The Size of Voluntary Organizations

While organization size has always been an important sociological variable, very little is known about the sizes of voluntary organizations. This study analyzes the determinants and correlates of size in a representative sample of voluntary organizations; previous studies of organization size were based on nonrepresentative samples. We test several basic hypotheses about the determinants of organization size, and explore some interesting correlates of size. We find strong support for the propositions that size of organization increases with system size and with extra-local affiliation, and evidence that organizations linked closely to the economic institution are larger. We show that large organizations are more stable in membership, and more centrally located in interorganization networks. We discuss the implications of our findings for the literature on voluntary organizations.