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A Neglected Type of Voluntary Nonprofit Organization: Exploration of the Semiformal, Fluid-Membership Organization

The semiformal organization is identified as a neglected type of voluntary nonprofit organization. It is characterized by having no defined members or by treating as members any participants and by having an informal leadership structure and operation. Data from qualitative and quantitative research on local voluntary organizations in a small suburb confirm the presence of semiformal organizations (36 percent of the fifty-nine organi zations sampled) and indicate some of their correlates (including fewer officers, more open membership, fewer affiliates, and younger partici pants). The construct is especially important in measuring accurately the size of voluntary organizations. It is important to find out whether semi formal organization is a necessary phase in the development of voluntary organizations and what affects the transition to a fully formal organiza tion. For many semiformal organizations, informality seems an enduring characteristic, not just a stage.

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				D. H. Smith Public Benefit and Member Benefit Nonprofit, Voluntary Groups Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, March 1, 1993; 22(1): 53 - 68. [Abstract]