This concise and illuminating book provides a road map to the evolving conceptual and policy terrain of the non-profit sector. Drawing on prominent economic, political and sociological explanations of non-profit activity, Peter Frumkin focuses on four important functions that have come to define non-profit organisations. The author clarifies the debate over the underlying rationale for the non-profit and voluntary sector's privileged position in America by examining how non-profits deliver needed services, promote civic engagement, express values and faith and channel entrepreneurial impulses, Probing foundational thinking as well as emergent ideas, the book is an essential guide for non-profit novices and experts alike who want to understand the issues propelling public debate about the future of the sector. Frumkin's book will be an invaluable resource for anyone interested in understanding the complex interplay of public purposes and private values that animate non-profit organisations.