Recommendations and "word-of-mouth" play an important role in service marketing. This specific form of communication involves supporting a product or service by a satisfied customer. "Word of mouth" is very helpful in building awareness of a brand, also in the higher education market. This paper provides some insight into a decision-making process of young people, who make the decision concerning the next step of their education, thus enabling the universities to develop the efficient communication program. Considering influence of recommendations on potential students, universities must learn how to use social ties to promote the educational offer. The outcomes of survey conducted among Polish students will be also discussed, to evaluate, to what extend recommendations and word-of-mouth determined their choice of the particular university. Main goal of the paper is to discuss the usefulness of recommendations in the communication-mix of the universities. In that sense, it provides the contribution to service marketing practice.

Artykuł przedstawia założenia fundraisingu, warunkującego funkcjonowanie i rozwój organizacji nieprowadzących działalności gospodarczej. Na tym tle zaprezentowano podstawowe znaczenie kapitału ludzkiego oraz relacji interpersonalnych dla realizacji celów organizacji non-pro t. W artykule podkreślono znaczenie komunikacji dla potrzeb fundraisingu, szczególny nacisk kładąc na jej aspekt transakcyjny i relacyjny. Komunikacja stanowi składową tożsamości organizacyjnej i oddziałuje na zaufanie wobec organizacji non-pro t. Praktyczne przykłady ilustrują omawiane zagadnienie, wykazując, jak istotne znaczenie dla gromadzenia środków na działalność Zeszyty Naukowe Wyższej Szkoły Humanitas. Zarządzanie 398 statutową NGO ma stosowanie zasad zarządzania relacjami oraz bezpośrednia, nacechowana emocjonalnie komunikacja z potencjalnymi darczyńcami. Słowa kluczowe: organizacje non-pro t, fundraising, relacje interpersonalne, komunikacja Abstract: e article presents the fundamentals of fundraising, as the key condition of the functioning and development of non-pro t organizations. Using this background, the importance of human capital and interpersonal relations for the achievement of non-pro t goals was presented. e article highlights the importance of communication for the purpose of fundraising, focusing on its transactional and relational aspect. Communication is a component of organizational identity and a ects con dence in non-pro t organizations. Practical examples illustrate the discussed issue, demonstrating how vital, for the collection of funds for statutory activities of NGOs, are: implementation of the principles of relationship management and direct, emotional communication with potential donors.

Purpose: The purpose of the article is identification and evaluation of the most important changes that have occurred in the behavior of Polish consumers as a result of the pandemic lockdown introduced in 2020. The article presents the results of studies conducted during the epidemic restrictions from March 15 to May 4, 2020. Design/methodology/approach: The main aim of the research was to determine how these restrictions influenced the purchasing behavior and decisions made by consumers. In the polls, the technique of an internet survey was used, which was justified by the accepted form of remote communication imposed on the society in various spheres of activity. The subject of the research was the organization of free time, the organization of shopping in households, the frequency of purchases and the methods of shopping in stationary and online stores. Findings: The most important phenomena that have been observed include the growing importance of e-commerce and technologies supporting distance communication and online exchange. The share of FMCG in online purchases increased when compared with the pre-pandemic online purchases. Polish consumers reduced the frequency of purchases and limited their overall spending on everyday purchases. During the first wave of the pandemic, the crucial issue for consumers was time management as a result of increased professional and family responsibilities, or (a similar percentage of responses) of excess free time. Poles used information technologies – for communication, shopping, learning and entertainment, to cope with the imposed social isolation. This trend, as indicated by the results of subsequent studies, will continue. Research limitations/implications: The research was conducted at a particular moment of time, during the last 2 weeks of the first pandemic lockdown; therefore, the study cannot provide the measurement of observable effects of behavior changes during a longer time since the pandemic situation has been volatile. In the research, the snowball method of sampling, which has its own limitations, was adopted. Originality/value: The value of the article results from the outcomes of the survey conducted with the use of a research questionnaire originally designed for the purposes of this study and empirical research results obtained during the lockdown period, which allowed for observing changes in consumer behavior in real time.

Streszczenie: Celem artykułu jest omówienie zagadnienia, czy rozwój filantropii i wolontariatu w warunkach polskich świadczy o skłonności Polaków do konsumpcji zrównoważonej. Artykuł ukazuje, jakie jest znaczenie organizacji pozarządowych dla społeczeństwa w percepcji konsumentów, oraz wskazuje znaczenie darowizn od osób indywidualnych dla organizacji pozarządowych w warunkach polskich. Prezentuje też wyniki badań różnych instytucji badawczych poświęcone zaangażowaniu Polaków w działalność filantropijną i wolontariat. Artykuł podsumowuje rozważania dotyczące wspierania finansowego i czynnego angażowania się w działalność organizacji pozarządowych przez osoby fizyczne będące przejawem odpowiedzialnej konsumpcji rozumianej jako alternatywny sposób życia uwzględniający społeczne skutki konsumpcji.