Making the Nonprofit Sector in the United States

Unique among nations, America conducts almost all of its formally organised religious activity, and many cultural, arts, human service, educational, and research activities through private non-profit organisations. Though partially funded by government, as well as by fees and donations, American non-profits have pursued their missions with considerable independence. Many have amassed remarkable resources and acquired some of the most impressive hospital, university, performing arts, and museum facilities in the world. While some have amassed large endowments, many that surpass one billion dollars, there are also hundreds of thousands of small non-profits, most with no tangible resources at all. How did the United States come to rely so heavily on non-profits? Why has it continued to do so? What purposes do Americans seek to advance through non-profits? How have Americans sought to control them? How have non-profits been effected by the growth of government in the twentieth century? These questions suggest the complexity of the history of non-profits in the United States. To help explore that history, this reader presents some of the classic documents in the development of the non-profit sector along with important interpretations by recent scholars. The selections can be considered a representative part of a single extended conversation by the men and women who have taken part in the effort to define America and the American dream, even as they shaped what we now call the non-profit sector. The statements by participants in the growth and development of the non-profit sector are accompanied by essays written by historians and social scientists that provide concise surveys of important issues and periods. The essays give voice to those whose contributions to the American debate about voluntary associations and private institutions would otherwise be difficult to find or comprehend. The selections can be considered a representative part of a single extended conversation by the men and women who have taken part in the effort to define America and the American dream, even as they shaped what we now call the non-profit sector. The statements by participants in the growth and development of the non-profit sector are accompanied by essays written by historians and social scientists that provide concise surveys of important issues and periods. The essays give voice to those whose contributions to the American debate about voluntary associations and private institutions would otherwise be difficult to find or comprehend. Each selection has been chosen to define or illuminate important questions in the development of the non-profit sector in the United States. Many include criticisms of particular non-profit efforts, or of non-profit activity in general. The intention is to provoke thought, not to establish an official list of readings. Though not every point of view could be included, the reader does reflect a general understanding of the nature of the non-profit sector and its significance in the development of the United States.