Interactive explainer
CSO vs NGO vs Nonprofit
People use these three terms interchangeably, but they are not the same. Tap a term to focus it, then read across to see exactly how they differ.
| Dimension | CSO | NGO | Nonprofit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primary focus | Advocacy — influencing policy and public opinion. | Service delivery and direct action, independent of the state. | Any mission pursued without distributing profit to owners. |
| Typical activities | Campaigns, monitoring, lobbying, public education. | Relief, healthcare, education, development projects. | Charity, arts, sports, research, mutual aid — anything non-commercial. |
| Relation to the state | Independent; engages and pressures government. | Independent; may receive government funding but stays non-governmental. | Independent; defined by its non-profit-distributing status. |
| Legal status | Usually a registered association or NGO. | Registered non-profit citizens’ group. | Legally incorporated not-for-profit (e.g. 501(c)(3) in the US). |
| Examples | Amnesty International, Transparency International. | Red Cross, Doctors Without Borders. | A local charity, a university, a sports club. |
The relationship
How they nest
All CSOs are NGOs, but not all NGOs are CSOs. Most CSOs and NGOs are also nonprofits. The nonprofit label describes how an organization handles money; NGO and CSO describe what it does and how it relates to the state. An NGO that only delivers services acts as an NGO; once it starts campaigning to change laws, it is acting as a CSO.
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