We investigate how entrepreneurs communicate with crowdfunding backers during the onset of a societal crisis via a content analysis of campaigns active during the COVID-19 pandemic and a vignette experiment. While effective communication with stakeholders is critical for acquiring resources during societal crises, little is known about what communication strategies entrepreneurs use during these crises or their influence on fundraising. Notably, we find that entrepreneurs’ crisis communication strategies differ along three key dimensions: timing (proactive vs. reactive), target (entrepreneur vs. other), and nature (utilitarian vs. personal), and that proactively addressing other stakeholders’ personal concerns attracts more funding than alternative approaches.

中文翻译：

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社会危机期间的沟通：企业家与支持者的互动如何影响通过众筹筹集的筹款


我们通过对 COVID-19 大流行期间活跃的活动的内容分析和小插图实验，调查了企业家在社会危机开始时如何与众筹支持者进行沟通。虽然与利益相关者的有效沟通对于在社会危机期间获取资源至关重要，但对于企业家在这些危机期间使用何种沟通策略或其对筹款的影响，人们知之甚少。值得注意的是，我们发现企业家的危机沟通策略在三个关键维度上有所不同：时机（主动与被动）、目标（企业家与其他）和性质（功利主义与个人），并且主动解决其他利益相关者的个人问题比其他方法吸引更多的资金。