Teaching Paper: Frameworks for Mapping Non-Profit Functions – Analytical Tools for Understanding Organizational Roles in Society

Non-profit organizations perform multiple, overlapping functions that shape social, political, and economic life. Understanding these functions is essential for both academic analysis and practical strategy development. This Teaching Paper reviews influential frameworks for mapping non-profit roles, including Salamon’s categorization of service, advocacy, community-building, and value guardianship; Edwards’ focus on service delivery, innovation, and democratization; and Anheier’s distinction between service, expressive, and intermediary roles. The paper highlights how these frameworks can be adapted as diagnostic tools for analyzing organizational positioning and balance across functions. It also explores tensions that arise when non-profits combine roles—such as the depoliticization of activism through service delivery or donor backlash in advocacy. By bridging theory with practice, it provides a structured, analytical resource for practitioners, students, and researchers seeking to critically engage with the complexities of non-profit functions and their implications for strategy, legitimacy, and sustainability.