It seems to be difficult to define what nonprofit sector is, despite its active involvement in the everyday life of the society. E. T. Boris (2006) stated that non-for-profit organizations are usually self-governed and often exist on the basis of voluntarism, and serve people by representing their rights and interests (p. 1). The essence of these organizations is that the profit that they make is not distributed to those by whom they are controlled (Boris, 2006, p. 3). Vaughan and Arsneault (2014) claimed that the essential feature that helps to designate nonprofit organizations is the tax-exemption (p. 4). This sector embraces and acts in a vast array of spheres of life including religion, culture, education, civil rights, environment, health care, politics and many others. All in all, it is possible to say that these organizations perform a function of service providers in social, economic, and political domains (Boris, 2006, p. 2).
The non-for-profit sector is interchangeably called nongovernmental; nevertheless, this does not presuppose its separation from government. On the contrary, these are two closely connected and interrelated actors. Some scholars even stated that the margins between them are blurred and unclear (Boris, 2006, p. 16). The work between the two spheres might be based on cooperation or conflict, but it is impossible to deny their dependence on each other.
Nonprofit sector performs very important roles. Particularly, it represents the interests of the society, brings people together for mutual collaboration. In economic perspective, it performs a significant function of employer and service provider. In terms of politics, nongovernmental organizations are a powerful actor in promoting democracy because they encourage participation of people in the political processes and by doing so promote transparency of the latters (Vaughan & Arsneault, 2014, p. 18).
Concluding all the above-mentioned, it is possible to say that non-for-profit organizations are an undoubtedly necessary element in the state structure of the United States. Often solely voluntary, they represent the needs of people, their rights and interests. Due to this, they can easily define a problem which exists in the society, bring it to the attention of government and either mutually or independently work on its solution. They also participate in the process of state-building by regulating the performance of the political parties and government. Apart from that, the nonprofit organizations give people the feeling of fulfillment because of contributions they make to their community. Therefore, nonprofit sector is an irreplaceable part of the state since it is "prepared to meet public needs and influence citizens' lives beyond what government can or is able to do" (Vaughan & Arsneault, 2014, p. 19).
References
Boris, E. (2006). Nonprofits & government: Collaboration & conflict (2nd ed.). Washington, D.C.: Urban Institute Press.
Vaughan, S., & Arsneault, M. (2014). Managing nonprofit organizations in a policy world. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: CQ Press.
