
Ndyumasya nundu kaniasa yaile ututethya ta ivinda ya asungu.
Numasya nundu kanisa yi mokoni maiyu na nitwailwe ni umitethya.
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