The purpose of this dictionary is to introduce greater conceptual clarity to an increasingly
unsettled terminology that has been developing in the field of philanthropy and non-profit
organizations over time. Confusion about the meaning of volunteering, association, civil
society, non-profit organization, foundation and charity has handicapped communication
and understanding, particularly in inter-disciplinary and international contexts. In the
past, the terminological tangles so characteristic of this field may well have mattered less,
yet as this set of institutions has achieved greater social, economic and policy relevance,
the need for greater clarity now seems more urgent. Indeed, the lack of a multidisciplinary
dictionary dedicated to the topic of philanthropy, non-profit organizations,
non-governmental organizations (NGOs), civil society, etc. has long been a major
complaint among academics and students in the field, as well as among practitioners and
policy-makers. The present dictionary was developed with these multiple audiences and
uses in mind.
An unsettled, evolving terminology is not necessarily a chronic weakness of a research
agenda, curriculum or policy field—it can also be a sign of a fertile, developing
intellectual field, as we hope is the case in the area of philanthropy and non-profit and
non-governmental organizations. In the context of this evolving intellectual field, our
primary aim was to make an inventory of the conceptual landscape, and to take stock; it
was not to set some standards—however defined—or to privilege one definition over
another. None the less this meant that we had to come to terms with the diversity and
richness of organizations located between the market and the state—a task complicated
by the great profusion of terms: ‘non-profit sector’, ‘charities’, ‘third sector’,
‘independent sector’, ‘voluntary sector’, ‘NGOs’, ‘philanthropy’, and, in the European
context, ‘social economy’ and ‘social enterprise’, among others.
Behind these many terms lie, of course, different purposes and also often intellectual,
juridical and political traditions. Definitions are neither true nor false, and they are
ultimately judged by their usefulness in describing a part of reality which is of interest to
us. Specifically, a definition must be simpler than the reality it seeks to describe. In the
social sciences, we typically try to come up with definitions that facilitate
communication, generate insights, and lead to better understanding. If we have achieved
even some small measure of this objective, the efforts that flowed into writing the
dictionary have been worthwhile.