The Changing Role of Private, Nonprofit Organizations in the Development and Delivery of Human Services in the United States

Abstract

With diverse missions and multiple service provision strategies, nonprofit human services organizations have worked individually and collaboratively to create responses to social problems throughout the history of United States. This article highlights the important historic roots of the sector in understanding the scope and breadth of nonprofit human service organizations today. Challenges influencing this set of organizations, including the competing values of contracting out versus collaboration and the push-pull of grassroots or community-based versus professionalized orientations, are discussed. the article closes with important questions for nonprofit leaders and policymakers about the role of government in the human services arena.