Social Media Influencers' Impact on Donation Intention for Humanitarian Aid

This study examines how social media influencer credibility affects donation intention among Indonesian internet users. With digital donations in Indonesia growing by an average of 32% annually since 2016, understanding what drives people to give online has become increasingly relevant for humanitarian organizations. Drawing on Social Credibility Theory, the research tests three dimensions of influencer credibility — trustworthiness, expertise, and attractiveness — as predictors of donation intention. Data were collected through a survey of 131 Indonesian respondents who had previously encountered influencer-led humanitarian campaigns on social media, and analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) in SmartPLS. The results show that trustworthiness was the only credibility dimension with a significant positive effect on donation intention (β = 0.442, t = 3.398, p = 0.001). Attractiveness showed a positive but non-significant effect, while expertise had a negative and non-significant effect. The model explained approximately 19.4% of the variance in donation intention, indicating that factors beyond influencer credibility — such as campaign content, cause relevance, or prior giving habits — likely play a substantial role. These findings offer practical guidance for humanitarian campaign organizers: prioritizing honest, transparent communication matters more than emphasizing visual presentation or professional qualifications.