The Roots of Voluntary Agencies: A Question of Choice

This article presents a conceptual framework for exploring the development of voluntary organizations. The first part of the theory distinguishes busi ness and public bureaucracies from associations and defines the agency as a hybrid or ambiguous organization. The second part of the theory analyzes the system of "roots" of voluntary agencies, which is defined as the relationship between implicit welfare policy, financial resources, and human resources. It is suggested that voluntary agency development can be understood, and therefore planned, by examining its root system and that severe imbalances among operational explanations, root system, and governing body can lead to many familiar problems.