Nonprofit organisations are increasingly central to the architecture of contemporary governance, mediating between state, market, and civil society. Their influence spans research, framing, advocacy, coalition-building, and strategic litigation, but remains shaped by legitimacy, accountability, and structural context. This article presents an integrated framework linking governance, legitimacy, and influence to explain how NGOs operate as adaptive intermediaries rather than peripheral actors. It highlights both the democratic potential and the inherent tensions of nonprofit advocacy: amplifying marginalised voices while navigating donor dependency, professionalisation, and politicisation. By situating NGO action within global and local power dynamics, the article advances a relational understanding of influence—one that recognises NGOs as strategic actors whose credibility depends on transparency, inclusiveness, and institutional adaptability. The analysis offers scholars conceptual synthesis and practitioners guidance for sustaining legitimacy and impact in an evolving policy landscape.
Anna Neya Kazanskaia (Wed,) studied this question.