Research report: Speech acts in humanitarian crowdfunding campaigns

A corpus analysis of 981 Gaza-related GoFundMe campaigns found a clear hierarchy in the speech acts used to persuade donors: assertive acts were most common, followed by a notable role for future commitments, while directives, expressive acts and declarations appeared less often. The study examined how campaign language communicates circumstances, requests, emotions and fund-use commitments in a politically sensitive humanitarian crowdfunding setting. Researchers applied speech act theory and natural language processing techniques based on Searle’s taxonomy of illocutionary acts to classify the campaigns’ persuasive discourse.

Assertive acts dominated the corpus. In this classification, they included factual details, descriptions of circumstances and concrete evidence of need. The researchers interpreted their prevalence as a way to reduce information asymmetry by giving prospective donors specific grounds for evaluating a campaign’s credibility and legitimacy.

In a highly competitive and trust-sensitive fundraising environment, campaigns therefore placed substantial emphasis on presenting detailed claims about humanitarian conditions. Commissive acts also had an important role because they articulated commitments concerning the future use of funds. The study linked these future-oriented statements to trust and accountability: campaigns did not only describe why assistance was needed but also communicated how organizers intended to act with donated money.

By contrast, directive acts were used sparingly, which the authors interpreted as evidence of awareness of donors’ autonomy and the possible risks of overly forceful appeals. Declarative acts appeared infrequently and were used mainly for symbolic announcements and legitimacy framing. The findings suggest that campaign organizers had limited institutional authority within the crowdfunding context, while the wider pragmatic pattern was dominated by providing information and making commitments.

The results offer a case-specific account of linguistic action in digital humanitarian communication. Because the corpus comprised Gaza-related GoFundMe campaigns and the study analysed speech-act patterns and functions, it did not establish whether particular wording caused donations, predict donor responses or measure the campaigns’ real-world humanitarian impact.

Subject of Research: Speech-act patterns in 981 Gaza-related humanitarian crowdfunding campaigns

Article Title: Speech acts in humanitarian crowdfunding campaigns

Article References: Alzaanin, E. (2026). Speech acts in humanitarian crowdfunding campaigns. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-026-09550-5

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1057/s41599-026-09550-5

Keywords: humanitarian crowdfunding, GoFundMe, speech act theory, persuasive language, natural language processing, digital communication, campaign discourse, Gaza, Speech, acts, humanitarian, crowdfunding